SSD's Samsung 830 256GB or Intel 520 240GB or other?

[naimcohen]

Samsung 830 series 256GB:

Sata 6Gb/s
Read: 520 MB/s
Write: 400 MB/s
Samsung own controller
3 Year warranty
£140

Intel 520 series 240GB:

Sata 6Gb/s
Read: 550 MB/s
Write: 520 MB/s
Sandforce Controller
5 Year warranty
£185

So, which would you go for out of the two? Research shows that either one are a good buy but want to clear it with you guys first.

Is the intel worth the extra £45? Would you go for another drive completely? Or wait for the later drives to come out? Samsung already have their 840 version out now...

Reliability is key here as the last thing I want to deal with is a dead drive. I know there was a lot going on about SSD's dying but seems that not so much the issue anymore.

Will be used on an i7 920, LGA 1366, 6GB RAM computer. Will store files on my 2TB HD

Any help will be great

Thanks!

[GarfieldtheCat]

IMO Samsung controller > sandforce controller.

But both have good reps though.

[TemjinGold]

The Samsung is actually a BETTER drive so if it costs less to boot, there's no contest here.

[naimcohen]

Thanks for the replies

How does it work to be a better drive if the write rate is slower? And would it be worth going for the 840 or 840 pro, or would I not really see the benefit?

Thanks again!

[Coup27]

Samsung.

[m.alkhalel]

Samsung 840 pro 256Gb costs almost the same as Intel's 520 240Gb and it's superior to the 830 on a lot of aspects .

[sequoia464]

Originally Posted by naimcohen

Thanks for the replies

How does it work to be a better drive if the write rate is slower? And would it be worth going for the 840 or 840 pro, or would I not really see the benefit?

Thanks again!

The write rate for sand force drives is calculated using compressible files. They are slower using non compressible files. The Samsung is the better choice in my opinion..

[naimcohen]

I've just bought 3 of the samsung SSD's. One 830 256GB for me and two 830 128GB for my office computers.

I've asked this question in the motherboard section but thought I would ask here too...do I need to do anything special installation wise with the SSD's? Will be running a fresh copy of windows 7. Just load up and go or do something in the bios or after the install?

Thanks

[pauldun170]

Make sure bios is on AHCI
Install windows 7
Install Run Magician 3.2 utilities
enjoy

[MrX8503]

Samsung is better and cheaper. An alternative is the crucial M4.

Don't get the 840 though, it uses TLC NAND chips, which is garbage.

TLC has half the life of MLC.

SLC > MLC > TLC