Vertex 2 vs Vertex 3?

[nickeagles416]

Hi,
I have an Asus G73JH and am going to college soon so i figured since ill be using the laptop everyday i might as well buy an SSD for it so its super quick all the time. I am having a hard time deciding if i should buy the OCZ Vertex 2 or 3 for 2 reasons -

1. I have no clue if the laptop supports 6GBPS SATA 3 (I have called customer service many times and have gotten mixed answers and have also read mixed answers in forums)

2. For the extra 130 dollars, will I see a big enough performance increase assuming I have SATA 3. I used the computer for basic word processing, light Photoshop usage, Autodesk 3DS Max, and a lot of gaming.

On another note I also have a desktop that I might put it into down the road which has an ASUS Crosshair Formula IV Motherboard which I believe has the Marvell Controller?, which would make the upgrade to the Vertex 3 worthless.

So does anybody know if this laptop features SATA 3 or if theres a way to find out for sure, and if it does if its worth the price jump from $179.99 to $309.99 for the extra performance increase?

Thanks

 

[JohnnyLucky]

First, Which version/revision do you have?

G73JH - A1
G73JH - A2
G73JH - X1
G73JH - X2

Several technical reviews indicate only SATA (1.5 Gb/s) capability but that could have changed based on the revisions.

 

[groberts101]

as much as I like these Sandforce controllers.. I would not recommend them for a laptop. Sandforce has issued many firmware fixes lately but is widely known to be one of the buggiest controllers to use in mobile platforms and some still have issues. For mission critical data like that school system may require.. stick with an Intel.

 

[nickeagles416]

I have the A1 version. I bought it in January but the manufacture date shows 2009-2010 so I dont know if it would have SATA 3. I know for a fact it has SATA 2 (3.0Gb/s) because ive had a friends vertex 2 in the computer before. And ya. Ill also have to look into the Intel drives because of the reliability. I'd have to go with this one (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820167050) as far as the money goes so is it worth giving the write speed up for the reliability. I'd always have the drive backed up and as long as the warranty replaces the Vertex im fine without the laptop for an RMA period.

 

[tecmo34]

The Intel 320 is a good SSD. It is a decent little improvement over the X25-M, which is one of the best SSD's released (IMO).

 

[groberts101]

If you are aware of the risks and have solid backup strategies in place then I'd take speed over reliability any day. I'm a beta-tester for OCZ and can tell you firsthand that the RMA process is quick and easy if you ever did have an issue arise.

If you do go that route I would highly recommend using a fresh disk install versus the OEM install as that's often the known workaround since the mfgrs often tweak the installs to the point that they create issue with the Sandforce controllers. Plus you won't get all that resource hogging bloatware that the OEM's have installed.

Even still I would not recommend sleeping the machine unless you feel adventurous/need to know and don't mind being without the SSD for about 7-10 days for the RMA. Not saying it will happen but is certainly a risk until Sandforce releases another set of fixes. 1.32 firmware fixed many issues but there are still a few out there and I would give it another month or two for another new release to be issued. Good Luck with it.

 

[nickeagles416]

If you are aware of the risks and have solid backup strategies in place then I'd take speed over reliability any day. I'm a beta-tester for OCZ and can tell you firsthand that the RMA process is quick and easy if you ever did have an issue arise.

If you do go that route I would highly recommend using a fresh disk install versus the OEM install as that's often the known workaround since the mfgrs often tweak the installs to the point that they create issue with the Sandforce controllers. Plus you won't get all that resource hogging bloatware that the OEM's have installed.

Even still I would not recommend sleeping the machine unless you feel adventurous/need to know and don't mind being without the SSD for about 7-10 days for the RMA. Not saying it will happen but is certainly a risk until Sandforce releases another set of fixes. 1.32 firmware fixed many issues but there are still a few out there and I would give it another month or two for another new release to be issued. Good Luck with it.

I agree. I went with the Vertex 2 for the speed over the Intel. I wanted the Vertex 3 but with no return policy on the drive I didnt want to take the risk of not having SATA 3. I have everything backed up all the time and if anything ever happens ill just get a RMA (and beg for a vertex 3). Ive had it for a couple days now and is working great. THanks for the advice everyone.

 

[nickeagles416]

Best answer selected by nickeagles416.