SSD Recommendation for my usage

GolfPro24 · Mar 28, 2013

Hey, I do not know much about SSDs and what exactly things like IOPS and things actually are and how they actually affect performance. I am wanting some advice on what SSDs perform the best as im looking to upgrade my PC from an old HDD. If you have some personal experience with SSDs such as the Kingston HyperX, Corsair Neutron Series, or Samsung Pro Series I would appreciate some information on how they perform. (those are a few im looking at). So a general question too I have, for example, is it even possible to tell performance difference between 300 mb/s and lets say 500 mb/s?? PCs are basically a hobby of mine. Besides obvious use like email and surfing the web, I basically built it to play games like dirt 3, BF3, Microsoft Flight, GTA IV, etc.

PC Specs:
Define R4
Asrock Z77m
8 GB 1600 mhz Corsair Vengeance
Intel i5 3470 (Dark Knight II cooler)
Gigabyte geforce gtx 660 overclocked
620 watt Seasonic modular bronze

I would appreciate any legit advice, suggestions, personal experiences, etc.

JohnnyLucky · Mar 28, 2013

Modern 3rd generation solid state drives form a very tight performance cluster. Typically a consumer cannot tell the difference in performance. A consumer would have to run synthetic benchmarks that grossly exaggerate minor differences in order to measure the minor differences. It would be different if the user was a rocket scientist.

Do not expect miracles when playing games. A game will load faster. Game levels, maps, charts, and lists will also load faster. That's about it. An ssd will not increase FPS. If you play online games you will still be at the mercy of Internet Service Providers.

I normally recommend Samsung - excellent track record. Crucial, Intel, and Plextor are also worth considering.

I maintain the ssd database listed in the sticky at the very top of this forum section. Here is the link:

http://www.johnnylucky.org/data-storage/ssd-database.html

Scroll down to the brands and models you are interested in and follow the links to the technical reviews.

photonboy · Mar 28, 2013

*You may wish to PRINT THIS so you can give it some thought*

Points:
1) Most games don't feel much different on an SSD vs HDD. (I've been testing this extensively). Bethesda games like SKYRIM, Fallout 3/NV etc work better on an SSD mainly due to quick loading of new locations.

I also had major stutter in Diablo 3 which disappeared when I put it on the SSD however I'm unsure if this issue is common or even still exists with new patches.

2) SIZE:
I generally recommend a 120GB SSD for Windows/apps and putting games on an HDD instead.

3) Steam and games:
Steam allows multiple folders as well as MOVING games between folders (by backing up and restoring). So you can add an SSD dedicated just to games (like a 60GB model) for fairly cheap and ONLY have those Steam games that you currently play. When you're done, just MOVE back the game to the SSD (or keep as a backup on the HDD). This allows you to run ALL your games on an SSD (you probably play no more than four at a time).

4) Intel 335 and Samsung 840 Pro are my two favorites but there are other good ones.

5) Intel and Samsung have good software (Samsung's is called "Samsung SSD Magician"). Things you should do:

a) update the FIRMWARE (before using)
b) apply overprovisioning (uses up roughly 20% of the space but it's highly recommended as you should never fill up an SSD. This basically handles it for you so you can simply use almost 100% of the remaining space.)

EXAMPLE OF SETUP:

SSD#1: 128GB Samsung Pro (Windows and apps; NO GAMES).

HDD#1: 2TB WD Green (for Steam games, other games, Downloads, C-drive backup via Acronis True Image etc...)

SSD#2: 60GB Samsung (non-Pro) (*second Steam folder for ONLY games that you currently use)

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SSD Recommendation for my usage

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