Intel 330 vs X-25V SSD?

[Auric]

http://ark.intel.com/compare/67286,56607

With the 330 60GB @ $60 I am considering replacing a trusty ol' X-25V in system (A) and moving that to system (B) which will greatly benefit from an SSD. (A) does not really need an upgrade, per se, but would benefit a bit from additional capacity headroom, integrated encryption, and any additional performance.

However, comparing the specs I am surprised to see the 330 having less than half the random read performance and also notice that the sequential is listed as maximum as opposed to sustained for the X-25V. Finally, the power consumption is exponentially higher. So how do they actually compare? Any input would be appreciated.

 

[Hellhammer]

SandForce has always been bad at random reads, so it's not a surprise that even X25-V is faster.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/148?vs=591

 

[Zap]

With the 330 60GB @ $60

Look for a better deal. Even if you avoid OCZ, I've seen recent deals on 120-128GB SSDs in the $75-90 range. Higher capacity SSDs will outperform the 60GB units. Heck, even the highly rated Samsung 830 128GB has had a few deals recently at $90 with free shipping. IMO SSDs smaller than 120GB (at today's pricing) are just not worth buying anymore. Heck, personally I have already vowed to no longer purchase any SSD under 240GB, and almost jumped on yesterday's deal for a 240GB SanDisk for $120+tax without rebates. That was at Staples, and uses the SandForce 2281 controller.

 

[razel]

+1 to Zap's thoughts. I also nearly bought that 240GB SanDisk for $120. I liked that fact that it was Staples and it was Toggle NAND. I'm not much of a fan that it's a SandForce, but at that price, I wouldn't complain.

I've been spoiled running Intel's the past 3 years and I'm currently testing the Kingston HyperX 3K 120GB (SandForce) that was $80 and so far I'm impressed. No issues no complaints and I can't tell any difference between it and the Intel G1, G2, 320... which is a good thing.

 

[Auric]

Okay, thanks guys. Mistake averted. For around $90 I am now considering either the Samsung MZ-7PC128B/WW or SanDisk SDSSDX-120G-G25.

 

[Aikouka]

Okay, thanks guys. Mistake averted. For around $90 I am now considering either the Samsung MZ-7PC128B/WW or SanDisk SDSSDX-120G-G25.

I assume you're referring to Newegg's deal? I know they have the 128GB Samsung 830 on sale for $90 this weekend. I ended up buying one, but I still haven't decided exactly how I'm going to use it! :$ I think I might swap it with my Corsair M4 256GB that I'm using as a system drive (has ~170GB left) and use the Corsair M4 to replace my ooooooold Intel X25-M G2 80GB as a "make my games load faster" drive.

So, all I know is that I want to replace my 80GB one, but I'm not sure what I will do that with!

EDIT:

This is a little off-topic, but Newegg also has a sweet deal on the Apricorn USB 3 SATA adapter (note: doesn't require external power). It's 20% off and has a $10 rebate, which comes out to $13 after rebate.

I shied away from the brand at first, but the USB 2 one came with my Corsair M4. It works great and is rather handy!

 

[Auric]

Yes, I decided upon Samsung for reliability (particularly homogenous controller) but hesitated and the 830 sold out. But it has frequently been this price or less from various mongers for awhile now so I'll just wait a bit. Maybe it is being superseded?

 

[Auric]

Replacing the X-25V with the MZ-7PC128B was uneventful thanks to pre-configured W7, trusty Intel controller, trayless dual enclosure, and Ghost 11.5. But given H55 Express' 3Gbps limitation, I am on the verge of slapping in a cheap LSI SAS2008 controller that has been laying about for awhile in the hope of improved all-round storage performance rather than just the OS SSD. Still, has anyone noticed the difference in SSD performance even between onboard 3 and 6Gbps controllers?

 

[Auric]

Also, I am not too bothered if the 3.5" HDD backplane is actually limited to 3G since potential performance gains would be in multi-tasking (though the H55 is pretty good). But obviously to take advantage of 6G with the MZ-7PC128B, it cannot be limited by the 2.5" backplane.

So, when their specs state 3G is it factual or just an out-dated bullet-point? Or in other words, how "pass-throughy" are they and would it actually need to be replaced with a 6G spec one? Despite the following review of the SNT-SATA2221B @ newegg, it works fine as expected, merely limited to 3G speed by at least the controller.

Cons: Does not work with SATA III 6G SSDs!
I contact the manufactures website to query, and was e-mailed that it would support SATA III.
NOPE!

Other Thoughts: After installation, BIOS posted very slow (if all all), due to searching for drives. If I got past the BIOS psot, Windows 7 would not start!
I give up. This is the 4th mobile rack I've tried with SATA III SSDs. 2 of them I fried (SIIG), 1 didn't like it (Rosewill), and this one (much like SIIG).

 

[Auric]

Well to answer your question, Auric... the 2.5" backplane is not actually limited to 3G as implied by its specs. However, since the sequential peformance difference is largely inconsequential besides backups, and the random negligible, the benefit is "meh" for the SSD alone.

Perhaps it is limited by the SAS2008 card being PCIe 8x and the slot being 4x? In any case, Samsung Magician Performance Benchmark does seem agreeable to the SAS2008. Here's a comparision from an older version of CDM:

Intel X25-V on Intel H55M Express / Samsung MZ-7PC128B on Intel H55M Express / Samsung MZ-7PC128B on LSI SAS2008

 

[Auric]

Also tried in PCIe x16 slot and direct cable but neither made any performance difference, which is nice -i.e. x4 slot is not a limitation (at least for single drive) and backplane is truly pass-through. Huzzah.