The new SSD Thread (Benchmarks, Brands, News and Advice)

no one should ever worry about celldeath. till it's a problem, you will get a new one for cheap anyways.

but yes, with 320gb, you should never worry about anything. in our lancenter, we have tons of games installed on a 300gb hdd. if you move out movies to some other storage, it should be enough for years to come..

 

Arrgh, I spoke too soon. As soon as I ordered, all the 132 units I see scanned into stock were SOLD. This is ridiculous. There must be a massive number of preorders. There are too many desperate people out there (me included). Now, I'll just go into a corner and cry.

 

need a hug?


i'm trying out win7 currently. i need tons of hugs, too.. (terrible ui.. *shudder*)

 

really? someone who agrees with me? who, I though I was alone in not feeling the Win7 love.

320GB Intel SSD = Awesome!

 

It's not really "weird". I assume most has to do with the fact whatever they decided to make came up with it, but another possibility might be that since SSDs are supposed to replace HDDs, its best to keep everything similar as possible. 80GB and 160GB are regular spindle HDD capacity.

 

the reason for their "weird" capacities (what capacity is not weird, it's just numbers):

they have 10 parallel lanes in their controller. each gets fed with 8gb to manage => 80gb. each gets fed with 16gb to manage => 160gb. each gets fed with 32gb to manage => 320gb..

woah, i'm so cool


i think they stated it once that this was sort of the design reason. no clue how much truth it holds, though. it's way back in my memory

 

Disabling defragmentation is indeed a good thing when using a good SSD. Disabling hibernation and system restore will give you more free space, but won't increase performance. I totally agree with devepermen, don't disable system restore unless you have a good backup plan.

Regarding SSDs, you don't have to care about the cumulated amount of temporary internet files.

No. The pagefile by its nature is very well suited for being stored on a good SSD. (See: http://blogs.msdn.com/e7/archive/2009/05/05/support-and-q-a-for-solid-state-drives-and.aspx)

Source: http://blogs.technet.com/markrussinovich/archive/2008/11/17/3155406.aspx​

By default, Windows 7 will do the following whenever it detects that it's running on a good SSD:
Think before you paste, and only do it if your SSD doesn't stutter.

• Disable defragmentation
• Disable ReadBoost
  Disabling ReadyBoost can be accomplished by pasting the following into a command prompt that is running with full rights:
  
  Code:

  sc config EMDMgmt start= disabled

• Disable Superfetch
  Disabling superfetch can be accomplished by pasting the following into a command prompt that is running with full rights:
  Code:

  reg add "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management\PrefetchParameters" /v EnableSuperfetch /t REG_DWORD /d 00000000 /f

• Disable boot and application launch prefetching
  Disabling boot and application launch prefetching can be accomplished by pasting the following into a command prompt that is running with full rights:
  Code:

  reg add "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management\PrefetchParameters" /v EnablePrefetcher /t REG_DWORD /d 00000000 /f

​

If you need any help with these, don't hesitate to contact me.


Christoph

 

2x are stacked on top of each other (with a small gap for air), and one fits on top of the battery. Unless it came standard with 12.5mm x2.5" they won't fit, because the one that's in there uses all the space available in its respected slot.

 

Thank you for choosing Newegg.com.

The below item(s) has come in stock as of 08/21/2009 and we are sending you this notification per your request. Auto-Notify is one of many conveniences we provide at Newegg.com. Please Note: because others may be waiting for this item as well, we cannot guarantee price or availability.

Auto-Notify List:
Intel X25-M Mainstream SSDSA2MH160G2C1 2.5" 160GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid state disk (SSD) - Retail
Your Price: $449.00

 

That's a good news. I hope European shops will have them next week also.

btw. the price of 320 Gb Intel G2 in Europe is 858 euros (1 230usd)
but I think the price will definitely drop after this drive actually hits the shelves.

 

well d@amn... here we were thinking that the 160gb would be the hold up b/c they pulled it... It's on newegg but the 80gb is still not!

edit: doesn't look like any prices have budged on newegg, yet...

 

I woke this morning to see the auto notification of the 160GB G2 being back in stock and clicked through to buy it, but it's out of stock already!

 

Now you know how I felt. There is just too much demand for this. It needs to stop.

 

I GOT ONE!

I have google talk, it alerts me when new mail comes... so as soon as that popped its little self in the mailbox... ORDERED and done

 

and now RUN AS FAST AS YOU CAN before chrixxx and ashura can get you in their hands

 

Anyone know if there is any difference beside one being retail, i mean like performance wise.

Intel X25M 160GB Mainstream Solid State Drive SSDSA2MH160G2C1
n
Intel X25M 160GB Mainstream Solid State Drive Retail Boxed SSDSA2MH160G2R5

 

hehe, i know. I'm already piecing together based on news feeds what I think will be the G2 x25-e. IDK though if i'm on to something as of yet though.

