Current Verdict on Sandforce Based SSDs?

[Rattlin Bones]

I'm building a budget MMORPG gaming machine for my wife, and one of her few wishes is a SSD. It's been heavily recommended to me by some that Sandforce drives be avoided altogether due to the potential BSOD issue. Do you concur?

I've been browsing non-Sandforce 3gb/s 120gb models to try to save as much as possible, but a Sandforce would still be so much cheaper.

Thanks for your help!

 

[greenhawk]

3Gb/s units have been generally fine. It is only the newer 6Gb/s ones which have been having issues (and going by reports, a lot of that was addresses a month or two ago in a update).

 

[sm625]

I have a sandforce ssd that had been running perfectly up till this morning. I turned my computer on and it just hung at the "Boot from CD" message which always appears just before windows starts to load. I hit CTRL+ALT+DEL and it just hung during hdd detection. The drive description said "SANDFORCE" when normally it says OCZ Agility 3. I turned the power off and turned it back on and it booted fine. I'm not sure what this means, its not like this is the first time this kind of crap has happned. It happens with IDE and SATA HDDs too, bout once a year on average. Maybe its just my luck, but nonetheless I would not buy another ocz or sandforce drive. The M4 just looks too good anyway.

 

[MarkLuvsCS]

The 128 crucial m4 has proven to be quite reliable, and the Samsung 830 seems to follow its older brother the 470 which was a solid drive. Intel is still a safe bet. It may just be a touch slower than the newer sata3 ssds.

I would personally go with the crucial or Samsung which are about 200. The ssd that will always be world's faster than the spindles so you could take it from system to system.

 

[Edrick]

Crucial all the way (and Intel as well). Just my opinion after having an OCZ drive brick on me in the past.

 

[nanaki333]

SF has most of the bugs worked out of their newer drives. i don't think you would have a problem if you decide to give them a try.

 

[Burner27]

I have a sandforce ssd that had been running perfectly up till this morning. I turned my computer on and it just hung at the "Boot from CD" message which always appears just before windows starts to load. I hit CTRL+ALT+DEL and it just hung during hdd detection. The drive description said "SANDFORCE" when normally it says OCZ Agility 3. I turned the power off and turned it back on and it booted fine. I'm not sure what this means, its not like this is the first time this kind of crap has happned. It happens with IDE and SATA HDDs too, bout once a year on average. Maybe its just my luck, but nonetheless I would not buy another ocz or sandforce drive. The M4 just looks too good anyway.

Were you using the latest FW on your drive?

 

[Coup27]

there are still far too many reports on the OCZ forums of users even with 2.15 having issues. I would personally stick with Samsung, Crucial or Intel. Also in that order.

 

[ss284]

SF has most of the bugs worked out of their newer drives. i don't think you would have a problem if you decide to give them a try.

Not exactly a vote of confidence...

Why risk it for $50? I say this having had the same sandforce v1 drive die on me twice.

 

[BlahBlahYouToo]

Not exactly a vote of confidence...

Why risk it for $50? I say this having had the same sandforce v1 drive die on me twice.

yup, if/when the drive dies on you, you'll curse yourself for not spending a few extra bucks.
it's not worth the headache.

 

[nanaki333]

Not exactly a vote of confidence...

Why risk it for $50? I say this having had the same sandforce v1 drive die on me twice.

haven't had any bsod or crashes since i put the latest firmware on my 240GB and 120GB v3 drives. 1 is on a z68 system and the other on an x58 system. they used to have bsod issues but none since .12. i say most bugs because nobody knows what bugs spring up. just like people say intel is the best ssd around, yet their 320 series had a pretty nasty bug that killed the drive leaving like no space available.