Help with SSD

I'm looking to get a SSD. I'm hoping for a 120GB one under 200, going to shop around this Christmas and see if I luck out.

Currently, I'm using less than 200 GB in total for all my programs, obviously most of them are just music/video and the likes. For the SSD I'm going to use it for OS and some programs, would 120GB be too much for my needs?

Any suggestions on which company would be the best? I heard the ones with Sandforce Controllers have compatibility/stability issues so which SSD dont' use those controllers?

Thanks in advance

 

I'm in the same boat as you are. I'm wrestling over the cost/benefit of getting an SSD + HDD + USB Optical versus HDD + Optical. From what I hear, Crucial and Intel SSDs have the best reliability. I'm currently looking at the Crucial C300 and M4 series and the Intel 320 series. I've seen nothing but glowing reviews for those drives.

From a cost/benefit perspective, I personally consider anything above 80GB to be too pricey for diminishing returns on utility. I normally don't go over 60-80GB in installed programs and games at any given time. Plus, if I do, that means I have quite a few programs installed that I sparingly use anyway. Of course, your personal requirements could be very different from mine, but this is based on my own usage.

 

I know what you mean, I want to save money and just get a 60GB but I'm not sure if that extra space would be sufficient for all my other needs, like if I wanted to edit something and put it on the SSD drive, or if I put the cache there, would it be enough space left over after the OS + programs.

Any idea on how much space OS + cache + any other files needed by the system would take up? So I know basically how much space I'll have for programs and the likes?

 

mine has a 64gb crucial and I have windows 7 ultimate + couple basic things like anti virus installed on it and I have about 25gb left over. I install any non system program on the slave.

 

I love my curcial M4 256GB. It also comes in 64GB and 128GB flavors. Best balance of price/performance/stability that I've seen. Check the anandtech or tomshardware reviews.

In terms of space, remember the usable space is always less than advertised. So a 64 gb drive will only have about 60GB usable.

In my case, my 256GB drive has about 210GB left after installing the OS and all the drivers.

 

Hmmm I might need a little more space, I'll likely put OS + AV + games on it like SC2, BF3 and the likes ... so probably 64GB won't be enough for me ... damn the cost speed ... heh

 

yeah I have a 500gb slave so I just wanted the SSD for the OS only.

 

I've been looking around at the Intel 510 120GB and crucial m4 128GB. The price almost 100 dollar difference for the intel 510.

Is that 100 dolalr different worth it for the intel 510?

Still undecided on whether I should get a 120/128GB or 60/64GB SSD ....
What's the difference between Intel 320 and Intel 510?

 

The curcial M4 beats the 510 in performance overall...

AnandTech - The Crucial m4 (Micron C400) SSD Review


The 320 is slower than the 510...

 

So Crucial M4 128 GB would be the best to get for a P170HM?

Anyone have any problems with them recently?

 

If capacity is your concern, the Intel 320 is the best value. However, I would say the M4 is the best overall, you can check the review in my sig, it worked perfectly with my 8170. Of course thats just one experience. But I can say I have yet to see any negative reviews or stability concerns with the M4 that have been widely reported.

If you plan on gaming, remember the SSD means levels will load a lot faster. For example in Deus EX HR, it took my loading time from 45-55 sec on a 7200RPM to about 10-12 seconds on an SSD. Much less stilling there waiting for levels to load. So I would say its really a waste to get a 64GB and only install the OS an a couple games. For $210 you can get a 128GB M4 thats more than enough for the OS and 7-10 full games.

 

Looking around, I saw people throwing up the Samsung 830 128GB. This is about the same price as the crucial M4.

Anyone have any comments on how it performs/reliability in the P170HM?

Thanks

 

Samsung has a good reputation, but last I checked the 830 was priced higher than the M4.

 

Samsung should be more expensive, considering its recent release and it's roughly half a year younger than the M4. Plus the Samsung seems to consume a bit less power than M4 (which suppose to be the top SSD for its low power consumption, I believe) according to their spec.

M4 0.15W when active and Samsung 0.11W (64gb version) when active.

Edit: Beware the 830 has desktop and notebook version, so be careful not to choose the wrong one. Also keep a lookout for the Amazon Black Friday daily lightning deal. This week I think there was a c300 128gb for $180 and today OCZ vertex3 128gb for $160. The deal went out pretty quick considering the insane discount lol.

Edit2: I also remember today the lightning deal had the Samsung 830 64gb desktop version + Batman Arkham City download for $80 as bundle. Just to give you another reason to stalk the lightning deals because you never know what deal they release.

 

I'd probably go with the Crucial M4, watch out for OCZ their drives are/were having compatibility issues with Sager/Clevos