Storage Solutions Suggest SSD for Boot Drive(60-80 GB)

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hunt3r

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Hey guys,

Im looking to upgrade to an SSD. Looking for one just as a boot drive. Currently my boot drive is 60 GB and ive found it to be just about enough for normal usage (Win 7). So im looking for a drive around 60-80 GB and hopefully within $100-120. I can stretch if the drive is really good and worth it.

Now i can get an SSD from the US as someone i know is coming down next week. So need to finalise by tonight and place the order.

Best deal i could find was an OCZ Vertex 2 60 GB on newegg for around $80-$90 after rebate. The intel 40 GB drive is too small and moreover at $95 its isnt cheap either. The 80 GB drives are going for about $170 and thats too high IMHO. I know the Vertex comes with the new 25nm NAND and performance isnt as good as the old Vertex 2 with 34nm NAND but Nothing else in this price range has the Random read/write performance of the Vertex 2. The Kingston V100 64 GB is also available for around $80 but its performance isnt as good as the Vertex 2.

Any other suggestions? Are there are other good drives or deals available right now? No SF-2200 drives are out yet for the lower capacities. I can also wait till July as i know someone else who is coming from the US but i dont think those drives will be cheap anyway. Moreover i am still on SATA 2 and dont feel the need to upgrade for a while. Plus at the lower capacities the performance is a lot lower anyway.

Thanks in advance :D
 
Hey Shan, Even i am on the same boat as you are. Let me join in as well if you are ok.
 
As you pointed out OCZ is now using 25nm NAND in some drives thus reducing their free space..so, I'll recommend Intel drives over OCZ.

$120 is too less if you ask me. If you cant extend your budget then OCZ Vertex 2 60GB for $120 is the best choice. You can also have a look at Corsair F60 SSD. Otherwise I'll say pick Intel X-25M 80GB for $170. Praised among all reviews and indeed living up to the expectations..

See: http://www.techenclave.com/storage-solutions/need-suggestions-fast-os-drive-ssd-188360.html
 
Thanks for the link went through it and found some useful info :) Yep i know it reduces the free space, but overall performance isnt down that much. For $90 the 60 GB still seems to be a decent buy. Is it worth it to spend $30 more to get the 34nm one??

My original choice was Intel but for almost double the cost im wondering is it worth spending that much more? Performance is not going be too much different between the drives (infact the Sandforce drive should be faster right?) Im still leaning towards the Vertex 2 60 GB(25nm) for now, unless someone can change my mind :S
 
hunt3r said:
Thanks for the link went through it and found some useful info :) Yep i know it reduces the free space, but overall performance isnt down that much. For $90 the 60 GB still seems to be a decent buy. Is it worth it to spend $30 more to get the 34nm one??

My original choice was Intel but for almost double the cost im wondering is it worth spending that much more? Performance is not going be too much different between the drives (infact the Sandforce drive should be faster right?) Im still leaning towards the Vertex 2 60 GB(25nm) for now, unless someone can change my mind :S
Click to expand...

For 24nm drives: Speed has fallen for writing non compressible data from 130MB/s to 80MB/s. Lifespan has fallen from 5000 cycles to 3000. The un-formatted capacity has fallen too. You'll get around 51GB. Now as far as performance is concerned, it is still very fast compared to any hard drive I've ever used. Still one heck of a fast SSD at that price point. Used as a boot drives and booting up/starting up application is ridiculously fast on this SSD.