Here's what I have

Facts (known to public with basic google news search using terms SSD and "solid state drive" <-- in quotes_

• x25-m G2 is based on a 34nm architecture
• 34nm architecture used in Intel is made in collaboration with Micron Technologies
• The X25-m is capable of 35,000 Random IOPS read, and 8,600 Random IOPS write
• Sandforce won a best-in-show award at an SSD convention for a 34nm based drive with SLC in it
• Sandforce's SLC drive uses a 34nm, micron-based architecture just as Intel's is, only SLC.
• Sandforce's SF-1000 (the working name of this drive) is, according to a .pdf on sandforce's site, capable of 30,000 random IOPS symmetric for read and write, much like RAM has symmetrical R/W ability
• With the same chips and architecture, the SLC Sandforce-based drive and chips get 250MB / sec read and write (symmetrical) whereas the MLC X25-m and its drive and chips get 250MB / sec read and 80MB / sec write.

All this leads me to believe that the x25-e is in fact out in prototype form. Same architecture (34nm), same chipmaker (micron), the only difference is in the controller and the flash structure (SLC vs. MLC)
Sandforce SF-1500 brochure

Sandforce and 34nm micron chips. (I will circumstantially say that they may use these for the SLC as well)

Intel X25-m G2 specs are easily findable on intel's site Intel's SSD page

Jason

 

they are both gen2, right? if so, they're identical. they just get shipped in different packages. the first ones are individual packages, the second one are packages in 5 per box. but that only matters for amazon who buys them that way. they still resell them in individual boxes.

 

Any news of when a Sandforce-based product will be available for retail?

 

It looks like buy.com has the 160GB G2 in stock for a few bucks more than Newegg. Newegg is out of stock again.

http://www.buy.com/prod/160gb-x25m-mlc-ssd-2-5-9-5mm/q/loc/101/211487191.html

 

October to November, from what I hear on other articles.

 

I bought it last night just after the auto-notify. It pays to be working at midnight....

 

It pays to have a cockatoo who has night terrors and keeps you awake too hooterbif

:cheers:

 

I'm not sure if they are going for a retail release (though they might be) i think its aimed more for professional systems. (servers/military/etc)

No clue really though, but if it is SLC then its going to cost ALOT and the preformance really isnt going to justify the price. Normal users arent going to be able to tell much difference between the good MLC drives and an SLC drive, so i wouldnt think it will ever really be worth the cost

 

I think it will be costly initially, but servers and workstations are more interested in IOPS than just "ooh look how fast my Read / Writes are!". To be able to constantly serve to others information takes not only fast reads, but also very low latency and the ability to do many random searches at once. An SSD may be fragmented, but fragmentation does not do as much harm to an SSD's performance as it would an HDD. Also, if you think about it, having for example... a server with 100 15k HDDs or 100 SLC SSDs, and while in the initial outlay the SSDs are more expensive, the energy saved long-term over the life of the drives (say 3 years) is going to be significant due to the fact that while a 15k HDD may use 8 to 20w / drive, a SLC SSD may only use 1/2 to 1 watt even under full load. 2kw vs 100w is NOT a tiny difference in terms of energy... Spread that out over several years, and the savings may be enough to put towards a new server. (Note, I only used 100 as an easy to work with round number.) As far as normal users go, I agree 100% with Kamin. A normal user is not going to be able to realistically discern between say a G2 x-25m doing reads vs. say the sandforce doing reads (writes though are a different story), however for a server atmosphere, it's IOPS that really become important, as well as long-term stability over tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of writes. A MLC array wouldn't last more than a few months in a server environment, so SLC's come into their own here.

I'm waiting for the x-25e G2 to come out solely because I think that is what will be the turning point for SLC SSDs. Up till now, SLC is mainly a server-only architecture, however with intel and micron announcing the successful growth of a 3-cell-layered MLC, I fear that IOPS will become so low we'll have the JMicron problem again. That is, you can have decent reads and writes (and I suspect it'll be about 140mb read / 60mb write as not to encroach on the current g2 performance mlc), but if the IOPS are so few that things stutter and the latencies start to co-exist in the same level as a high-speed HDD (ie: milliseconds of latency), then the backlash towards SSD may become more than just price, but also "this has become too cheap and we get the same performance from our old HDDs!". Intle has to be careful that just as the x25-e wasn't so expensive it was completely unreachable, that not only is the new G2-e not unreachable to small businesses and powerusers, but their "V-series" isn't so poorly made that its existence is a parasite in intel's bottom line. If intel is going to go through with the super-value route, it has to make it fast enough to be worth going from an HDD to that drive, but not so fast it cannibalizes the excellent x25-m (which may mean that 80mb/sec for writes may have to go up to say 120mb/sec to 130mb/sec to keep that distance).

I say we should wait to see what intel does at the end of the year with the new and upcoming drives, but it'll either make or break intel's foot in the SSD market at all levels.

Jason

 

Eurgh, just went through the checkout process and saw that Buy.com collects state sales tax. I'll wait for newegg to get back in stock.

 

Buy.com must be based in New York. They didn't collect sales tax for me, so I took the plunge. $452.99 versus $449.00 really isn't a big deal.

I've been lurking on this thread for so long that it almost doesn't seem real. Next Tuesday, I'll have a 160GB Intel in my hands.

