Recommend me an SSD

[DaTT]

I currently have a 120GB OCZ Vertex drive and am in dire need for another. I am looking to possible get a 500GB drive if they are not crazy expensive -- which i assume they are. I would settle for a 256GB.

Anyways, whats out there that's reliable?

 

[Essence_of_War]

Ton of options.

If you want to buy today, Intel's 530 240 GB for $150 is a pretty sweet deal the price.

In the 500ish GB range:
480GB Crucial m500 is ~$300
500 GB Samsung 840 EVO is ~$340
480 GB Seagate 600 series is ~$350

In the 250 GB range, all of those SSDs have 250GB versions worth a look, and I'd throw the SanDisk Ultra Plus and the Toshiba Q Series into the mix as well.

 

[DaTT]

It would be primarily for gaming if that makes any sort of difference.

 

[Essence_of_War]

SSDs tend to be low ROI for gaming, that is, they don't typically raise your FPS, but they do accelerate launch times and level loading. All the ones I linked to would be fine choices for gaming. I'd lean towards the m500 because it tends to be a good price for larger capacities and includes power-loss protection (worth considering for non-UPS'd desktops).

 

[DaTT]

Thanks for the links. I didn't expect an increase in FPS, but didn't know if some were geared more towards gaming or not.

 

[Blain]

Crucial, Samsung or Plextor

 

[JimKiler]

I currently have a 120GB OCZ Vertex drive and am in dire need for another. I am looking to possible get a 500GB drive if they are not crazy expensive -- which i assume they are. I would settle for a 256GB.

Anyways, whats out there that's reliable?

I just upgraded from an OCZ Agility 2 120GB to a Kingston 240GB and i chose it because it was $150 on newegg. Just go to slickdeals.net and you will find lots of good deals for SSD drives.

 

[mfenn]

There's going to be a big performance difference between your original Vertex and any new drive, on paper. In reality, you're not going to "feel" a difference. However, upgrading is a good idea if your Vertex is malfunctioning (not surprising) or you just plain need more space.

Pursuant to that, the Intel 530 that Essence pointed out is a good deal at in the 240 GB range. It is however, a Sandforce drive with all the usual Sandforce peculiarities (history of bugs, unrecoverable performance loss when filled, very different performance for compressible vs. incompressible data).

So if you'd rather not get one (and I don't blame you), the 240GB Crucial M500 is $155 and the 480GB version is $300. Surprisingly, the 500GB model is actually better cost per gig (barely).

 

[flimsy]

In real world experience, would you notice any difference between the crucial and a samsung evo? The crucial seems to be built to last, but the reviews aren't so good.

 

[mfenn]

No, you would not notice a difference outside of benchmarks.

 

[flimsy]

No, you would not notice a difference outside of benchmarks.

Which would you buy?

 

[mfenn]

The Crucial M500 240GB at $150 on Amazon. If the price advantage holds ($155 on Newegg), I'll be swapping it into next week's Midrange Buyers Guide too.

 

[DaTT]

Thanks guys

 

[Essence_of_War]

NP, let us know how the upgrade goes! :thumbsup:

Edit: Since I posted the original link to the Samsung EVO, the price dropped to $300.

If you're looking for something in the 500 GB range, both the m500 and the EVO are great picks at ~$300. I still lean a little towards the m500, but at equal price it's mostly up to your personal preference.

 

[Essence_of_War]

OP, you're just very lucky, because the Toshiba Q-series 512 GB just dropped to $300 also!

 

[thegamer36]

intel ... Very reliable and great tools.