SSD - Solid State Disks

[gummy100]

Hi All,

I want to upgrade my system to run a SSd for my O/S. I currently have 2 WD 36GB raptors (10,000) in raid 0 but think one is on its way out..... I have read a few reviews and have seen the speed benefits of some high end SSD and want to reap them..... i would need about a 60GB drive and wouldnt wanna pay much more than £200 ish

Can anyone suggest anything? Should i be going down the SDD route or sticking to WD velociraptors in raid 0?

Thanks

 

[sminlal]

For random I/Os you just can't beat a SSD - so if you're looking to speed up the types of activities that depend on random I/O (such as booting your system and starting up applications) then they're definitely the way to go.

If you can afford it, I'd highly recommend the Intel X25-M drives - they're the gold standard for consumer SSDs. Make sure you get a "G2" (Generation 2) drive which was just introduced in the last month or so - they're cheaper, perform slightly better, and (with a firmware update) will support the TRIM command used by Windows 7 to keep their performance at a high level even after you delete files (an issue for some older SSDs).

Here's an excellent article on the latest Intel drives with comparisons to some other makes: http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=3607

 

[gummy100]

Thanks Ill have a read tomorrow!

For random I/Os you just can't beat a SSD - so if you're looking to speed up the types of activities that depend on random I/O (such as booting your system and starting up applications) then they're definitely the way to go.

If you can afford it, I'd highly recommend the Intel X25-M drives - they're the gold standard for consumer SSDs. Make sure you get a "G2" (Generation 2) drive which was just introduced in the last month or so - they're cheaper, perform slightly better, and (with a firmware update) will support the TRIM command used by Windows 7 to keep their performance at a high level even after you delete files (an issue for some older SSDs).

Here's an excellent article on the latest Intel drives with comparisons to some other makes: http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=3607

 

[b1kshad0w]

http://www.amazon.com/Intel-X25-M-Mainstream-Solid-State/dp/B002P5NEMO/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1254437481&sr=1-6

If you can save the extra money, this is the drive you should get.

 

[photonboy]

The best value, by far is one of the newer OCZ drives. The times that the Intel actually beat it can't justify the premium price.

I'd choose one of the Agility Indilinx, Summit or Vertex brands.

Most people don't realize that you can install programs (i.e. games) to a hard drive ("d" drive most likely) even if Windows is on an SSD.

I still think SSD's are overpriced and I'll wait another year or so. Shop around for the best price as the SSD's really vary from store to store.

 

[cjl]

The best value, by far is one of the newer OCZ drives. The times that the Intel actually beat it can't justify the premium price.

I'd choose one of the Agility Indilinx, Summit or Vertex brands.

Most people don't realize that you can install programs (i.e. games) to a hard drive ("d" drive most likely) even if Windows is on an SSD.

I still think SSD's are overpriced and I'll wait another year or so. Shop around for the best price as the SSD's really vary from store to store.

Looking around on Newegg, I don't see any OCZ 60GB drives for less than $220. I just picked up an Intel X25-M 80GB for $235 (yes, a G2). That hardly seems like a premium price to me, and the Intel drives win by a substantial margin most of the time.

 

[ibnsina]

Toshiba Direct sells Intel SSD's much cheaper than new egg.

http://www.toshibadirect.com/td/b2c/searchResults.jsp?Ntt=ssd&x=11&y=15#1254484115253

 

[cjl]

Not really...

I got mine from B&H, which is the cheapest I've found them so far from a reputable retailer:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/648465-REG/Intel_SSDSA2MH080G2C1_80GB_X25_M_Mainstream_SATA.html

 

[ibnsina]

They dont have any in stock!

 

[cjl]

They ship pretty fast though. It's not a normally stocked item, so they order it when you order it. Mine took 9 days (calendar, not business) from order to arrival. I don't consider that excessive.

 

[JackNaylorPE]

Make sure you get a "G2" (Generation 2) drive which was just introduced in the last month or so - they're cheaper, perform slightly better, and (with a firmware update) will support the TRIM command used by Windows 7 to keep their performance at a high level even after you delete files (an issue for some older SSDs).

The drive wipe that comes with the firmware update is a buzzkill tho.

My guess is we are 6 months away from competitive pricing, better performance and table TRIM enabled firmware. After Win7, XMas, industry is gonna need somethingb to give it a boost and my guess is this is it.