DirtyLarry Veteran Posted October 1, 2013 Veteran Share Posted October 1, 2013 I 110% admit, I have not followed the world of PC hardware for quite some time now, but I finally am going to upgrade to a SSD it looks like. I will mainly install my OS on it, and keep a few choice games on Steam. The rest I will just install on my normal HD. So a 120GB is good enough for me. So which is the more reliable brand? And more importantly, which will I have less of a hassle installing? Samsung 840 Series 2.5 inch 120GB SATA III internal Solid State Drive (SSD) MZ-7TD120BW Link To Samsung Kingston Digital 120GB SSDNow V300 SATA 3 2.5 (7mm height) with Adapter Solid State Drive 2.5-Inch SV300S37A/120G Link to Kingston There is only a $10 difference between the two, so that is not really an issue. My plan would be to start fully from scratch with either more than likely, doubt I need to reimage them or anything along those lines, and just do a fresh install of (probably finally) Windows 8, and copy over the files I need manually. My motherboard is an EVGA X58 SLI, which is definitely up there in age these days. Now the major thing to keep in mind, is I really do not use this PC all that often as an actual "work" computer. I stream movies from it to my PS3, and I occasionally game on it. So the best of the best is not a requirement for myself anymore. I just feel like I should finally make the plunge to an SSD, and the price is finally "right" for me to do so. So which one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mindovermaster Moderator Posted October 1, 2013 Moderator Share Posted October 1, 2013 Samsung, hand down. I might actually get that. :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Zlip792 MVC Posted October 1, 2013 MVC Share Posted October 1, 2013 Samsung.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DirtyLarry Veteran Posted October 1, 2013 Author Veteran Share Posted October 1, 2013 Thanks all. I see there is actually a newer version of the samsung for $99, does it make sense to upgrade to it? http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Electronics-EVO-Series-2-5-Inch-MZ-7TE120BW/dp/B00E3W15P0/ref=dp_ob_title_ce Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mindovermaster Moderator Posted October 1, 2013 Moderator Share Posted October 1, 2013 Yeah, EVO series are good, too. A little more pricey, but with $9 more, you can't go wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Norris Posted October 1, 2013 Share Posted October 1, 2013 Can't comment on the Kingston, but put me in the "me too" category for Samsung, have three of their 840 Pro's in a couple machines, very pleased with them thus far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BajiRav Posted October 1, 2013 Share Posted October 1, 2013 I have both of these (kind of). I put in a 250GB 840 into my wife's laptop and Kingston 120GB on my own desktop (less than a month ago, bought it for $80 too). I can't say anything bad about either. I think Samsung offers longer warranty and came with everything needed (adapters, cables etc.) in the box whereas Kingston was just the HDD packages like a sd card (with sata cable). They work, pick whichever and you should be ok. Edit: Aah, now I remember. This samsung variant is also just the drive minus extra tray and laptop mounts. It's those letters in the series (BW vs something I have). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astra.Xtreme Posted October 1, 2013 Share Posted October 1, 2013 The Kingston is SandForce based, so definitely don't get that one. The Samsung 840 has really crappy write speeds, so I wouldn't get that one either. The 840 Evo is massively better than the 840 with write speeds, so I'd go with that one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fusi0n Posted October 1, 2013 Share Posted October 1, 2013 samsung Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MightyJordan Posted October 1, 2013 Share Posted October 1, 2013 I'd go for the Samsung one too. Actually, I already did. :P I've got the 250GB 840 SSD; love it, not had any issues since I bought it in December. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Warwagon MVC Posted October 1, 2013 MVC Share Posted October 1, 2013 One SSD maker I also like is Plextor http://www.amazon.com/Plextor-Solid-State-Drive-PX-128M5PRO/dp/B00B5BRIBC/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1380655661&sr=8-5&keywords=plextor+ssd Mainly for their 5 year warranty on their SSD drives. