Best priced SSD's? And are they worth it?

dan_w_3

Hey,
I've been thinking for a while about upgrading my desktop, i.e scrap it and build a new one, as the current one has served me well but at 6 and a bit years old it's getting on a bit and is starting to fail on me. However, due to monetary issues (student!) I can't afford to do a new build all in one go. I want to make it a decent build as it'll need to last a fair few years, i'm impatient and I like to play games.

I was thinking I'd buy the components that don't go out of date too quickly first, like the psu, case, hard drive, etc, leaving the more key components like the processor and motherboard till last. So first thing I noticed was the Solid State Drives, I've heard mixed reviews about their usefulness, on one hand people are saying it's not worth it and that a decent 7200 rpm SATA III 6 GB/S hard drive for a fraction of the cost is just as good. And then there are others who disagree and see phenomenal increases in speed through an SSD. My main concern is cost, I would primarily look at one for the OS and to load a few games off, so would look at no more than 128GB, but the question is which one? I've seen hundreds of reviews and generally the higher the price the better the drive. Is there a decent mid ranged one available? And are the prices likely to drop anytime soon? I've noticed prices have been lowering but only very slowly
SSD? or no SSD?

baby_frogmella

If £109 is not out of your price range, i'd strongly recommend going for the new-ish Samsung 830 series SSD:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-2-5inch-Desktop-Accessory-Norton/dp/B005OK6VTA/ref=pd_sim_sbs_computers_3

As well as excellent read/write speeds (amongst the best if not THE best), Samsung along with Intel has a legendary status for reliability - you don't want BSOD after BSOD as its well known on SSDs with Sandforce controllers. Even the Crucial M4 is known to give BSODS now and again. However Samsung makes its own controllers in-house. I bought the 256gb version for my thinkpad laptop, it now boots up in 12 sec instead of 30+ sec and Autocad 2012 is super fast. An upgrade to a SSD is one of the best ways to speed up your pc

dan_w_3

I wasn't aware BSOD was a problem with SSD's, thanks for that, I had noticed the Samsung 830 series, it's actually on offer with ebuyer, only £76.99 for the 128gb model. Would you recommend the 256gb? I noticed it has higher read/write speeds compared to the lower sizes. It's all about speed for me, I don't mind spending the extra if it's going to last and really makes a noticeable difference.

baby_frogmella

Oh BSODS are a common problem on SSDs especially on Sandforce based drives. Like i said you need to go for a drive which is 100% reliable yet also has decent speeds - Samsung & Intel are market leaders. Also Samsung SSD's are used by Apple in many of their macs (rebranded obviously).

Yes if money isn't an issue then i'd strongly recommend going for the 256gb as you will probably end up regretting getting a 128gb sometime in the near future. AFAIK the 256/512gb 830 versions perform better than 128 or 64 gb versions.

dan_w_3

Thanks for the advice, I have fallen into the trap of paying less and getting rubbish quality in the past, so have certainly learned my lesson! The 256gb is fairly priced and as you say I bet after a few months I'll be wishing I got the 256, out of interest any idea what windows 7 uses? Just so I know how much room is left after its installed?

baby_frogmella

Windows 7 professional (64 bit) installation on my thinkpad X220 took just over 20GB.

demystified

SSD's are performance related. A bit like a sports car, it's fast but not necessary for getting around town. If you're on a tight budget there are better things to spend your money on i.e. processor, RAM, etc.

Richie-from-the-Boro

[#1] SSD? or no SSD? ............... or Hybrid

I've used the M4 [AMD 790FX] and its earlier incarnation the C300 [GA-MA790GP-UD4H ] since its very invention and had no trouble with either, so you pays yer money .. .. and .. ..

I'd rather pay £60 [£1 a GIG] for a 60BG Crucial ~ than ~ £70 [£60p a GIG] for 128GB other name brand, like I said each to his own, you pays yer money .. .. and takes yer choice.

Millionaire

If I was in the market for a SSD it would be between the Samsung 830, Crucial M4 and Intel but Intel are still expensive so that narrows it down to the Samsung and M4.

Me personally, I would get the Samsung 830. The whole drive is made in-house by Samsung including controller. I'm not sure if any other drive is made wholly in-house.

Marty999

I built my new PC using the cheapest SSD available at that time, it was a 60GB OCZ . I have to say I am delighted with it, best purchase I have made in a long time. I still use my original 500GB WD hard disk for data of course.

fwor

Richie-from-the-Boro wrote: »

I'd rather pay £60 [£1 a GIG] for a 60BG Crucial ~ than ~ £70 [£60p a GIG] for 128GB other name brand, like I said each to his own, you pays yer money .. .. and takes yer choice.

My first SSD (a Kingston 16GB SSDNOW 100S) failed last week at a few days less than a year old.

My second (a Crucial M4) is still fine - though that in itself does not prove anything much, as it's less than 6 months old and gets a lot less use than the Kingston did.

I've now got to decide what to replace the Kingston drive with - and I was tempted by the Samsung, but Ebuyer's price is now £90, so maybe I'll just go for another M4. I've never understood how Ebuyer set their prices - at the moment a 64GB Samsung 830 is exactly the same price as a 128GB Samsung 830!