Recommendation for new T400 inexpensive SSD drive

I am purchasing a new T400 and I was hoping someone would recommend an inexpensive 120G SSD drive to match the system.

 

It might help if you could define inexpensive a little more concretely.

 

The OZC "mainstream" Agility series is a more affordable option than their Vertex and Summit series, and has excellent performance, and comes in 120GB.
http://www.ocztechnology.com/products/solid_state_drives/sata_2_5_solid_state_drives.
http://www.ocztechnology.com/products/solid_state_drives/ocz_agility_series_sata_ii_2_5-ssd
http://www.thinkcomputers.org/ocz-agility-60gb-solid-state-drive-review/

You can go even cheaper in the OCZ series (their "value" options) , but I would not recommend it, for performance reasons.

 

120gigs isn't going to be inexpensive for a current gen SSD.

 

Here you go LINK!!
ok not really
Here's what I recommend. LINK

 

The 128GB kingston v series is a pretty good bet. Uses a modified Jmicron controller and has some cache. does pretty good 4k random writes, and doesn't suffer from the stuttering problem. faster than 7200rpm drives, slower than a vertex or X25-M, but price is definatly right.

The 40GB version, which i plan to get, is coming out this week. uses a 2nd gen intel controller. amazing reads, slow writes, but perfect for a boot drive. who cares about sequential writes on a small little boot drive anyways.

 

I would go with the 80GB Intel X-25 (Gen 2) for a primary drive ($200) and put a 500GB 7200rpm Seagate in the Ultrabay ($100).

That's what I found to be the optimal balance of OS and app speed, while having large and fast storage for data.

 

I'd still stay away from anything jmicron and go with an intel or indilinx based controller.

 

Samsung controllers are also excellent.

 

and not user flash-able from everything I've read.

 

ZaZ had the most important comment, depends on what his budget is. If he wants 120GB minimum but only has $200 or less, he might as well stick with a HDD. Personally, I feel $200 for a SSD is still too much for most budget conscious consumers. I wouldn't recommend any SSD right now unless you are willing to drop $300+.

Corsair says the Samsungs can be flashed with TRIM capable firmware and it is being tested, but until consumers can do it themselves, take with a grain of salt. Intel has had numerous firmware bricking issues with each firmware they have released, plus they're the most expensive still. And Indilinx has increased prices instead of lowering them due to Intel's uncompetitive pricing, so I don't feel it's a great buy.

 

Basically buying your own SSD is still not for the mainstream market without knowing the nuances regarding SSDs right now and the niche as a whole.

 

Thanks everyone, but I am still not clear yet.

1. I have been building systems fro 20 years, so don't worry about me.

2. I would like to stay in $200 range if the drive can be reliable and pretty quick (relative to 7200rpm of course) don't need the fastest drives, otherwise I think I'll get a cheap 7200rpm and wait 4 the price drop in a year

3. We all know there are gerat sales at times, so as long as I know what I am hunting 4 I will catch it on sale, just not up to speed on which drives are reliable and a good match 4 the new t400

 

You can get an SSD in the 200s for sure. And all will be faster for the use you intend for it (random writes/reads). However, just depends if you consider it to be of value to you.

I personally really like the incredible random performance/no heat/no mechanical noise. If you have the money...an SSD makes a world of difference.

 

Just recently i bought an OCZ Agility 120 GB drive and swapped a 250 GB 7200 rpm drive into the ultrabay. It's a very fast setup, especially with Win 7.

 

There is an extensive SSD thread in the hardware section.

Go to Anandtech.com for the best articles. In fact, that's all you really need to read.

$200 for 120GB in a reliable fast drive is not possible. Anything in that price per GB is going to have significant issues. Either take your changes, wait for the technology to mature, or increase your budget. Sorry. Sadly, Ferrari aren't cheap either.

 

Right in the $200's 60-80gigs is what you choose from mostly...

 

Sounds like it's not the time 4 SSD just yet.

Thanks everyone.

