240GB SSD Recommendations?

[itakey]

I have a secondary computer that is ready for an SSD Upgrade. The last SSD I bought for my main computer is a PNY and I've been very happy with it.


PNY CS1311 240GB 2.5” SATA III Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) - (SSD7CS1311-240-RB)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B019H3B3OW/

Or this drive which is 270GB at the same price, and claims just slightly higher IOPS Speeds:
Crucial MX300 275GB SATA 2.5 Inch Internal Solid State Drive - CT275MX300SSD1
https://www.amazon.com/Crucial-MX300-275GB-Internal-Solid/dp/B01IAGSD5O

Either of these better than the next, or is there a different drive worth considering? The PNY has been good to me, but I have also run Crucial SSD's for years on end without a hiccup.

Any better drive at the price point of around $70 for 240GB+?

 

[UsandThem]

How about this one for $8.00 more?

https://www.amazon.com/PNY-CS2211-2...ie=UTF8&qid=1472697993&sr=1-2&keywords=cs2211

http://www.anandtech.com/show/9799/best-ssds

 

[itakey]

How about this one for $8.00 more?

https://www.amazon.com/PNY-CS2211-2...ie=UTF8&qid=1472697993&sr=1-2&keywords=cs2211

http://www.anandtech.com/show/9799/best-ssds

Good info thank you. That leads me to the next drive which is $88 and one of the highest rated all over the web:
Samsung 850 EVO - 250GB - 2.5-Inch SATA III Internal SSD (MZ-75E250B/AM)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00OAJ412U

The difference of $70-$88 isn't all that much, is the benefit of speed and longevity better with the Samsung EVO 850? People sure do love this drive....
http://ssd.userbenchmark.com/Samsung-850-Evo-250GB/Rating/2977

 

[tweakboy]

Don't get the PNY, its a cheapo company. Go with Crucial, but their not that great either. what to do ,, what to do...

 

[UsandThem]

Don't get the PNY, its a cheapo company. Go with Crucial, but their not that great either. what to do ,, what to do...

PNY makes a lot of budget items, not doubt. The CS1311 which the OP originally asked about is such a drive. However, the CS2211 drive is MLC and has a four year warranty. It's a great budget drive:

http://www.thessdreview.com/our-reviews/pny-cs2211-ssd-review-240gb480gb/6/

The difference of $70-$88 isn't all that much, is the benefit of speed and longevity better with the Samsung EVO 850? People sure do love this drive....

Nothing wrong with a 850 EVO. I have several of those (four 850 EVO drives in fact, also a 830 EVO, 840 EVO, a PNY CS2211, Sandisk Ultra II, Crucial MX100, and some old Kingston model). The 850 EVO is the fastest out of all the "budget" SSDs, but the CS2211 is right there with it as mentioned with Anandtech recommending it as a "budget" drive. Personally, I'd get whichever one was on sale.

 

[Turab]

Don't get the PNY, its a cheapo company. Go with Crucial, but their not that great either. what to do ,, what to do...

Totally agree with.

Samsung 850 EVO and SanDisk Ultra II looks far better than PNY, at least for me.

Crucial MX300.. Nice drive for sure. However, it is still not a 850 EVO.

 

[itakey]

Thanks everyone, has really helped narrow down a sea of options. I'm leaning towards the 850 EVO. I run the PNY CS1311 in my main computer so I'll be planning to move that data over to the new drive I buy, and run the PNY CS1311 in my secondary machine. The CS2211 and the Sandisk Ultra II also look promising with a slight savings over the EVO. I'll see pricing come Friday and pull the trigger on one of them, but the EVO may be worth the few extra dollars and extra warranty. Then again on warranty, I hardly ever warranty RMA hard drives since I hate the idea of my data being out there. Do you all send drives back in without worry when they fail?

 

[UsandThem]

Do you all send drives back in without worry when they fail?

I wouldn't worry. It's not like they are some creepy local PC repair shop in the wrong part of town.

I've only had a WD drive die on me under warranty, and haven't had any issues. That said, if you have it set up as server in your basement and receive classified emails, you probably just want to destroy it after it dies.

 

[itakey]

I wouldn't worry. It's not like they are some creepy local PC repair shop in the wrong part of town.

I've only had a WD drive die on me under warranty, and haven't had any issues. That said, if you have it set up as server in your basement and receive classified emails, you probably just want to destroy it after it dies.

You are right, next time i'll probably just send the drive back. I have 30,000+15,000 emails I'm sure, but none are considered classified lol.

Man, HD shopping is a slippery slope. I started out looking for a new SSD for my secondary computer so the best of the best wasn't a factor. Now I've shifted to upgrading my main computers SSD and instead of the 240GB range, I'm considering ones closer to 500GB. I guess that's how it goes. Looks like I'll either stick to the 250GB EVO around $90, or might go with the 480GB Sandisk Ultra II for $118.....But the EVO sure does seem to outperform others. Considered waiting it out until Black Friday, but it seems far to save $20-$40 so i'll probably just decide and order between now and Friday. Decisions Decisions....

 

[UsandThem]

Unless there is a new 'budget' SATA SSD review I have missed, the 850 EVO and CS2211 are the top dogs in speed. Honestly though, unless you look at synthetic benchmarks, the top 5 budget SSDs don't differ in real-world performance much at all.

The 850 EVO was always my first choice, but they have also gone from the $130 range up to the $155 range since I last bought one. The CS2211 has gone up as well.

Here are some recommended drives:

http://www.hardware-revolution.com/best-sdd-solid-state-drive-august-2016/#BestValue

http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/test-centre/storage/best-ssds-2016-best-ssd-reviews-update-3235200/