Storage Solutions Which SSD?

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Avish

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With prices falling down by almost 50 percent, finally I can think of buying SSD. :D This is my first & I can't seem to decide, so please help me decide! I use heavy-duty softwares like Photoshop & Vue Infinite on regular basis + all regular activities like watching HD movies, downloading stuff, gaming once in a while etc..

I've shortlisted these :

OCZ Vertex 4 128GB - 11k - Fastest + 5yr warranty.
Kingston HyperX 120GB - 9k - Damn fast + packed with accessories.
Corsair Force GT 120GB - 8.3k - Equally fast to HyperX but cheaper.
SanDisk Extreme 120GB - 8.2k - Fast & cheapest.

I've only selected which have local warranty as per my knowledge. I was eyeing Samsung 830, but it's the most expensive + no local warranty. Same with Crucial m4.

So please advice. :)

~Vish~
 
I am rethinking my decision since you said Crucial M4 does not have local warranty. I would like to know the same as OP. Thank you Avish :)
 
Out of those, I'd pick the vertex 4 simply because its not based on sandforce. I avoid sandforce drives like plague. Too many issues.
 
Although the M4 doesn't have local warranty, Prime will take care of it should something go wrong. And these guys are pretty good at replacements and customer service in general. At least, I've had a good experience with them over the last 5 years. In this case, you will be entitled for a replacement I believe - ask them anyway.
 
Although the M4 doesn't have local warranty, Prime will take care of it should something go wrong. And these guys are pretty good at replacements and customer service in general. At least, I've had a good experience with them over the last 5 years. In this case, you will be entitled for a replacement I believe - ask them anyway.
So it's not worth spending extra 2k for Vertex 4 over m4?? :)

I also wanted to ask if any of you know anything about onlyssd.com. Are they part of Primeabgb?? Coz they've given Primeabgb address on their Contact Us page. If yes, then why the price difference between the two?? Samsung drive is 12.2k at Prime & 11.4k at onlyssd.
 
^^No. If they were the same price then maybe yes. Crucial m4 is super reliable and in general performance, no slower than any other ssd. If you bench, then yes write performance is slower than the newer gen plextor/samsung/ocz but you'd really not notice any difference in normal use.

The samsungs are bloody good drives. If you can get one at reasonable price, get it. However its over priced or out of stock everywhere.

OCZ Vertex 4 is the fastest drive out there in raw benches. However the reliability is a question. So far there are no bad reports. But you can never be sure with ocz. I recently got a 64gig m4 for my HTPC and then exchanged it after a week for a vertex 4 since the price was the same. I'll know first hand if OCZ has fixed its past reliability problems :P. From initial reports, it seems like they have - plus they have 5 years of warranty unlike every other non enterprise drive out there.
 
^^No. If they were the same price then maybe yes. Crucial m4 is super reliable and in general performance, no slower than any other ssd. If you bench, then yes write performance is slower than the newer gen plextor/samsung/ocz but you'd really not notice any difference in normal use.

You said "no slower in general performance/normal use", but what about when using resource-heavy programs like Photoshop & Vue Infinite (very resource-hungry 3D software) ?? I use these almost daily, so I don't want it to slow down there. Of course it'd be must faster than HDD, but still ;) I've read that HyperX is good for such usage, but everybody's saying avoid SandForce! :unsure:

The samsungs are bloody good drives. If you can get one at reasonable price, get it. However its over priced or out of stock everywhere.

I really wanted Samsung. It's really sleek looking & almost every site recommends it, but as you said, overpriced & almost no availability!

OCZ Vertex 4 is the fastest drive out there in raw benches. However the reliability is a question. So far there are no bad reports. But you can never be sure with ocz. I recently got a 64gig m4 for my HTPC and then exchanged it after a week for a vertex 4 since the price was the same. I'll know first hand if OCZ has fixed its past reliability problems :P. From initial reports, it seems like they have - plus they have 5 years of warranty unlike every other non enterprise drive out there.

Yeah! 5 year warranty is really something. Besides Vertex 4 only Intel 520/320 have that. But they're out of my budget!
 
So it's not worth spending extra 2k for Vertex 4 over m4?? :)

Depends. If you are on a tight budget, I'd say no and would suggest you to grab the M4 128GB instead. The M4 has a proven track record in terms of performance and reliability. It is a pity Crucial doesn't do retail in India through retail channels.

If it is any consolation, Crucial's return rates are much lower compared to Corsair followed by OCZ which is the worst! Do note that this article was published last year May. I am sure Intel must've taken the top spot by now. :P

On a related note, this was the reply (and a very prompt one at that!) I got from their customer service when I had mailed them about the RMA system.