IIRC, tom's hardware gave the Intel drive an upper hand in the 80GB range. So, if you can shell out some cash then go for Intel X-25M 80GB one! Anyway, no matter what drive you select, you will find that it was the best upgrade that you ever made! ;)
 
As i bought Kingston ssd 64 GB for 6.4k but i am impressed it boot less 15 sec on my amd pheonm x/4 with 790 FX and 2 gb ddr3, but the issue i have notice some lifespan while boot ssd regular, so the read speed are 220 mb and write are 184 mb so i am happy with boot time speed, cause there are regular power cut at chennai due to high overloading, that why i bought ssd for faster boot up and shutdown for avoid my pc to crash before loading normal hard disk upto 4
 
vpraveenis said:
There are super deals in NewEgg on a few OCZ Vertex 2 models

1. OCZ Vertex 2 60GB - 90$ with Rebate

2. OCZ Vertex 2 80GB - 140$ with Rebate

3. OCZ Vertex 2 120GB - 180$ with Rebate

The 120GB deal is pretty Awesome. I was not able to find not even one other reputed brand's 120GB for 180$
Click to expand...

Agree that the 120 GB deal is good, but frankly 60 GB is enough for me right now. And 60 GB costs exactly half. My OS install can easily fit in the 60 GB drive and i dont see what else i can put on there. If steam gave me an option to split my game install folder i would go for the 120 GB drive. Then i could move my frequently played games (CSS, TF2, etc) to the SSD. That would be really useful. But as of now that dosent look like its happening :(

And if i was on Z68 then it would have also been another option. 60 GB boot drive + 60 GB cache drive. But right now im not looking to upgrade. By the time i do upgrade(probably Ivy bridge), better SSD's with bigger capacities would be out. Might as well wait till then if i am going to go for a bigger drive right?
XTechManiac said:
For 24nm drives: Speed has fallen for writing non compressible data from 130MB/s to 80MB/s. Lifespan has fallen from 5000 cycles to 3000. The un-formatted capacity has fallen too. You'll get around 51GB. Now as far as performance is concerned, it is still very fast compared to any hard drive I've ever used. Still one heck of a fast SSD at that price point. Used as a boot drives and booting up/starting up application is ridiculously fast on this SSD.

IIRC, tom's hardware gave the Intel drive an upper hand in the 80GB range. So, if you can shell out some cash then go for Intel X-25M 80GB one! Anyway, no matter what drive you select, you will find that it was the best upgrade that you ever made! ;)
Click to expand...

Write speed isnt that much of an issue really, im not going to be doing SSD to SSD transfers. The speed will be limited by the speed of my mechanical hard disks. Random read/write are more important in the case of SSD's and those havent come down too much, at least as per the following reviews

OCZ Vertex 2 25nm Review (OCZSSD2-2VTXE60G) | StorageReview.com

AnandTech - The OCZ Vertex 3 Review (120GB)

Cycles dont matter too much. 3000 cycles is still good enough for years of usage. Plus the rating is conservative anyway. True formatted capacity has come down from 55 to 51 GB but that is acceptable enough for me. Overall performance seems a bit down but still quite fast. I havent come across any reviews of the 80 GB Intel SSD 320 actually so i havent been able to compare performance to be honest. But overall Sandforce was always faster for the higher capacities
 
@OP sorry this is a little too late for you,
@Saiyan,
hang in there.. Loads of SSD deals these days. Just last week newegg had a deal on the new Crucial M4 64GB for $80. Slightly slower speeds, but latest gen drive that smokes most other drives of comparable capacity.
 
Still not too late, havent placed the order yet so if you have any suggestions fire away!

Yea i missed the Crucial unfortunately, that was a killer deal. Right now Newegg also has a Kingston SSDNow V+100 96 GB for $100 after rebate, but performance is just Meh.
 
Define Meh?

IMHO the only benefit in day to day usage from SSDs is going to come from access times. You are never going to use an SSD (considering current pricing), as a storage drive.. So how does it matter?

Newegg also has the V100 128GB for 129/- AR.
 
hunt3r said:
Write speed isnt that much of an issue really, im not going to be doing SSD to SSD transfers. The speed will be limited by the speed of my mechanical hard disks. Random read/write are more important in the case of SSD's and those havent come down too much, at least as per the following reviews

OCZ Vertex 2 25nm Review (OCZSSD2-2VTXE60G) | StorageReview.com

AnandTech - The OCZ Vertex 3 Review (120GB)

Cycles dont matter too much. 3000 cycles is still good enough for years of usage. Plus the rating is conservative anyway. True formatted capacity has come down from 55 to 51 GB but that is acceptable enough for me. Overall performance seems a bit down but still quite fast. I havent come across any reviews of the 80 GB Intel SSD 320 actually so i havent been able to compare performance to be honest. But overall Sandforce was always faster for the higher capacities
Click to expand...

