SandForce Random BSOD Firmware Bug Identified, Fixed
OCZ and SandForce don't provide many details on the root cause of the issue, except to state is was a bug in the firmware that caused "a rare condition that may cause Windows Blue Screen." OCZ has been testing the new firmware for several weeks and has finally released it for public use (look for other manufacturers to quickly follow with their firmware updates). The new firmware is version 2.15 for OCZ drives and 3.3.2 for drives that utilize SandForce's standard numbering. As with any firmware update, users should back up all vital data before proceeding with the update.
OCZ sent along its official statement:
OCZ is pleased to announce that the cause of a BSOD issue experienced by some SF-2000-based drive owners has been identified by OCZ and SandForce. A new firmware update which directly addresses this BSOD occurrence related to SF-2000 based SSDs is available here. All newly manufactured OCZ SF-2000 based SSDs will feature the new 2.15 firmware revision (which is based on SandForce firmware version 3.3.2.) We highly recommend that any customers that have experienced the BSOD issue update their firmware to 2.15.
We sincerely appreciate the support from our customers, and if any customers have any questions or require additional support please do not hesitate to contact a customer service representative and we will be happy to address any questions or concerns.
Source: OCZ and Release Notes.
Does this firmware update bring more confidence to those who have been afraid to purchase a SandForce SF-2200 controller or are you going to take a wait-and-see approach?
Don't be so paranoid : ) Look what happened to Sandy Bridge, its piece of electronic. Happens all the time.
If this was a one-off incident I would possibly be guilty of paranoia.
If I've experienced data loss, multiple return hassles, and multiple promises that things are fixed and I continue to have faith then I would be guilty of being a fool.
They are fast drives and I hope everyone enjoys them without problems. I'll sit out this round and skip the SF-2281. I'll revisit Sandforce once they have a proven track record.
So, the big questions here are:
1) Has anyone already tested this? If so, how did the drive fare?
2) Do SF-based SSDs finally replace the current "go with m4/Intel/Samsung 830" general rule of thumb people have been telling me for a few months already? Or are there other problems these SSDs have that might not grant them the top spot on price/performance/reliability?
Miguel
Edit: I experienced the bug I mentioned above on firmwares 2.09 and 2.11. So far I haven't had cause to seek more recent updates and haven't looked into them since. I will tread lightly when considering the update.
I was all ready to jump on the SF bandwagon, but now that I went Crucial I don't see any reason to change with as great as the M4 is.
Me too. My drive is working fine and I won't update until I'm sure it's safe to do so. I have had a couple of blue screens and some odd things at startup that scared the crap outta me like messages about not being able to find the boot record. But this is a typical windows experience for me, weird stuff happens from time to time.
Have you tried using the Linux tool ( easy Linux boot iso, just need a small USB drive to boot from )? Works wonderfully.
You dont have to install Linux... you realize that right? Its a bootable Linux image that exists on the USB key, and boots into a "live" Linux OS. You dont need to uninstall anything or swap drives around. You plug your USB key in and reboot your machine, catch it at boot-time and boot from the USB key. At the Linux desktop you run a script. Done. Reboot your machine, unplug your USB key and boot into Windows.
Mind you, thats not to say they should not be fixing the issue with the i5 750 setup, just saying there are alternatives that are easier to manage while waiting for a fix to that issue.
I do realize it. I have a gazillion live CDs and DVD installs, etc of all the most popular flavors and some lesser-known varieties. I actually exceeded my ISP's bandwidth cap one month.
Happened 3 times in the first week I owned it. Minor MFT corruption happened on the first two. Outright data loss on the 3rd.
So...
Yes, it's critical (as failing storage almost always is)
No, Sandforce is not more reliable ... you've been living under a rock.
Why would anyone not want one?
I dunno, why would anyone not want a Ferrari that has no lugnuts?
Frequent here as well. Not trivial.
Since Intel, Crucial, OCZ, Corsair and pretty much all SSD suppliers have one form or another of either reliability or compatibility issues, it's safe to say that consumer grade SSDs are still not ready for prime time if data security is important to you.