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red Mist Posted October 1, 2013 Share Posted October 1, 2013 The Kingston is SandForce based, so definitely don't get that one. The Samsung 840 has really crappy write speeds, so I wouldn't get that one either. The 840 Evo is massively better than the 840 with write speeds, so I'd go with that one. That's a bit misleading saying the Samsung 840 has really crappy write speeds. If your comparing numbers then yes I guess you could say that, however in REAL world usage for the average user, I doubt very much you would notice any difference, I have one in my pc, replaced my HDD as my o/s drive & it's amazingly fast. However if there's not much difference in price compared to the evo, I would go with that.. Always good to go with the latest tech. MightyJordan 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neufuse Veteran Posted October 1, 2013 Veteran Share Posted October 1, 2013 Samsung crappy write speeds? My Samsung 830 writes about 380MB/s on average and writes at 490MB/s on SATA3 connections, that's hardly "crappy" compared to a mechanical hard drive (note: this is AVERAGE speeds, as benchmarked) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr_sock_00 Posted October 1, 2013 Share Posted October 1, 2013 Maybe he hooked it up to a SATA 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAQT Posted October 1, 2013 Share Posted October 1, 2013 Kingston is a curse that is best avoided. Low quality and higher fail rate. francescob 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DirtyLarry Veteran Posted October 1, 2013 Author Veteran Share Posted October 1, 2013 Okay cool, going with that second Samsung then. I do now see it does not come with mounts or anything. I believe I have plenty of SATA cables, so do I need much more than this mounting kit? Actually screw it, since it is only $3.50, going to also get this cable just to make sure. So I am good with everything I need, right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astra.Xtreme Posted October 1, 2013 Share Posted October 1, 2013 That's a bit misleading saying the Samsung 840 has really crappy write speeds. If your comparing numbers then yes I guess you could say that, however in REAL world usage for the average user, I doubt very much you would notice any difference, I have one in my pc, replaced my HDD as my o/s drive & it's amazingly fast. However if there's not much difference in price compared to the evo, I would go with that.. Always good to go with the latest tech. Compared to other SSDs on the market, it does have crappy write speeds. It will certainly show in real-world performance. http://www.storagereview.com/samsung_ssd_840_review_tlc It's a no-brainer to go with the Evo, which has much better overall performance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Norris Posted October 1, 2013 Share Posted October 1, 2013 So I am good with everything I need, right?Should be good, if anything make sure you got a power connector ready for it.. embarrassing/annoying when that happens. Sometimes you won't need a mounting bracket, some cases have a spot for it depending on who made it. That's assuming the motherboard and OS are up to snuff and not something in the legacy category of course, I assume you've checked that. But yea, it's pretty much plug it in and go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mindovermaster Moderator Posted October 1, 2013 Moderator Share Posted October 1, 2013 Compared to other SSDs on the market, it does have crappy write speeds. It will certainly show in real-world performance. http://www.storagereview.com/samsung_ssd_840_review_tlc It's a no-brainer to go with the Evo, which has much better overall performance. Being that it's faster than any platter HDD, I'd really doubt it harms your system in any way. I have a 830 and 840. Never had any issue. Red Mist 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astra.Xtreme Posted October 1, 2013 Share Posted October 1, 2013 Being that it's faster than any platter HDD, I'd really doubt it harms your system in any way. I have a 830 and 840. Never had any issue. Why would it harm anything? I never said that... All I said is that the Evo is a much better investment for the money. The extra $10 for better performance is absolutely worth it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mindovermaster Moderator Posted October 1, 2013 Moderator Share Posted October 1, 2013 Sorry, I didn't mean hurt anything, I meant that it really doesn't matter in real life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven P. Administrators Posted October 1, 2013 Administrators Share Posted October 1, 2013 Do they fit in floppy bays? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mindovermaster Moderator Posted October 1, 2013 Moderator Share Posted October 1, 2013 Yes, they do, Steven, they are 2.5", same as floppy drives were. Steven P. 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven P. Administrators Posted October 1, 2013 Administrators Share Posted October 1, 2013 Great, I have an old case with floppy bays, been meaning to get the Evo 840 :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Norris Posted October 1, 2013 Share Posted October 1, 2013 Do they fit in floppy bays?Usually not without help, the majority of them are in a 2.5" form factor, floppies are 3.5" and up, holes won't line up either. For example, without 'creative engineering', something like this random search result: http://www.amazon.com/OCZ-3-5-Inch-Adaptor-Bracket-OCZACSSDBRKT2/dp/B002I8MUU0 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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