Best solid state

[PresidentSwag]

Hey guys, I'm currently looking at upgrading to an ssd.
I use my computer for graphic design and gaming.

I was wondering if you guys had any recommendations as to which ssd would be best for around $100.
I live in Canada so it would be good if its a Canadian site.

Also, are there any tips I should be aware of? My psu is a 600Watt if that matters :S

And, are these reasonable price?

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820239045

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227726

Thanks

 

[Sakkura]

The Kingston drive is fairly reasonably priced, the OCZ Agility 3 not so much. It's their last-generation not-very-reliable value-oriented SSD.

In your price range, I think the best option is the 120 GB Samsung 840.

http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=16950DR4393&vpn=MZ-7TD120BW&manfuacture=Others

(no idea if directcanada is any good, but it does at least sound geographically suitable)

 

[PresidentSwag]

Thanks for the feedback, the only problem I see with that is the write speed is 130 MB/s

 

[PresidentSwag]

EDIT: Sorry double post

 

[Sakkura]

That's the official spec... and official specs are based on the best-case scenario. Which means it's rather meaningless for real-world usage.

Anyway, the other two SSDs will probably outperform the 840 in writes when fresh and writing compressible data, but the 840 will hold up better when it gets "dirty" with prolonged usage and/or when incompressible data is being written. That's because it doesn't use a Sandforce controller like the other two SSDs, and the Sandforce controller amplifies performance in particular by compressing data before it is written (meaning less has to be written to or read from the actual disk -> performance can be improved).

 

[PresidentSwag]

So what your saying is overall the 840 will out run the kingston because it doesn't compress before writing, which then increases the write speed. If this is the case will I need more storage if I use the 840 since files will be larger?

 

[JohnnyLucky]

Since you mentioned graphic design you would want solid state drive that works well with incompressible data.

That pretty much rules out ssd's with SandForce Controllers. The SandForce controllers were designed to work well with compressible data but not incompressible data. In addition SandForce has not come out with a new controller in over two years.

What is the brand and model of your motherboard and your cpu? It helps if we know what the ssd is going to be connected to so we can narrow the choices.

The power supply is fine. Power is not an issue for ssd's installed in desktop pc's. SSD's are just a tiny drop in a bucket compared to cpu's and video cards.

 

[Sakkura]

So what your saying is overall the 840 will out run the kingston because it doesn't compress before writing, which then increases the write speed. If this is the case will I need more storage if I use the 840 since files will be larger?

More like it doesn't compress before writing, which means its performance won't be harmed when you feed it data that cannot be compressed. But yeah overall, performance would tend to be higher (it's going to vary a lot depending on what you're doing though).

As for capacity, they factor these things in. In fact, all SSDs have more actual memory than they're advertised with, because some percentage has to be set aside due to the way they work.

 

[PresidentSwag]

I appreciate the feedback!
I plan on upgrading my computer in about a year or so but right now I have:

Asus F1A75-V motherboard
amd a8-3850 cpu
gtx 560 ti 2gb gpu
8gb ddr3 ram

 

[PresidentSwag]

More like it doesn't compress before writing, which means its performance won't be harmed when you feed it data that cannot be compressed. But yeah overall, performance would tend to be higher (it's going to vary a lot depending on what you're doing though).

As for capacity, they factor these things in. In fact, all SSDs have more actual memory than they're advertised with, because some percentage has to be set aside due to the way they work.

So do you think I will get about 100GB out of it? Also, should games be installed on the ssd, or on my secondary hdd?

 

[JohnnyLucky]

Your motherboard supports SATA 3 6Gb/s solid state drives. However when it comes to graphic, photo, and video work the AMD Lano APU is somewhat lacking in performance but that's okay.

One of the best sites to check for daily deals and specials in the USA is LogicBuy. I just took a look. If you can manage to come up with another $29.99, then you can get a 128GB Samsung 840 Pro ssd instead of the 840 and the shipping is free. Here is link to the daily deal:

http://www.logicbuy.com/deals/samsung-840-pro-series-128gb-ssd/42610.aspx

When you click on the "see it" link a window will pop open with a coupon code that gets the price down to $129.99

I was going to recommend Intel for professional work but Intel ssd's command a premium price. If you are on a really tight budget a compromise is in order. There's nothing inherently wrong with entry level, mainstream, or value oriented ssd's.

I maintain the ssd database listed in the sticky at the very top of this forum section. Here is the link:

http://www.johnnylucky.org/data-storage/ssd-database.html

For each brand and model here is a column that identifies the controller that is installed so it is easy to tell which ssd's do not use SandForce controllers. Scroll down to the brands and models you are interested in and follow the links to the technical reviews.

A 128 GB ssd is considered to be the "sweet spot" for consumers. There's plenty of capacity for the operating system, software applications & utilities, and some games. Data files and more games are stored on a hard disk drive.

 

[PresidentSwag]

Best answer selected by PresidentSwag.