Advice for SSD

[compl3x]

Here's the skinny, Neowinians

I've decided to bite the bullet and buy an SSD for my laptop and I was hoping for some input on quality brands and models. I think I'll only need about 120GBs and I'm not willing to **** away too much money on a bigger drive for my laptop.

I have a few models which seem to be in a reasonable price range. I've heard good things about the Samsung model but I was hoping for some advice on the OCZ and Sandisk. I am not really familiar with OCZ. The Plextor is 8 Gigs larger and only a few dollars more, so also some input on that brand model, if you'd be so kind.

Thanks folks.

OCZ Agility 4 128GB SSD

SanDisk Extreme Solid State Drive 120GB

Samsung 840 Series 120GB SSD Retail Box

Plextor PX-128M5S 128GB SSD

This is where I am purchasing from:

http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=210_902_909&vk_sort=1

[Pam14160]

I have the SanDisk Extreme SSD 240 gig; nice. I also have a four year old Intel 25 M 80 gig that is still kicking along. Doesn't really matter which you pick any one of them will do the job.

[Davo]

I haven't heard friendly things about OCZ solid state drives. Not sure if it was just at the onset of the technology and things have improved. I personally have one of these:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820239045

[Gary2MBz]

I have a Crucial m4 in my system and from POST to Start Screen it takes literally under 10 seconds! It is also one of the more reliable SSDs as well (been out for a while).

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148442

[Aletheia]

If you are budget conscious, then consider these two:

Kingston SSD Now V+200

http://www.amazon.com/Kingston-Digital-2-5-Inch-SV300S37A-120G/dp/B00A1ZTZOG/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1359270669&sr=8-8&keywords=kingston+v%2B200+120gb

or

SK Hynix 128 GB

http://www.walmart.com/ip/SK-hynix-128GB-Solid-State-Drive/21983578

[Not many know about Hynix, but in Asian market, they are really well known]

I have 2 Kingston (60GB and 120GB) and I bought them cheap, and I am very happy with them. Using 60GB for my 4 year old netbook (eee 1000HA) and it flies! I am using the netbook again.

[primexx]

the Samsung SSD 840 uses TLC which is new and unproven, shouldn't be a problem but we don't have the data on it yet. The Pro version is MLC.

[dafox]

Ive got a vertex 4 128gb and a aglilty 3 120gb, havent had any problems with them but from that list i would give the plexter a shot. Also try and find a local pc shop to save on the cost of shipping. There are heaps of places to buy from esp if ur near the big cities.

[compl3x]

idk about Plextor. I am not that familiar with them. Thanks for the replies, everybody.

[Haggis Veteran]

I got a 128gb Vertex 4 aswell

loving it so far

and 5 year guarantee cant complain at that

[chconline Veteran]

Don't get the Agility 4. I have one and the performance is relatively terrible. The Vertex 4 is a very good choice. I own like 10 OCZ drives and they all work brilliantly. The Kingston V+200 is also a very good drive. I have 2 running in RAID in my server, it performs as expected (For a Sandforce drive anyway), and no issues with reliability at all.

SanDisk has the new Ultra Plus which replaces the Extreme. I actually have one but haven't opened it yet so can't comment :p

[goretsky Supervisor]

Hello,

Plextor is an old optical disc drive manufacturer that entered the SSD business a year or two ago. Their CD and DVD drives were always top-notch, but I have never used an SSD from them.

One thing I would suggest, regardless of which brand and model you go with, is to get a unit that is 7mm high, as opposed to the more common 9.5mm high SSD. This is so you can re-use the SSD in the future in a laptop that only has a 7mm high drive bay. There's no extra cost associated with 7mm high SSDs, since the actual SSD is just a circuit board?the only difference is in the casing surrounding it. Some SSDs, like Intel's, are all 7mm high with a 2.5mm spacer screwed on to the top, while others come in separate packaging.

Regards,

Aryeh Goretsky

[ajua]

I have a SanDisk Extreme SSD 240GB since August running 24/4 and the performance is great. The price was great too.

