Can't decide which one to get! Also, some preparation questions.

[Synomenon]

I'm looking at two SSDs for my notebook:

Intel 80GB G2:
http://www.amazon.com/Intel-Mainstre...dp/B002IGT7IK/

OR

OCZ 120GB Solid 2:
http://www.amazon.com/OCZ-Technology...dp/B002LE8DS4/



I'll be upgrading from a 320GB 5400rpm WD Scorpio Blue. The Solid 2 has more space and costs less than the Intel, but is it worth it?

When I install Windows 7 Pro. x64, during setup when it asks which hard drive / partition to install to, I usually just select the blank hard drive and let it use the entire drive for itself. Is this what I should do when installing Win 7 Pro. x64 on either of these SSDs? When installing Windows this way, does it automatically align the partition it creates?

Are all of these steps still recommended for setting up a system on a SSD?
http://thessdreview.blogspot.com/p/windows-7-ssd-performance-optimization.html

 

[taltamir]

if you can wait a few months, some very exciting new tech is on the horizon...

indilinx is set to release a new controller with much improved performance, and new 25nm chips are just about to arrive which will reduce cost to manufacture to less than half what they currently are (while also improving performance and heat of course). (don't expect price to drop by that much, but it will drop amount)
if you can wait until Q4 this year you will get the intel G3.

Anyways, between those two I would get the intel. 215 vs 340$... both will be older tech in mere months. and the intel has much better random write performance.
The only thing worth getting over an intel right now (and I do mean NOW... not in a few months) is those new sandforce controller based drives.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/3681/oczs-vertex-2-special-sauce-sf1200-reviewed
And even then I am not sure I would go that route.

 

[Synomenon]

I don't have any confidence that they'll actually price the new generation lower than what the current drives are priced at now.

I'm probably wrong about that, but it just seems like it has taken a long time for prices to come down.

 

[taltamir]

I don't have any confidence that they'll actually price the new generation lower than what the current drives are priced at now.

I'm probably wrong about that, but it just seems like it has taken a long time for prices to come down.

that is due to overwhelming demand... The intel G2 actually went up in price from 215 to 300 and stayed there for a while before going down again. (if you could ever find it in stock).

Naturally, a new generation which is even better than current gen will have similar results because the tech is just so hot.

But regardless of price, performance is set to go up a whole freaking lot.

As for:
http://thessdreview.blogspot.com/p/windows-7-ssd-performance-optimization.html

Those guys don't know what they are talking about it. Half their advice is plain wrong.

 

[Synomenon]

Is any of their advice right?

I thought you are supposed to:
- Disable automatic defragmentation
- Disable prefetching / superfetch
- Disable System Restore
- Keep the page file on the SSD

What else is supposed to be configured for the SSD to operate optimally.

Also, will the chipset and SATA controller on my notebook even be able to take advantage of the additional performance in these faster, upcoming SSDs?


If I wait for these new drives, I'll be waiting until spring / summer 2011 to jump onto the SSD bandwagon since I don't want to spend over $300 on one.

 

[taltamir]

I made a thread dedicated to the issue:
http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2072259

If I wait for these new drives, I'll be waiting until spring / summer 2011 to jump onto the SSD bandwagon since I don't want to spend over $300 on one.

Or order the new intel SSD within hours of lunch at MSRP price... that is what I did with my G2. I order it 20 minutes after it went on sale...

 

[Synomenon]

How much was your 80GB G2 at launch?

 

[taltamir]

220$, free shipping, no tax.
A little later it was up to 310$ IIRC

 

[Synomenon]

Cool. Hopefully the 160GB Intel G3 is less than $300 at launch.

 

[Synomenon]

Anyone else have a checklist or know a site that has a checklist of things that should be done with a SSD to properly configure it?

 

[Synomenon]

If I were purchasing a SSD for my main computer then I would wait for a newer gen. SSD, but this is just for my laptop which I use once in awhile, but enough to be annoyed by its slow hard drive.

So is the consensus b/w my two choices above is to go with the 80GB Intel over the 120GB Solid 2?

Also, anyone else have a checklist or know a site that has a checklist of things that should be done with a SSD to properly configure it?

 

[Synomenon]

Oh also, is there any way to "image" the SSD w/o installing anything other than Windows?

I keep seeing posts saying that we should image the SSD after we've installed the OS, our additional needed software and have configured everything the way we want it.

 

[taltamir]

If I were purchasing a SSD for my main computer then I would wait for a newer gen. SSD, but this is just for my laptop which I use once in awhile, but enough to be annoyed by its slow hard drive.

So is the consensus b/w my two choices above is to go with the 80GB Intel over the 120GB Solid 2?

Also, anyone else have a checklist or know a site that has a checklist of things that should be done with a SSD to properly configure it?

well... the solid should have faster sequential writes (which are less important) while the intel gets faster randon writes (which matter more) but I am told by most people that they can't tell the difference.
The intel has the advantage of costing more than 100$ less...
the solid has the advantage of being bigger...

since this is a laptop drive you don't have the luxury of a system drive SSD + a large spindle drive for bulk storage... so how much space DO you need on your laptop? How much you are willing to spend?
if you are willing to spend 350$ on an SSD to get more space, there might be a better choice than the solid out there... but first tell us your space needs.

