Zalman SSD

Yeah, TH did a review of the N Series here:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/ssd-raid-performanc...

I liked what I saw, and got two for this new build. But I need good all around performance for a lot of different things. It may not be the drive for everyone, but it stayed mid to upper end in the pack across most benchmarks, which is exactly what I wanted.

Looks good, but you can add $ 20 more and get the Crucial C300 128GB that is a lot better.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

A lot better at what?

You obviously haven't looked at the benchmarks, cause in a lot of cases the Zalman kills it.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/ssd-raid-performanc...

Do you know that 90% time the rig READ the SSD and not write right? so, the 4K are the most important in the SSD, in that part, the C300 is the best.

the Crucial C300 256GB version is a good all around drive too, but for people that do a lot of write operations, it's one of the worst to get.

http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/ssd-charts-2010/Fres...

I do a lot of write operations.

SSD is really one of the places you need to look closely to find the drive that best suites your needs. Zalman N-series wasn't really that weak anywhere. It won't be the drive for everyone. But I already said that.

That's is a good point.

If you do a lot of write, get a Vertex or SSD with SandForce controller, but if your only need read, the C300 is the way to go.

The Zalman N-series uses the Sandforce controller, which is one reason I chose it. That was one focus of the first TH article I posted.

When you get a situation where no one component kills everything else at EVERYTHING, then you are left to having to decide on one that does everything pretty well. I think I will be happy with the Zalmans- don't know yet, this new build (in my sig) is still on UPS trucks somewhere.  

If your will do RAID 0 on those Zalman, you will have performance problems.

I have the Crucial C300 penciled in as one of the SSDs I am considering, while my Gigabyte motherboard supports SATA3, it is on a Marvell controller, which I am not too enthusiastic about hooking up an SSD to. I think SATA2 on the Intel P55 chip is where I want an SSD, so the Crucial loses a little of that 6Gb/s edge for me. I'm pretty sure I need a well rounded SSD, performance-wise. I use video and photo editing software, while I have a number of additional drives, the boot drive gets a pretty good workout.
There always seems to be some issue with nearly every SSD, like OCZ Vertex firmware/Gigabyte BIOS issues that have taken that SSD out of consideration, the Zalman looks good performance and price wise, but seems a little thin on support.
Trying to find the right SSD is a bit of a challenge. If they weren't as expensive, it wouldn't be as much of a problem.

I don't know what kind of support you are talking about. About the only thing applicable would be a future firmware update, if ever needed.

The Zalman N-Series already:

Optimized for AHCI Mode
Support WIN7 Trim Command
Read up to 280MB/S
Write up to 270MB/S
SandForce Technology Inside
Ultra fast start-up and access speed
Reliable
Silent and low power operation

http://www.zalman.co.kr/ENG/product/Product_Read.asp?id...

Works for me. And I will not flash drive firmware on existing op sys drives, unless rewiping totally with new install. Only on a new build if new firmware is available.

Yep I am getting rid of my old Indilinx OCZ drives and will probably go with Zalman as well.
Studio I guess you are setting yours up in a RAID array?

No sir. If I was focused on setting up a RAID array, or intended to with this set of hardware, I would probably not be going with Zalman. Saint makes that point above.

I prefer to keep the RAID subsystem out of my loop, and instead just manage data flow a little between two drives. That's not practical for some corporate environments, but I am not dealing with that for this particular system.

I'd rather do RAID with a 4 drive minimum, and I just am not up for that right now.

Well, their website has very little information about the SSD drives, no FAQ, the Zalman forum doesn't have a storage or SSD section. Operating out of South Korea, I wonder how any problems or RMAs will be handled. I didn't see any warranty information either.
Don't get me wrong, I've used Zalman coolers on a number of computers and never had any problems, but an SSD is a different deal.


Ever hear of an RMA?


The read and write specifications may vary, but that is the general description of any Sandforce SSD.


I don't claim to be an SSD expert, but I don't believe I've heard of a motherboard that supports all SSD functions(like TRIM) using Windows 7 or Linux in a RAID configuration. I could be wrong, but from the information I've seen, the consensus is that one large SSD is generally better than two smaller ones in a RAID array. Perhaps sacrificing reliability for a little more speed is possible with SSDs in a RAID 0, but I'm more interested in a problem free system drive.

They do have a forum for SSD here in product reviews:
http://forum.zalmanusa.com/phpBB3/viewforum.php?f=136

And I've definitely seen worse customer service centers/RMA forms:
http://www.zalman.co.kr/ENG/Contact/RMA/Rma.asp

I have Newegg standard 30 day return, and a 3 year parts/labor limited manufacturer warranty.

Zalman has made a pretty good name for itself, and I don't see why their customer service would be that much worse than any others as things go.

That's a tremendous leap of faith. I know.  

That's why I think, unless you are an SSD expert, running an SSD with the OS on it should be installed in a compatible environment; like AHCI in Windows 7, which supports SSD features to keep it running efficently, or go with a drive, like Intel, that provides tools to maintain the drive in other operating systems.


I didn't check under the marketing section for the SSD, I was more interested in support. Usually when a new product comes out, there is plenty of online action; good and/or bad. I did see the RMA form. I have some experience with parts from Asia; the RMA procedure can be a long one.


I'm seeing a limited return policy, which means exchange only, no refunds. If I buy this drive, it will be from Newegg, so I would agree with you that the terms are about as good as you're going to get.


I hear ya. I really would like to get an SSD, but there are so many factors. I always want to get the latest, fastest thing, but over time, I've learned to be more restrained. With Gen 3 SSDs about to come out, I feel I should wait until they do to see which way things are going to go.