My most recent buy was a Kingston HyperX 3K 240GB for a new Windows 8 laptop I bought. The performance is really on par with the SanDisk Extreme.

I would advice any of these and I would choose the cheaper. If price is the same I would go with SanDisk, only because Kingston software for its SSD's is really crappy. SanDisk on the other hand is well laid out and lets you check for firmware updates as well. With Kingston you need a separate app that looks like it came back from the 90's.

Choose the cheapest of the one you listed. I believe we have reached a point that all of them will work great and the reliability should be the same between brands.

[Boz]

Definitely go for Samsung 840.. so far they've been proven to be good SSDs.. the other guys mostly outsource their SSD production. OCZ Vertex 4 is a solid SSD but Agility is not since it's their lower end model. One good thing again for OCZ is that they do inhouse controllers. So OCZ Vertex 4 is their excellent SSD utilizing this new controller stuff they have.

Out of the 3rd party OEMs who just put the SSDs together or order them from others Corsair is the only one that's relatively good. I have been using their Force 3 SSD for a long time and it still runs great but their GT series is solid too.

But it's really 2 companies you want to buy SSDs from at this point if you want to buy quality.. OCZ and Samsung. Intel is good but they are always overpriced.

[Aergan]

+1 for the Samsung

[Chicane-UK Veteran]

I have an OCZ Agility III and it seems fine :) Only had it about 4-5 months to be fair but seems to be 100% reliable so far.

[Jason S. Global Moderator]

OCZ Vertex 4 is a solid SSD but Agility is not since it's their lower end model.

afaik there's no physical difference b/w the Vertex and Agility line. Either would be a solid choice.

[Haggis Veteran]

According to the OCZ site Agility is slightly slower

[chconline Veteran]

The Agility 4 has different flash chips. It is quite a bit slower than the Vertex 4 with a marginal price difference. I have both :p

[Astra.Xtreme]

I would stay away from the Samsung 840. Get the 840 Pro or the 830. The regular 840 uses inferior components, which give you less performance and less overall life. Samsung simply cheaped out on that model.

The Agility 4 is a good one, but it's also a budget model which doesn't use the highest quality components. I'd recommend the Vertex 4 since it's faster and you get the 5 year warranty. I've used OCZ drives since the first Vertex, and I've never had a single problem with them. Currently have the 256GB Vertex 4 and it's crazy fast.

I don't have any experience with the Plextor or SanDisk, so I can't say much about either of them.

If you're looking for a budget SSD, go with the Crucial M4. It's cheap, fast, and high quality. I'd say that's definitely your best bet.

[theyarecomingforyou]

afaik there's no physical difference b/w the Vertex and Agility line. Either would be a solid choice.

The Vertex 4 uses a different controller and has much better overall performance. The Agility line is a cut down version of the Vertex 3 line - it performs very similarly in many respects but suffers significantly in others. The Agility isn't a bad choice if you're on a budget?if it's actually cheaper, as it varies?but it's not a true performance drive.

[Haggis Veteran]

going by amazon

Agility 4 128gb: ?101.12

vertex 4 128gb: ?101.07

5p Difference lol

[Empyrean Glow]

Intel 330 180gb here. Really nice drive, and the Intel SSD Toolbox is quite handy.

[Jason S. Global Moderator]

The Vertex 4 uses a different controller and has much better overall performance. The Agility line is a cut down version of the Vertex 3 line - it performs very similarly in many respects but suffers significantly in others. The Agility isn't a bad choice if you're on a budget?if it's actually cheaper, as it varies?but it's not a true performance drive.

Same controller b/w the Vertex 4 and Agility 4. The only difference appears to be synchronous vs asynchronous MLC

Agility 4

Vertex 4

[theyarecomingforyou]

Same controller b/w the Vertex 4 and Agility 4. The only difference appears to be synchronous vs asynchronous MLC

I was mistaken when it comes to the controller but the performance is certainly substantially different:

[Titanium_NX]

I loved my Ocz vertex 4 until it stopped working a few weeks ago.

Didn't even make it 8 months.