Best 1TB SSD under $250?

[Pheran]

So, if I don't want to spend >$300 for a 1TB Samsung SSD, what's the best pick of the "value" 1TB SSDs that are available? For example:

OCZ Trion 150 - $210
Mushkin Reactor - $220
MyDigitalSSD BP5e - $220
SanDisk X400 - $230
SanDisk Ultra II - $240

There's some helpful info in the AnandTech SanDisk X400 review, but unfortunately they left some of these out of the comparison.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

So, if I don't want to spend >$300 for a 1TB Samsung SSD, what's the best pick of the "value" 1TB SSDs that are available? For example:

OCZ Trion 150 - $210
Mushkin Reactor - $220
MyDigitalSSD BP5e - $220
SanDisk X400 - $230
SanDisk Ultra II - $240

There's some helpful info in the AnandTech SanDisk X400 review, but unfortunately they left some of these out of the comparison.

The excitement generated by the Samsung drives may have exerted too much influence on the purchase of my first SSD used as a boot-system disk. Since then, I've favored Samsung and Crucial. Crucial's prices are lower, but they're darn good.

So about three weeks ago I was fishing for an SSD to replace an EVO 250GB as a boot-system disk, as I was planning to make my system dual-boot with both Win 7 and Win10. I wanted to split a 500GB drive into two volumes for that. And I came across an ADATA 500GB with great specs priced at $110 (for me and my Egg Store Credit Card). That was the one I picked, and I only wanted to spend that much. But I also noticed after pressing the Checkout button that they had a ~950GB version of the ADATA with a price-tag I saw at $199.

These things are tested to define an MTBF spec and other factors. Since they're all silicon, the early-mortality rule insures that the longer they last, the less chance of premature failure. The ADATA SSDs have about the same 3-year warranty as many others.

All I can say is: The ADATA is working out very well in my system as configured AHCI on one of the two primary SATA-III Intel ports. Since I have automated backup every night to my WHS-2011 server, I'm prepared for any surprises. But the reviews of other customers left an optimistic impression.

Even so, I've used a Mushkin Chronos, and those are OK, also . . . as should be the Reactor.

 

[Termie]

The Reactor is a Crucial BX100 clone, which is a great thing. I have the Trion 150 960GB and it has amazing specs, but in real world tests it's definitely a budget drive. Slower than my MX200 1TB.

 

[Glaring_Mistake]

Would recommend the Mushkin Reactor.
The others are just not in the same league.

Though performance differences may be less noticable at that capacity than usual I hardly think you should consider getting a slower one in order to save ten dollars at the most at the pricepoint you're at.

 

[nerp]

Mushkin is good. The SanDisk Ultra II is good, too. Just based on personal experience.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

I have the Mushkin and am happy with it.

Nothing bad to say about the SanDisk.

I thought the OCZ Trion was a bit of an underperformer? I'd have to re read the review.

 

[FFFF]

Mushkin Reactor, get it while you still can.

 

[Pheran]

I have the Mushkin and am happy with it.

Nothing bad to say about the SanDisk.

I thought the OCZ Trion was a bit of an underperformer? I'd have to re read the review.

Yeah, after looking some more at the reviews, I don't think I would get the Trion, it seems to be soundly beaten by the Mushkin in performance. I like what I'm hearding about the Mushkin Reactor but I'm sort of tempted by the 5-year warranty on the Sandisk X400. I wish that AnandTech had included the Reactor in their X400 review benchmarks.

 

[tweakboy]

I bet the 1TB m.2 Sammy is gonna be 500 dollars and up

 

[tweakboy]

Im getting the m.2 Sammy 300 bucks for ubber 2500mbps lol

 

[FFFF]

With how reliable even consumer SSDs have become, I gurantee you won't even need that bigger warranty unlike with a HDD.

 

[Termie]

Mushkin Reactor review from last week:

http://techreport.com/review/30109/mushkin-reactor-1tb-ssd-reviewed

Almost certainly faster than SanDisk X400, which is a TLC drive. Also almost certainly EOL.

The sad fact is that the SSD market has been decimated by Samsung. The TLC-based 850 Evo, which was cheap to make, outperformed everyone else's MLC drives. And that means all competitors have pulled MLC from the market, in a true race to the bottom. They are competing only for GB/$, performance be d***ed.

My guess is that's why the Crucial MX300 seems to have been stillborn. Slower and more expensive than the 850 Evo does not sell.