Query:

Hello,

I am xxx from India. It appears Crucial SSDs were unavailable in the Indian markets for a long time since its launch and some of us were able to source it from abroad.

I have few queries concerning the purchase of an M4 SSD:

1. Will Crucial honor the warranty of an SSD if it is purchased from say US and is being used in India at the moment? i.e. to say Global Warranty of some sort?

2. Recently a retailer based in India - Prime ABGB has listed some Crucial M4 drives in their website. Here is the link - Crucial

Is this an official import and can I buy it from this retailer instead? Who will honor the warranty? Would it be the retailer directly or a third-party with whom Crucial has tie-ups with?

I would be glad if the Customer Service can give me prompt responses for the above queries.

Thank you and have a good day!
Ganesh

Response:

Hello Ganesh,

Thank you for contacting Crucial. We do not ship to India from the United States. That would be handled by our UK website. Their website is crucial.com/uk and you can order directly from them. They would also be the ones who you would contact for any RMA warranty exchanges.

If you ordered the SSD in the United States and it was sent to India, you would still need to create a RMA with the UK website. We do provide 3rd party exchanges after 45 days. Within 45 days you would need to take your product back to the place of purchase. We do have many authorized resellers, but I am not familiar with Prime ABGB.

If you have further questions, please visit the Crucial Community at Memory (RAM) upgrades, usb drives, solid state drives (SSD) at Crucial.com. For sales questions, try our online chat service at Crucial.com - Contact Customer Service. Our hours are Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Mountain Time). At Crucial, we are committed to providing high-quality products and reliable service and support.

Have a great day!

JOHN ATKINS
Sales & Support Representative
 
Depends. If you are on a tight budget, I'd say no and would suggest you to grab the M4 128GB instead. The M4 has a proven track record in terms of performance and reliability. It is a pity Crucial doesn't do retail in India through retail channels.

If it is any consolation, Crucial's return rates are much lower compared to Corsair followed by OCZ which is the worst! Do note that this article was published last year May. I am sure Intel must've taken the top spot by now. :P

On a related note, this was the reply (and a very prompt one at that!) I got from their customer service when I had mailed them about the RMA system.

Here's latest list: Components returns rates (6) (page 7: SSDs) - BeHardware Crucial at top with 0.82 :)

So did you buy m4 from Prime?? But if they're not authorized dealers, then do they give their personal 3 year warranty or what??
 
Here's latest list: Components returns rates (6) (page 7: SSDs) - BeHardware Crucial at top with 0.82 :)

So did you buy m4 from Prime?? But if they're not authorized dealers, then do they give their personal 3 year warranty or what??

Awesome isn't it! :)

Actually I was a bit concerned about the warranty part and turns out, @varkey inquired with Prime sometime back and they have confirmed that they shall do the replacement. Maybe he could tell us what was exactly conveyed.

In all probability, I will pick up an M4 this month end. My current Mushkin 60GB drive runs out of space when I install a few games on it. :ashamed:
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Performance:
Coraair ForceGT or Performance Pro

Reliability and VFM:
Crucial M4

Ultimate reliability and speed:
samsung 830

Waste of money:
Intel

Not worth using even for free:
Ocz
 
Performance:
Coraair ForceGT or Performance Pro

Reliability and VFM:
Crucial M4

Ultimate reliability and speed:
samsung 830

Waste of money:
Intel

Not worth using even for free:
Ocz

Have you even tried teh Intel 520? I have, and it's as good as my 830.
 
Also, I've been running a Sandforce based OCZ for the past 2 years without any problems.
No point in just poohpoohing OCZ/Sandforce without picking on a specific model/generation.
 
Awesome isn't it! :)

Actually I was a bit concerned about the warranty part and turns out, varkey inquired with Prime sometime back and they have confirmed that they shall do the replacement. Maybe he could tell us what was exactly conveyed.

In all probability, I will pick up an M4 this month end. My current Mushkin 60GB drive runs out of space when I install a few games on it. :ashamed:

This is what they replied when I had emailed them a month back

Thank you for your message,

We will give you Warranty support.

You can send us if you have any problem.

Thanks
 
Ok. I mailed them about few things. Let's see how it goes.
Anybody here owns Samsung 830?? Can they tell me if all the goodies (Norton Ghost, Magician software & Batman: Arkham City) that come with it are worth the extra price?? If not then I'll finalize on m4, but m4 doesn't come with anything at all, not even 3.5" bracket!
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Sorry to hijack this thread, but is corsair force 3 reliable? Since 120gb corsair force 3 sells for 6.6k and crucial/samsung 64gb sell for 6.4k. So is it worth going with corsair force 3 120gb?
 
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