Search
Sign in with
Sign up | Sign in

Intel 520 or Samsung 830... (or... ?)

Last response: in Storage
Share

Hey

I'm planning on building my next gaming/work computer some time in late april when Z77 MB's and Ivy Bridge hits the stores and of course i'm gonna need an SSD. But which?

I've narrowed it down to either an 120 GB Intel 520 or an 128 GB Samsung 830. But i don't know which :) 
From what i have read Intel should have better warranty, but i've also heard that the 520 should become slower when the free space is getting smaller.
Regarding the Samsung 830, i haven't heard that much bad about it, only that it "only" has 3 years warranty or something like that.

I'm 50:50 on those two SSDs and don't know what to get. Stability is important... and of course speed.

HELP xD
BTW it's gonna be my first SSD, so i have no experience on this.

THX in advance :bounce: 

More about : intel 520 samsung 830

Register or log in to remove

You can't go wrong with either. They are both big players who have control over the underlying chips.
Samsung currently is priced a bit lower, but SSD prices in general are coming down.

I would not worry about performance differences which only become apparent under unrealistic synthetic stress tests.

No need to make any decisions now, the prices will only go lower, just keep an eye on the market.

All SSD's get much much slower when you fill them near to the max.

As for either the 520 or 830 - well both are supposedly very reliable.

I have the Crucial M4 128GB SSD right now - and it's been a champ for me (no errors, no BSODS).

I would say - get whichever is cheaper for you to get (the intel or samsung). :) 

If sold on the sandforce based 520 but I agree with Chainzsaw... take the one that has the best sale at the time. I actually saw some good deals on the 520 the other day.

You have chosen the best two consumer ssds in the world. 49% of people will say 520, 49% will go for the 830 and the other 2% will use a reliable intel 320 or crucial M4/intel 510 (same controller)

All 4 of these drives will look similar on our desktop machines. We don't seem to employ the queue depth required to maximize their abilities.

Maybe my wife will let me build a z77 too... itching for an upgrade!
Related ressources
Ask the community

I have a 256GB crucial m4 and it has been working flawlessly. If this is your first SSD, speed wise they're all going to seem unbelievably quick to you. I haven't heard anything negative about either drive but I'd probably still recommend the m4 only because my 2 co-workers and I have had excellent experiences with them.
Storage Expert

Only avail until Midnight (PST) tonight!!!
SAMSUNG 830 Series MZ-7PC256B/WW 2.5 Inch 256GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

$299.99
With Promo Code: EMCYTZT1302

PS I have both the 128 gig M4s and the Samsung 830 - Have NO problem recommending either. Would only choice the Intel 520 if the same price ($/Gig).

Awesome. Thanks :) 

Regarding til Intel 520. I can see it uses a SandForce controller. I've never heard anything good about those. Is it something to keep in mind or have the problem been sorted out by now?

Sandforce controllers have come a long way since the first round. These second gen sadforce controllers are good - and if intel is using it, there should be no problems with them.

SandForce controllers are at the top of the heap in terms of performance. That is probably the reason they have taken the most damage from attacks. There was a weird BSOD issue when they (the 2281) came out but it seemed to fade away with firmware upgrades.

You can bet Intel has tested their firmware and will quickly correct if there's a hint of an issue.

None of the drives spoken of in this thread are flagged for problems. You can end up with a lemon that requires RMA but that's true with any product.


Jump in... the water's fine.

Keep in mind that intel uses a modified firmware for the SF controller that is not present on any other SF drive... http://www.anandtech.com/show/5508/intel-ssd-520-review...
I've done a good bit of research on both the Intel and the Samsung drives since I'm trying to decide between the same ones. In short, I echo what some of the other replies have already said, that being go for whichever one is cheaper. At the time of posting this, that would be the Samsung model on newegg... $310 for the Samsung 256GB vs. $331 for the Intel 240GB.
Register or log in to remove
 
Ask the community
Read discussions in other Storage categories
!