New SSDs crippled?

[occasional_game]

With SSD prices decreasing, I’m looking to buy a 60GB model. (At the moment, the Intel 25-M 80GB is too expensive for me.)

I was considering the OCZ Vertex 2, but recent models suffer from lower program-erase (P/E) cycles, lower usable capacity, and write speeds limited to 37MB/s. These problems apparently steam from OCZ’s quiet transition to 25nm memory. I don’t know if these problems are correctable via a firmware fix or not. There is no known way to determine (prior to purchase) which units suffer from these issues. (Source: http://www.ocztechnologyforum.com/f...GB-Vertex-2-(Extended)-Poor-Write-Performance)

I then considered the Corsair Force Series F60. However, a recent review shows slower writes speeds than review benchmarks conducted shortly after launch. (Source: http://www.digitalversus.com/corsair-force-series-f60-p498_9395_104.html)

Are manufacturers degrading performance and coasting on previous reviews? I don’t want to roll the dice with a Vertex 2, but I’m not 100% confident with the F60 either. If anyone recently bought a Corsair Force Series SSD, I’d appreciate seeing benchmarks that contradict this review.

 

[Dadofamunky]

I almost did get a Corsair Force 120 GB today. I went with the Crucial C300 instead and I'm glad I did - it gets all the good reviews on NewEgg so I was happy to pay the $30 premium. Corsair is rumored to be pretty good too, but I'm not regretting my choice - in the case and up and running with Windows in half an hour. Mine is a SATA-3, and don't think it's crippled at all.

Make sure, whatever you buy, to move the Windows swap file OFF the SSD to a mechanical disk.

 

[Emulex]

more chips = more speed = more durability (logically). so with the new chips you can do 4chan and run 64gb right? instead of 8chan twice as slow

 

[Fear No Evil]

I almost did get a Corsair Force 120 GB today. I went with the Crucial C300 instead and I'm glad I did - it gets all the good reviews on NewEgg so I was happy to pay the $30 premium. Corsair is rumored to be pretty good too, but I'm not regretting my choice - in the case and up and running with Windows in half an hour. Mine is a SATA-3, and don't think it's crippled at all.

Make sure, whatever you buy, to move the Windows swap file OFF the SSD to a mechanical disk.

This seems to go against everything I've read. Unless you have a nice amount of memory (8gb+), you are just slowing down your pagefile access for no reason. I don't think the usage will be so high as to cause any issues with most modern SSDs.

 

[occasional_game]

Although I appreciate the SSD optimization tips, my main concern at the moment is that Corsair might have followed OCZ and pulled an ol' switcharoo with performance.

Do recent F60 (or any F-series) perform poorly compared to established F series benchmarks?

 

[razel]

This seems to go against everything I've read. Unless you have a nice amount of memory (8gb+), you are just slowing down your pagefile access for no reason.

I AGREE! I've been seeing that being recommended as an SSD 'tweak' and all I conclude is that it just worsens things. The only time I would consider moving the pagefile off an SSD is if you are running out of space and are moving it onto another SSD.

The only other time I'd move a pagefile is in a HDD environment. Either off onto another HDD or moving the pagefile toward the beginning of the drive where transfer rates and access times are faster, but this was back in the Win95/NT 3.5 days when RAM limited and expensive.

 

[jjmIII]

Do recent F60 (or any F-series) perform poorly compared to established F series benchmarks?

No.

I see NO evidence that SSD manufactures are secretly selling slower drives once benckmarks are out.

As far as moving the page file...or anything for that matter....I love when people buy an SSD and try to move everything off it. If your SSD is too small to fit your page file or programs 1) get a bigger one, or 2) stick with a fast 1tb spindle drive IMO.

 

[Yellowbeard]

Although I appreciate the SSD optimization tips, my main concern at the moment is that Corsair might have followed OCZ and pulled an ol' switcharoo with performance.

ABSOLUTELY NOT. There is no bait and switch here. Please don't post things like this about my company.

I then considered the Corsair Force Series F60. However, a recent review shows slower writes speeds than review benchmarks conducted shortly after launch. (Source: http://www.digitalversus.com/corsair-force-series-f60-p498_9395_104.html)
.

The original specifications for this drive/controller combo are generated using ATTO with the drive attached as storage. Any review you see that does not use ATTO cannot be considered for an apples v apples comparison on these speeds. And, the review you linked is very poorly done. The author tells you very little about the test platform, the OS, or the implementation of the drive.

 

[occasional_game]

I didn't mean to offend. I simply didn't expect such tactics from any company. When I read OCZ made a detrimental change to their lineup, I wanted to make sure Corsair hadn't made such changes either. Now that I have an official answer, I'm off to buy an F60. Thanks.

 

[Yellowbeard]

I didn't mean to offend. I simply didn't expect such tactics from any company. When I read OCZ made a detrimental change to their lineup, I wanted to make sure Corsair hadn't made such changes either. Now that I have an official answer, I'm off to buy an F60. Thanks.

No offense taken. I just like to be clear and nip things like that in the bud. If someone misreads your post, they could easily take it as a statement or an accusation as opposed to the way you posted it as a question.

Thank you for considering Corsair SSDs.

 

[perdomot]

Yellowbeard,
For those of us using the AS-SSD or CDM tests, what should we expect from the F60?

 

[Yellowbeard]

Yellowbeard,
For those of us using the AS-SSD or CDM tests, what should we expect from the F60?

AS-SSD, no clue, I don't use it. CDM, I have a new blog coming out soon where I did some SSD testing and included CDM in the testing.

 

[perdomot]

AS-SSD, no clue, I don't use it. CDM, I have a new blog coming out soon where I did some SSD testing and included CDM in the testing.

Cool, please post an announcement here when its ready.

 

[Yellowbeard]

I published it internally yesterday. It should go live HERE any time now.

Also, it's already published as an Application Note, attached to the Force Series drive product pages. Click on any Forces Series drive, click the LEARN button, and then go to APPLICATION NOTES.