 

I just got a notification in the UK that the 80GB Intel X25-M Mainstream 2.5" SSD - SSDSA2MH080G2C1 is in stock now

 

Wow reading that was time from my life i'll never get back. :tongue:

 

is my writing that bad?

 

no he was being facetious. Dont worry about it.

Your point was very true

 

the 3-cell / bit MLC drive i mentioned earlier is stated in greater depth here:

3-bit / cell MLC SSD

and

more on the 3-bit / cell MLC SSD

 

I doubt it. They'll still use their own updated chip, rather than 3rd party. Micron can make their own if they want seperate from Intel. They just share fabs.

 

I try... I've even started linking to my sources when I find something obscure

 

yeah i'm just messing. these forums are here for us all to bounce ideas back and forth

 

Sanforce Mobile SSD stuff is all designed for MLC. They build the controller hardware.

It's only their enterprise stuff that's MLC/SLC designed.

It's the SF-1000/1200 stuff with 250meg R/W and 30k IOPS that's intereresting to me. It could be utilitized in a competitive product; there's no reason to assume it would be out of reach for consumers.

 

Bad news:

I had to cancel the order because a client whose guitar I fixed is now suing me claiming i did too good of a job. This is in spite of the fact he put in for the price range "cost-be-damned". So now every penny I make is going towards a lawyer to make sure this guy doesn't put me out of business, as well as to make sure I can keep operating one of the few things that give me enjoyment.

So no more x25-m SSD :cry:

 

sell your 8gb ram, get 4gb, and get the ssd again.. more gain

but other than that, this news fits the discussion of yesterday much too well, and is very sad

 

I have my original 4GB kit... I was SO close. The guy who is going after me is an attorney who works in the music industry. I suspect it's one of two things: Either he wants someone he thinks will be an easy win for him, or he thinks that he can get off easy when he wrote "cost be damned". To me, if you write "cost be damned", you're giving a pretty explicit instruction that you do not care about the costs, in which case I'll show you what I think would work, you sign off, and the process begins. I also upgraded his caps, pots, bridge-block, saddles, etc., per his request. Is it my fault if, in good faith, I give his strat everything that I can to make it sound better and provide better performance? I even let him see my personal strat disassembled so the individual components could be scrutinized. The only thing I didn't do was machine-screws and inserts, because that's a different consent form due to it being irreversible, and he would not sign it. (Irreversible and you need enough neck mass and thickness, and a body that can handle the extra compression.

It's a long, insanely off-topic post, but all it adds up to is no more x-25m G2.

 

Their MOBILE stuff is. If we recall, x25-e chips are SLC. Which means that they would be closer to the SF-1500's SLC-based architecture, if anything. And if Intel wants to continue the SLC/enterprise relationship, then they'd probably opt for sandforce's SLC-based architecture rather than the SLC / MLC hybrid to keep the market they're interested in happy.

Jason

 

besides the fact that I havent been on here for like months ... cough... is the P256 still the best performer [MLC] (as used drive already and not as out-of-the-box performer), or is everybody talking now about the second generation Intel MLS drives ?

and frankly, what happened to the mtrons

 

intels are best and most reliable in general. p256? is that the samsung? not a drive for showing the snappiness of ssds..

and mtrons don't deliver anything new. very sad

 

btw, the intels gen1 are for <200$ on ebay currently, at least some..

link here

no clue if you can get it for cheaper somewhere currently, so this is just for info.

 

you can find the 160gb models for $350.

my g.skill falcon 128gb has served me well, highly recommended it.

 

For all the SSD experts out here, wanted to ask if anyone knows any information about this SSD.

Its a Kingspec KSD-MS18.1-256MJ @ $650 USD

1.8"
256 GB


I cant seem to find any other data on it (speed). Anyways also wanted to ask if was to be in the market for a 1.8" what other alternatives could I look for?

 

The 80GB Intel G2 I ordered from Ecost has been cancelled due to it being back ordered for 60 days. Time to buy it from somewhere else, and for cheaper!

 

Not according to my experience
My PB22-J 128GB Samsung SSD (almost identical to P256) is just as snappy as my Intel SSD.
If I recall correctly you have the second generation MLC Samsung SSD but with 64GB capacity, where write speed is reduced (maybe there are some other short comings as well compared to the 128GB and 256GB variant), so I think you should fix your comment to Samsung PB22-J 64GB SSD is not the drive to show the snappiness of SSDs.
Just my 2 cents

 

So I just ordered the 80GB Intel from Macmall for $245.30 with $14.28 Bing cashback.

 

you can get them cheaper almost anywhere than that... the seller wants 59$USD for shipping! it's better to get a 220$ one at newegg.

 

anandtech agrees with me. maybe you should fix your comment?

to everyone it's own. but yes, i had the 64gb variant, as no 256gb exists for 1.8" (or did at the time). but the benchmarks showed identical results to your 256gb funnily, and the behaviour was just the same as the gen1 mlc.

and the percieved performance difference to the intel was huge.

but to each it's own. at least the intel doesn't manufacture different ssd's of the same categorie with possibly different performances in different sizes, and calling it the same, then..