Recommended SSD Drive

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dpixel

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May 28, 2013
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I looking to upgrade my computer to Windows 7 Pro 64-bit from XP Pro. I'd like to install the OS on as SSD Drive.

My set up is:
ASRock 980DE3/U3S3
FX-4100
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) which I will upgrade to 12GB
CORSAIR CX series CX430 430W
Also a 500GB IDE HD

I don't know anything about these. Is there a recommended brand? Recommended size? Do they ever break? Anything else I need to know?

Thanks for any info,
Dave
 
Solution
R
What you really need is a well-respected tech-site to produce monthly overviews of the best SSDs for the money... oh wait, they do! http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/ssd-recommendation-benchmark,3269.html

I'm personally of the opinion that the difference between a HDD and an ANY SSD is so massive, that the differences between SSDs themselves is almost insignificant. Sure, if you're running specific, high I/O workloads it's worth investing in a better SSD. But if you're in the 95% of 'normal' users, any SSD well branded (Samsung, crucial, intel, et al) SSD will do you just fine. Get the cheapest SSD from a reliable brand in the capacity you want is my advice.
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snowctrl

snowctrl

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Sep 10, 2013
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I would recommend a minimum of 256Gb, though u can get away with 128Gb. Try the Crucial MX100, which is plenty quick enough and very good value. Most SSDs are guaranteed for. 3 years, some for 5 - which gives u an indication of their typical fully reliable life-span
 
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JackNaylorPE

JackNaylorPE

Titan
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Oct 30, 2004
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1. There are many good brands....

128 GB http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/ssd-recommendation-benchmark,3269-2.html
256 GB http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/ssd-recommendation-benchmark,3269-3.html

2. Some performance Data

Best-SSDs-Average-Data-Rate.png
 
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rhysiam

Splendid
Mar 24, 2013
4,366
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What you really need is a well-respected tech-site to produce monthly overviews of the best SSDs for the money... oh wait, they do! http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/ssd-recommendation-benchmark,3269.html

I'm personally of the opinion that the difference between a HDD and an ANY SSD is so massive, that the differences between SSDs themselves is almost insignificant. Sure, if you're running specific, high I/O workloads it's worth investing in a better SSD. But if you're in the 95% of 'normal' users, any SSD well branded (Samsung, crucial, intel, et al) SSD will do you just fine. Get the cheapest SSD from a reliable brand in the capacity you want is my advice.
 
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dpixel

Honorable
May 28, 2013
19
0
10,510
Thanks for all the great info. The Crucial MX 100 looks like a reasonable price. I guess my biggest concern is quality. I don't want it breaking down after a few years. Are there ones to avoid? Do they run hot at all?
 
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rhysiam

Splendid
Mar 24, 2013
4,366
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26,990


Ah dammit, just wrote you a long reply and then managed to trash it... I hate it when I do that.

Trying again:
All SSDs to have a endurance limit. Each NAND cell can only be written to a certain number of times before it can no longer hold a charge and is, effectively, worn out. Much has been made of this issue but it's massively overblown. Sure, if you have some unusual write intensive use case (like hosting a write intensive database), you'll need to be much more careful in selecting an SSD, but for the vast, vast majority of users it's simply not an issue. Check out Anandtech's analysis of the 840 EVO (which is one of the lowest-endurance drives on the market) - there's really nothing to worry about with write-endurance: http://www.anandtech.com/show/7173/samsung-ssd-840-evo-review-120gb-250gb-500gb-750gb-1tb-models-tested/3

The bigger issue with SSDs in the past has been dodgy firmware which has bricked drives. These issue plagued the once popular OCZ SSDs, and really damaged the reputation of SSDs in general. Still though, it's almost destroyed OCZ as an SSD company, so I'm hoping that the other company around noticed and now pay much more attention to testing. Grab a good brand and you're as safe as any of us.

SSDs in theory are much more robust than HDDs, they have no moving parts and produce less heat. Of course, whatever storage you use (SSD, HDD, flash drives) all important data should be backed up and a good brand is never a substitute for a good backup. As I say, grab a good brand (and Crucial have a good reputation) and you're as safe as any of us.

That MX100 is a good choice. Plus, they're on special at Newegg at the moment. Grab one, they're the best upgrade you can make for a PC IMHO.
 
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