 

[Synomenon]

I'll be installing:

Windows 7 Pro. x64
Office 2010 x86
iTunes (w/ ~9GB of media)
QuickTime
DiVX
Paint.net
Everest
Kompozer
Microsoft Security Essentials
Trillian
Foxit PDF Reader, Editor
IMGBurn
UltraISO
SoundForge
Tage&Rename
FireFox
WinRAR
CCleaner

That's most of the stuff I'll be installing. There might be a couple of other small programs I left off the list. Also, will running CCleaner a couple of times a day hurt the SSD? I usually run it before shutting down the PC.

I really don't want to spend more than $280 on one and am limited to Amazon.com since I'll be using store credit to purchase it.

 

[taltamir]

I see no reason why CCleaner will hurt the SSD.

I am not too familiar with all those programs and their space requirements...
why don't you just open your laptop and see how much free space and used space it currently has?

 

[Synomenon]

Currently, the drive has 137GB free of 320GB, but I have games and videos on there that I won't be using when I get a SSD.

WoW takes up around 17GB, the videos take up another 58GB.

 

[taltamir]

after conversion of 320GB = 320,000,000,000 bytes (manufacturer measuring; using SI prefix notation) to 1024B per KB, 1024KB per MB, and 1024MB per GB (real computer measurement) I get 298GB
you have 137GB free out of 298GB, therefore you are using 161GB.

You say you will not install said games... why not? what changes?
Besides which, SSDs should ideally be kept below 90% full to avoid slowdowns.

You will need to get a 160GB+ SSD AND cut down your space usage...
or cut down your space useage extensively.

Try cutting down all you are willing from it right now and see how much space is used then.

 

[Synomenon]

Well, right now I have 137GB free, but the games I do not plan on installing and the video files I don't plan on carrying around anymore add another 75GB of free space.

I haven't really played the games I installed on my notebook. The keyboard and mouse aren't good enough for me so I play games on my desktop now.

 

[Synomenon]

Ok, I've cut down alot and can get it down to 79GB of used space so that means the 80GB Intel is out.

Can anyone find a decent SSD on Amazon.com (shipped and sold by Amazon.com) that's less than $280 and can fit the 79GB AND have enough free space to run properly?

 

[taltamir]

You can get a conversion from GB as measure by drive makers to GB as measured by windows by multiplying it by 0.931322574615478515625

As such, the 80GB intel is actually 74.5GB in windows. (well, I own one and it shows up as 74.4 so i get its slightly less)...
so regardless of speed it will simply not physically fit.

Your options seem to be limited to:
http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Extrem...046839&sr=1-16
http://www.amazon.com/OCZ-Technology...046839&sr=1-19

Both are over your budget. Both have the same controller but slightly different firmware (the vertex uses up and extra 8GB of space for speeding up the drive; all SSDs do so, its just a matter of amount; I think the vertex might be slightly better), so its really a matter of which company you trust more. I could do some research to see which one was more diligent about firmware updates but its getting late. maybe later.

Perhaps waiting a few months for the next gen is best for you... even if you don't buy those the current gen should go down in price.

 

[Synomenon]

Thanks for all the advice guys. I scrounged up enough for a 120GB Vertex.

 

[jimhsu]

You obviously aren't recommending him to BUY a SSD with a brand new controller are you? So far, every SINGLE NEW controller (maybe, except for some Samsung ones) has had a) performance problems, b) data loss issues, or c) usually both. After a whole bunch of users complain, the manufacturer releases a fix, which kind of fixes the problem, but not really -- people still complain. After a series of back and forth fixes, eventually we get a stable product.

Just look at today's article for instance: http://anandtech.com/show/3698?showAllComments=False&cPage=1 ... yet another controller bug. Just yesterday, Crucial's update to prevent drives from bricking ... well, bricks drives. http://anandtech.com/show/3694/crucial-releases-realssd-c300-firmware-fix

For ordinary users, really the only point of waiting for next gen is to snap up current gen at reduced prices.

 

[taltamir]

You obviously aren't recommending him to BUY a SSD with a brand new controller are you? So far, every SINGLE NEW controller (maybe, except for some Samsung ones) has had a) performance problems, b) data loss issues, or c) usually both. After a whole bunch of users complain, the manufacturer releases a fix, which kind of fixes the problem, but not really -- people still complain. After a series of back and forth fixes, eventually we get a stable product.

Just look at today's article for instance: http://anandtech.com/show/3698?showAllComments=False&cPage=1 ... yet another controller bug. Just yesterday, Crucial's update to prevent drives from bricking ... well, bricks drives. http://anandtech.com/show/3694/crucial-releases-realssd-c300-firmware-fix

For ordinary users, really the only point of waiting for next gen is to snap up current gen at reduced prices.

the indilinx drive he is buying is not using a new controller, it is using a tried and tested controller.