RealSSD C300 or Intel 320 for OS drive?

[thebski]

I'm building a computer for my mom and she doesn't do anything other than regular desktop use (i.e. no gaming or extreme apps). Which drive would be best for her new computer?

The reason I ask is because the 128GB RealSSD C300 is on sale at Newegg for $200 right now, so I'm not sure if I should snatch one up or wait until the 320 is available. C300 seems to have higher overall throughput numbers, but the Intel is always regarded as one of the best OS drives. Thoughts?

 

[tecmo34]

1) If she is just an average user, there is no need at all to get her a SSD. It just isn't worth the price per GB, IMO. Just pick her up a Samsung Spinpoint F3 1 TB and call it a day.

2) If you are going to go with a SSD, I would pick her up the cheapest your can find for whatever capacity you are looking at. She isn't a "extreme user" that wants the fastest system she can get. So based on your feedback, the C300 would be your choice to go with over the Intel 320.

 

[thebski]

It's going to have an SSD. She's recently retired and her computer now is brutally slow and she is sick of it. I told her I'd build her one that will be virtually instanteous. She also wants to build one that she won't have to touch for a long, long time.

 

[JohnnyLucky]

^5 +1 what tecmo34 said.

When it comes to online actuivities such as shopping, email, chatting with friends and relatives, and watching video clips, a solid state drive will not improve anything. You are totally at the mercy of the Internet Service Provider, web hosts, and all the Internet connection points around the world. A solid state drive will not improve anything you do on the world wide web.

Although gamers and enthusiasts don't think much of it, the Intel 320 series 120 GB SATA II (3 Gb/s) ssd is available. They cost a little more ($229.99) than the Crucial. The 320 should be a solid, reliable, mid-level, general purpose ssd with an excellent Intel Toolkit that makes it easy to optimize and maintain it at optimal levels.

 

[tecmo34]

It's going to have an SSD. She's recently retired and her computer now is brutally slow and she is sick of it. I told her I'd build her one that will be virtually instanteous. She also wants to build one that she won't have to touch for a long, long time.

In that case, it is hard to be the deal for the C300 right now, so I would go that route. Or look into the Intel 320

 

[thebski]

Thanks guys. I don't want to sound like I'm ignoring your opinions of a hard drive being sufficient. It definitely would be, but she's recently retired, has some spare cash and wants to be able to enjoy a smooth computing experience for the forseeable future. That spells SSD.

My main issue with hard drives is their performance when they are 2 or 3 years old. Even the Velociraptor I have in my big gaming pc makes me wish I had SSD. SSD's were just too expensive when I built it in August of 2009. I recently updated to GTX 570's so I'm probably done spending money on that PC. Time to save up for the next one rather than pour more money into SSD's (I would probably go 2 x 128 GB).