Crucial m4 vs Crucial C300

[zedekc]

I am running a home business which is entirely internet/computer dependent and all of my business is done on the computer. I run many desktop software applications, while constantly multitasking online. Read/random access are really my only concerns as I am loading in and out of programs all day.

Which should I go with and why? I have read a little bit trying to find a good drive that is cost effective. I have a good system set up, but I didn't think the hard drive would be that important and now I really think I can benefit from a ssd as that is my build's only weakness.

These two stood out from articles/reviews I read with flawless reviews I just couldn't discern which one is going to be faster for me loading stuff up. If anyone has some info to shed some more let for me on this matter it would be greatly appreciated!

And if you have a better read/random access option that is at a good price point plz feel free to offer that into the comparison as well. I can put a little more money into this I just thought the price on these two for the reviews they were getting was a good buy.


Thanks! -James-

 

[xer0]

If you only have SATA2 speed ports, then the C300 is probably better as it's cheaper price-wise and both will be speed limited by the SATA2 port anyway. The M4 does better overall than the C300 on SATA3 ports, however if you are looking for high IOP's, then the C300 is still better (as it supports higher IOP's, regardless of which SATA port type. However, by your given usage model, you don't have to worry about high IOP's (e.g. server type loads).

Marvel SATA3 ports on motherboards don't count as they are crap and either drive will perform better overall on an Intel SATA2 port when compared to a Marvell SATA3 port.

 

[zedekc]

Thanks for the answers guys! Good input.

I have an Asus M4A79XTD mobo with only sata II connections, i was looking at a sata 3 controller like the asus Asus U3S6 to run a drive off of.



So with running sata 3 do you think these drives are a great bargain? Or would there be a different SSD anyone would recommend. I would definitely consider further investment if there is a drive that would have a greater ROI as far as productivity for my Home Online Business, but at the calibre and price these were at they were just the ones that stuck out to me, but then again I am a SSD total noob.


So feel free to offer viable contenders to give better performance at or above the price point these are listed at. Thanks again



-james-

 

[zedekc]

Also does anyone have a suggestion as far as sata 3 controllers is the Asus U3S6 a good option, which controller does it use the marvel, intel etc.. idk and also is it a good performing one.

Also.. are Sandforce 1200 series controllers available as pci expansions or only on applicable SSD's atm? and what are the price points for them, i googled it and stuff came back at like 3-4k dollars which i would rebuild my entire office at that price lol.. maybe i am misunderstanding what the sandforce 1200 controllers are for idk lol anyway any clarification on these items would be very much appreciated as always. Thanks!

-james-

 

[zedekc]

So for everday all day business use, for responsiveness and application load times(i run and exit programs alot of times a day as needed) do alot of management utilities on desktop software and lots of web based aps as well. I'm not compiling databases or running my own servers(that all is outsourced to dedicated servers) I just want to be productive as possible managing up to 5-10 applications simultaneously with great responsiveness, I don't manage large files at all really, so I think the random reads are all I really would benefit from I think.

The more responsive my pc is while gliding in and out of different tasks teh more productive i am which at the end of the day is always good for business, as my performance directly correlates to how much food is on the table for my family.

Which drive would you guys pick? I just happen to notice these 2(the M4 & C300) and the ocz vertex 3 has popped up alot in my research.

Are there any other viable contenders for random read performance, or any other factors i should consider in my decision?


Also, is there any good reason to go for any other pci controller other than the asus U3S6 controller?



Thanks if anyone can answer these questions I would really appreciate it! -james-

 

[cadder]

Unless the rest of your computer is a dog, I don't know how much speed difference you'll see between a good rotating hard drive like a WD 640 Black and an SSD. The SSD will boot faster and load big files faster, but normal programs might not be that much different. My work computer with a 300GB velociraptor and my home computer with a 750GB WD black both load programs pretty much instantaneously, and actually boot pretty fast. I have a couple of laptops that boot very slowly and I'm considering an SSD upgrade for them.

I was interested in the Crucial and Intel SSD's. I noticed for some reason that the C300 got much better reliability reviews than the newer M4. It seems that except for Intel, the SSD manufacturers have their heads in the wrong place.

 

[zedekc]

I appreciate the responses guys.


Is there anyone else with intimate knowledge of these or similar models that has an opinion if they stack up well against the competition, and are a good value for the money? thanks again! -james-

 

[damianrobertjones]

The m4 is currently experiencing issues with machines that don't give the drive enough time to initialise (I returned one as the HP 8640p experienced this issue... view the crucial support forum!).


I would go for the C300 at this point in time.

 

[stevenewt]

Hi Folks, I have an old dell 1501 which does me OK, looking at the stats the drive is my biggest problem. Memory has been upgraded to 2gb max which I run XP and a VM which has 1gb allocated to it.

I don't really want to buy a new laptop and have looked at SSD drive as particular with the VM, it canes the poor HDD. Given the dismal test results below would you recommend this as a move forwards. The current performance is hindered with only 5% free but at 50gb its hard to have a reasonable amount free.

The SSD which crucial states compatible is "128GB Crucial m4 2.5-inch SATA 6GB/s". before I fork out £150 would you please let me know your views?