 

Spend half that and get a new Hitachi 7K500 next month

 

The question was about which 120GB SSD to buy. I don't know how an answer of "just buy a 7200rpm 500GB HDD" is very helpful. It is like asking for "which orange", and getting the reply "this apple". The performance, acoustic properties, heat level, and impact resistance of even a "budget" 120GB SSD is so different from even the best 7200rpm 500GB HDD that they can barely be compared. If someone wants a "good value" 120GB SSD, then they have plenty of great options that will not disappoint. The biggest option is to chose any recent SSD over any HDD. Whether one can afford that choice in hardware or decides it is not value for them is another thing entirely.

Six months ago now I spent 3X the cost of a comparable HDD for a "performance" 120Gb SSD to replace a 7200rpm 160GB HDD, and never have I spent upgrade money with more immediate impact on the computing experience - and it has continued.

 

my reply was based on the geneal consensus (by the OP and others) that SSDs are too expensive right now, hence I suggested as a stop gap measure to get one of the fastest new HDDs on the market. The smiley face should have indicated it was meant half in jest.

 

Yep, I saw the smiley! thanks! but this question comes up time and time again and it is a serious one, as the move from a HDD to a SDD is a serious change in so many things in the computer experience, only one of which is speed. I just don't think people should be put off with scare talk when they ask about getting a very standard (and for most of those who are asking the question, affordable) 120GB SSD.

Just what is "too expensive"? A 120GB SSD is only 3 times or so the cost of a HDD. For most computer users, 120GB is plenty of storage. For that they get a drive that acts more like a ram drive than a hard drive. Once a system has enough (real) ram, and is optimized for its OS, nothing can change so many things more than by replacing a HDD with a SDD. What has that change got to do with a certain number of dollars? If you were using someone else's money (like in a business) one wouldn't even think about having a 120GB HDD in preference to a 120GB SSD.

The SSD is faster by many times, in total performance; it is silent, cool, does not vibrate, is much safer for storage, especially when on the move due to the dangers of the HDD being a spinning piece of mechanics. The list goes on.

What has a "general consensus" ever being an argument for the validity of a state of affairs? Most of those who say "a SSD isn't worth it" are those who either are waiting for bigger SSD's, or just don't want to spend more money on an SSD than on a HDD (yet pricing per GB of HDD's themselves has reduced amazingly the past few years. That will of course continue). There is nothing wrong with that. But to infer from that assessment that "they are too expensive" is no more meaningful than saying buying a new computer is "too expensive" or going on holiday is "too expensive". Or buying more ram or Windows 7 is "too expensive". It depends on what you are looking for, and how much you are prepared to pay for that choice, in comparison to other options available. Or compared to not doing it.

There are millions of people using SSD's, and many more millions using HDD's. They are both terrific options, now. You have to pay more per GB for SSD than HDD, that's all. There is almost no downside to SSD technology compared to HDD, other than price per GB. If you find 120GB enough, and think paying 3X the cost of a stock HDD OK, then it is in every way "worth it", IMHO.

My system came with a 160GB 7200rpm HDD and it was and is a fantastic hard drive - much much quieter and quicker than any HDD I have had over many years. If I did not transform my machine subsequently with an SSD, I would be very happy with a modern 160GB 7200rpm HDD.

 

At the end of the day it's still just a hard drive, a tool, nothing more or less. Nobody's trying to scare anyone else into buying a platter based drive. The OP asked for a budget SSD. I don't think pointing out the positives of a platter based drives as opposed the downsides of getting a SSD comes completely out of nowhere.

Ultimately, it's a question of value. You obviously value your SSD and are willing to spend the money to get one, but given their negatives, others can choose something else and still be making the right decision. My own personal experience with them wasn't as stellar as yours. I couldn't tell much of a difference between the two performance wise, except in a few specific instances. I'd agree they have benefits beyond performance. Given my own experience I would hesitate to spend that much money and give up a significant amount of storage.


P.S. - Using paragraphs makes your posts much easier to read.

 

I agree with Zaz. The decision to the user comes down to prioritizing speed vs storage (in the respective technologies' sense).

I personally would never use a laptop for mass storage so an SSD for OS and apps is very valuable to me.