Which 128 GB budget SSD?

[Makaijin]

I'm interested in getting a budget SSD for my laptop. Since my laptop can only take 1 HDD I plan on getting a 128 GB SSD for it. The laptop runs Win7 64 so TRIM support is important since it'll also be used for storage as well.

Currently I'm interested in either the OCZ Solid 2 120GB or the Kingston V series 128GB. They're both priced at around £220 in the UK. The Anand SSD Bench currently isn't vast enough, and there isn't much comparison reviews for budget drives at these sizes. Most comparison reviews i can find for budget drives tend to focus on the 30-40GB variants. Which one of the 2 should I get? Or are there any other brands/models at this size/price range that I should also be aware of?

 

[Hacp]

Go with OCZ solid. It uses indilinx. The V series uses jmicron. Eww.

 

[RU482]

Go with OCZ solid. It uses indilinx. The V series uses jmicron. Eww.

but it's the NEW jmicron. NEW dammit NEW

 

[Makaijin]

Thanks for the posts. So, how good is the new JMicron controller compared to the Indilinx used in the Solid 2? I am starting to lean towards the OCZ mainly for their better firmware support.

On another note, after chatting with my mate about SSDs, he seems interested in jumping on the SSD bandwagon as well. He is on an iMac (20" silver version i think) and wants to know if there is anything special to be aware of, since I have never touched a Mac in my life. We might end up ordering a pair of the Solid 2s together save a bit on delivery costs. He said he checked on some mac forums and they all seem to favour the Intel drives, but he feels the price per GB is abit too much for "testing the waters".

 

[perdomot]

I've been using the 30GB OCZ Vertex drive and its amazing. Both reads and writes are excellent. The OCZ brand seems the best value right now.

 

[linster]

I believe OCZ has Mac versions of some of their SSDs. I don't know why this is needed. Make sure the Solid 2 is Mac compatible.

 

[capeconsultant]

I am extremely happy with my Corsair 128gb NOVA SSD. I am now a total convert. And of course, looking for the next round of SSD's. But for the time, I am remarkably satisfied. Fast, smooth, and so far totally reliable.

And I just cloned my WD 500GB to it. Only had 80GB of space taken up on the WD, of course. Otherwise, it would not work 🙂

 

[flamenko]

Here ya go...hope this helps if you are trying to stay money conscious.

 

[Makaijin]

Here ya go...hope this helps if you are trying to stay money conscious.

Thanks for the link on the refurbs, but unfortunately I am based in the UK, and the UK arm of crucial don't seem to have refurbs for anything for sale.

As for the Corsair Nova it's actually out of my intended price range, it's going for around £290 whereas I can get myself an intel X25-M 160GB for £330. The Nova actually costs more per GB than the Intel in this case.