Help choosing SSD

[supremor]

So I'm getting ready for a new build once IB hits and I'm having trouble deciding on an SSD (if I end up getting one at all, but that's a whole other topic).

First of all I'd like to say I'm not going anywhere near anything SF. Call me paranoid or what have you but even with their supposedly mature firmware I just have a hard time trusting SF as I very much value reliability and not so much in the sense as flat out failure but more in the sense that I have zero tolerance for shenanigans such as BSOD's, random restarts or system hangs and all that other good stuff.

Now with that out of the way, The drives in my price range are the following:
- Crucial M4 256GB (currently my top pick based on price, general performance and reliability)
- Intel 320 160GB
- Intel 510 120GB
- Samsung 830 256GB (costs about 100$ more than I'd like to pay but I've heard great things about it)

So those are my options. I would have love an Intel SSD but a 250GB 510 costs almost as much as a 512GB M4 over here which is just beyond ridiculous.
So I ask you SSD guru's, help me make the right choice.

 

[razel]

All are great choices, but I'd skip on the 510. It's expensive. Decide on the three based on price. Wait for a sale and when the price is close to 1.25 per GB buy a size that you need. With those three all bench metrics' meaning over your ownernhip will be moot.

 

[MrX8503]

If cost is a concern for you, I'd get an M4. I own two M4's and they have been rock solid. The drives have been out for a long time so Crucial has been able to push out firmwares that have increased its performance and reliability. Just remember to flash to the newest firmware when you get it if its not not on the newest already.

Intel and Samsung SSDs are similar, but I feel like their premium asking price over the M4 isn't worth it. Oh and the 510 is using a sandforce controller.

 

[Coup27]

Oh and the 510 is using a sandforce controller.

The 510 uses a Marvell controller, same as whats in the m4. The 520 uses a SandForce SF-2281. Both have Intels own firmware on.

I would get a Samsung 830. However is the price is that much higher in your country, you can't really go wrong with an m4. The 830 is faster, but probably not that much you would easily notice it outside benchmarks.

 

[supremor]

I'm sure all of those will be plenty fast for me as I don't do anything that's very disk intensive. I guess the M4 is the right choice after all since its very cheap for its size and 256GB is plenty enough for me to never have to worry about running out of space on it and still being able to have a bunch of games installed at the same time without constantly moving stuff around or deleting it.

 

[Coup27]

There's been a couple of new firmwares for the m4 lately so make sure you update it before dumping your OS on.

 

[evident]

i got a samsung 830 128GB for $140 on sale, they go on sale but not as frequently as the crucial.