 

[FFFF]

Mushkin Reactor review from last week:

http://techreport.com/review/30109/mushkin-reactor-1tb-ssd-reviewed

Almost certainly faster than SanDisk X400, which is a TLC drive. Also almost certainly EOL.

The sad fact is that the SSD market has been decimated by Samsung. The TLC-based 850 Evo, which was cheap to make, outperformed everyone else's MLC drives. And that means all competitors have pulled MLC from the market, in a true race to the bottom. They are competing only for GB/$, performance be d***ed.

My guess is that's why the Crucial MX300 seems to have been stillborn. Slower and more expensive than the 850 Evo does not sell.

At least Sandisk X400 offers pretty decent performance, compared to Trion or those awful ADATA TLC drives.

 

[StrangerGuy]

Planar TLC can GTFO.

3D TLC (Samsung) or MLC (Mushkin) drives.

 

[jhansman]

The sad fact is that the SSD market has been decimated by Samsung.

Not surprising when you can get the 500GB 850 EVO for about $135 if you shop wisely. Dollar for dollar, it has to be the best value in the SSD market now. Were I in the market for a more affordable 1 TB drive, I'd get the Mushkin without reservation.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Dollar for dollar, it has to be the best value in the SSD market now.

Well, that, or a used / "refurb" X25-M G2 / Intel 320 SSD off of ebay. Those things are basically indestructible, figuratively-speaking.

 

[TemjinGold]

What do people like for TB SSDs if not limited to $250? Is 850 PRO still the king or is something else better now?

 

[BonzaiDuck]

What do people like for TB SSDs if not limited to $250? Is 850 PRO still the king or is something else better now?

Depends on what you build and how much you want to pay for it. I happen to hold the opinion that you can get enough increase in performance another way than by shelling out for 4x or 8x some model 500GB to 1000GB drive.

If I can get a good and reliable 1TB SSD for $200, I can easily replace it if it fails and restore the entire boot disk. In this market, prices on SATA-III technology are slipping with the advent of m.2 and PCIe drives.

If the performance you perceive personally is as much as you'd want for your purposes, you can take your time migrating.

 

[thilanliyan]

The Sandisk X400 comes with a 5-year warranty. Can we read anything into the Reactor only coming with a 3-year warranty in comparison?

I'm also in the market for a 1tb drive, but for me the #1 concern is reliability, then price, then performance.

 

[ClockHound]

Can't read much into it. While the X400 has a higher write endurance spec, endurance is only a part of reliability.

Most SSD failures are controller firmware errors. Sadly, all SSDs run software to make the magic happen and humans write the software, who have a spotty record in the reliability area. ;-)

The true reliable solution is backup - in depth. We don't usually get to pick where on the bathtub curve our devices sit.

 

[TemjinGold]

Depends on what you build and how much you want to pay for it. I happen to hold the opinion that you can get enough increase in performance another way than by shelling out for 4x or 8x some model 500GB to 1000GB drive.

If I can get a good and reliable 1TB SSD for $200, I can easily replace it if it fails and restore the entire boot disk. In this market, prices on SATA-III technology are slipping with the advent of m.2 and PCIe drives.

If the performance you perceive personally is as much as you'd want for your purposes, you can take your time migrating.

I want to move my current SSD to storage (to retire the spindle) and get a new one that would be the boot drive. I'm not looking to spending insane amounts of money or anything but am not necessarily bound by a $250 limit.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

I want to move my current SSD to storage (to retire the spindle) and get a new one that would be the boot drive. I'm not looking to spending insane amounts of money or anything but am not necessarily bound by a $250 limit.

We were converting our household systems to dual-boot Win-7/Win-10. Here and there, I fell short on available SSD disk-space to create a Win10 boot-volume. So I had this Sammy EVO 250GB boot drive, and just cloned it to an ADATA 480GB. So far, I like the ADATA. The 960GB version should be priced just at $200. Well -- I see the Egg has it for $209, so . . .

 

[TemjinGold]

Good to know.

 

[Pheran]

Yeehaw, time for me to buy! Mushkin Reactor is now $205 at Newegg.

 

[DigDog]

i have the kingston V300 and a SanDisk, both low end SSD, and they perform admirably. do you really need that extra bit of speed of the EVOs ? it's not really noticeable. how slow is the slowest SSD on the market today?