Originally posted by: ochadd
I've got a 60GB vertex sitting in the laptop next to me with the 1275 firmware. I can say that it does slow down with use, noticably slower but still loads faster than the 7200 rpm laptop drive that came with it. Boot times have gone up about 3 seconds but applications load times like Acrobat reader, outlook, and excel are still near instant. I've only had the drive for a month but it's been flogged hard as a SQL server DB drive, PST repairs, and dozens of IOmeter tests.
The Intel drive is a little faster than the Vertex and from the dozens of reviews and shootouts I've read, performs significantly better than a Vertex in a used state.
If I had to do it over again I'd have gone with Intel even if there was a $150 premium. This is one of the areas where a massive R&D department really pays off. I still love the Vertex but the grass is always greener...