_Exactly_. I think mine is 24nm too but I don't care! Its fast..very fast.. Honestly, its time we dump our HDD as boot drive.
 
stalker said:
Define Meh?

IMHO the only benefit in day to day usage from SSDs is going to come from access times. You are never going to use an SSD (considering current pricing), as a storage drive.. So how does it matter?

Newegg also has the V100 128GB for 129/- AR.
Click to expand...

Yea not going to use it as a storage drive but the review i just read showed poor access times for the Kingston drive as well. And very slow random read and write speeds (compared to Intel and Sandforce, its still way faster than other mechanical HDD's of course)

Kingston SSDNow V+100 Review (96GB) | StorageReview.com

What would you suggest?

Edit: This review from Anandtech also shows random read and write speeds to be terrible - http://www.anandtech.com/show/4010/kingston-ssdnow-v-plus-100-review/3

And now i have two more days to decide, postponed the purchase to Sunday, coz unlikely it'll get shipped today if i order now anyway.

So right now i have three choices

1. Vertex 2 60 Gb (25nm) - $90 AR - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...550&cm_re=ocz_vertex_2-_-20-227-550-_-Product

2. Vertex 2 120 GB - (34nm? It dosent have E in the model no and its a 3.5" drive. Any thoughts?) $180 AR - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...590&cm_re=ocz_vertex_2-_-20-227-590-_-Product

3. Intel SSD 320 80 GB (40 GB is too overpriced for $95, performance sucks too) - $180 for retail or $160 for OEM

The OCZ 60 and 120 GB drives seem to be better deals than almost any other drive available right now. If the Intel 80 GB drive was $20-$30 cheaper then it wouldnt have been a bad choice either. Any thoughts?
 
stalker said:
@OP sorry this is a little too late for you,

@Saiyan,

hang in there.. Loads of SSD deals these days. Just last week newegg had a deal on the new Crucial M4 64GB for $80. Slightly slower speeds, but latest gen drive that smokes most other drives of comparable capacity.
Click to expand...
I prefer to get one by this month end if possible.

@hunt3r, how are you planning to get the drives off from newegg ?
 
Saiyan said:
I prefer to get one by this month end if possible.

@hunt3r, how are you planning to get the drives off from newegg ?
Click to expand...
A friend's coming end of the month so getting it through her
 
What are my local options for a 60GB SSDs ? I am thinking of the Corsair Force 60 GB since it has got some good reviews.
 
Ok so the Vertex 2 60 GB for $90 is no longer available, its gone back up to $115 now. But lower capacities of the OCZ Solid 3 and Agility 3 based on the new gen Sandforce controllers are now available. Solid 3 and Agility 3 60 GB for $130 and $140, and 120 GB for $205 and $215. The 120 GB drives are better deals as far as $/GB is concerned and will have higher performance as well. Im thinking i might as well spend a bit more and pick up the 120 GB drive now :/

Confusion confusion!!

matoind said:
Intel drives would carry International warranty.
Click to expand...

You sure of that? Any link? Warranty has also increased to 5 years so if it does have local warranty its not a bad deal
Saiyan said:
What are my local options for a 60GB SSDs ? I am thinking of the Corsair Force 60 GB since it has got some good reviews.
Click to expand...

You get the Vertex 2 as well, its the same as the Corsair Afaik. And Intel 40 and 80 GB drives are also available.
 
Guys need some help here. I decided to get the Corsair Force 60 locally. Any suggestion on getting the same. Few places i checked doesn't seem to have stock of the same.
 
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