SSDs...

thebigrobbyrob

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For the longest time I have been skeptical about whether SSDs were really worth it. You get very little space for a pretty steep price and i wondered if I would see any real gains over my spin drives. Well after doing quite a bit of research, I finally broke down and bought a Corsair F40 SSD. After, reinstalling windows and getting everything up and running again I was very pleasantly suprised. Windows 7 would fully boot in 11 seconds (the longest part of the boot sequence was the bios post). Everything that i installed on the SSD would open and close quicker than ever before. It was the most noticeable performance increase in an upgrade that I have seen yet! So, with all my skepticism aside, I thought i would post some of the findings i have made (there is much more info out there, i just posted what i could think of right now :P).

The primary use that i have seen most people (including myself) use and SSD for was a boot drive for windows. If you plan on gaming with an SSD, you will need 80+ gigs (depending on how many games you have). SSDs really shine on programs that that read constantly from a database (ie microsoft outlook) or need to load large files.

The SSDs with the sandforce controller are king currently (they boast the 285 Mb/s read, 275 Mb/s write) and i have also seen the least amount of complaints from them. However Intel SSDs still do really well and they dont have near the read/write speeds (mostly becuase the intel controller does well with random read/writes and they have been the most reliable)

Some other neat things about SSDs are they are totally silent, use little power, they are very small and light (2.5" form factor), and generate no heat (im sure there are more.....but thats all i can think of right now).

Setup was pretty simple. The corsair web site had all the step to optimize windows for use with a SSD (how to enable TRIM, ACHI, etc...) and now its off and running. So, I want to know if anyone else has similar stories about SSDs or are still on the fence on whether it would be worth it to get one. Ill edit this post as time progresses with updates on how the SSD continues to perform as well as with any new facts i aquire. If you have questions, ill do what i can to answer as well.
 
yes, SSDs will become the new standard in storage. The prices will come down, as does with everything electronic. As tech advances, prices drop. SSDs are almost fail proof... have no moveing parts, are easily formatted. Load and write times are very high compared to a standard HDD. I am includeing 2 in my next build(OS/drivers/security on 1, and Steam on the other) and I would tell anyone thats interested, buy 1. You wont regret the investment.
 
I will get 1 as soon as the prices start falling. Right now I am good w/ 1.5tb. I will get 1 mainly to do testing with games (even tho like he said theyre best tested with office documents).
 
I'm not gonna get one for my desktop until the prices drop a lot more. However, I will be purchasing a new notebook soon and that will certainly have an SSD.
 
Everyone that doesn't have one says they aren't worth it. Everyone that does have it says that they are epic win.

Except for me, I want one but do not have one :)


Nice purchase. If you get bored with it you can always send it to me.;)
 
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Everyone that doesn't have one says they aren't worth it. Everyone that does have it says that they are epic win.

I've used a machine with one. Sure, it was more responsive during certain tasks, but worth the price when I could get a GTX 460 and up my PPD another 11k? Not hardly.

To me, FLOPS > access + read & write times. ;)
 
What Reflex said. I got the Intel 80 G2 the day it came out and have not regretted it one bit. Worth every cent without a doubt. You cannot compare flops to read/write/access times.
 
You cannot compare flops to read/write/access times.

I wasn't comparing them per se. It was more so stating what is more important to me.

I hardly ever find myself waiting for HDD loading. A few seconds here and there, but I usually just take a sip and am good to go.
 
I'm saving up for a total computer re hall before I'm off to college. On my list is a SSD for my computer.
 
I'm saving up for a total computer re hall before I'm off to college. On my list is a SSD for my computer.

Bringing a desktop to College? Bad idea. "Why study when I can play GAAAAAAAMES".
Just get a notebook, or even a netbook, and slap an SSD in there.
 
Bringing a desktop to College? Bad idea. "Why study when I can play GAAAAAAAMES".
Just get a notebook, or even a netbook, and slap an SSD in there.

don't listen to him. Where has studying ever got you? Now games on the other hand!
 
I just dropped in a 64GB OCZ Onyx which I picked up for about $90 after a rebate.
I loaded my OS and productivity apps on it and have the games (Steam) loaded on my WD Black 1TB. I boot Win7 64bit in 20 seconds from the end of POST which is SWEET. I would love to put everything on a huge SSD but I haven't won Powerball yet! :)

edit: I just verified the specs on this SSD and while it's only rated at 125/70 read/write I bought it as a boot drive only and it's working out perfectly and the price was right. so win-win
 
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Wow only 125/70?
My F3 gets about 115 (not sure on writing), and I have 1TB, and it only cost me $60...
 
yea the Onxy has 1/2 of an illindrix controller, so it is half as fast as a real SSD.

Pho, your access times, and non-sequential writes are still astromonically higher.
 
yea the Onxy has 1/2 of an illindrix controller, so it is half as fast as a real SSD.

Pho, your access times, and non-sequential writes are still astromonically higher.

So? Those drives hardly seem worth it. I'd much rather spend another $50-60 to get a SF-1200 60GB.
 
yes the Onyx drives are not worth it anymore ever since sandforce showed up
 
What Reflex said. I got the Intel 80 G2 the day it came out and have not regretted it one bit. Worth every cent without a doubt. You cannot compare flops to read/write/access times.

And the intel 80 G2s are like, what 1/2 fast as the sandforce ones? The intels havev 270 Reads, 70 writes.

SandForce: 285 Reads, 275 Writes, so LOT faster writes.

Will be getting this in the VERY near future, Also, new PC parts come tomorrow :D.

http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=53308&vpn=OCZSSD2%2D2VTXE60G&manufacture=OCZ%20Technology&promoid=1223
 
And the intel 80 G2s are like, what 1/2 fast as the sandforce ones? The intels havev 270 Reads, 70 writes.

SandForce: 285 Reads, 275 Writes, so LOT faster writes.

Will be getting this in the VERY near future, Also, new PC parts come tomorrow :D.

http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=53308&vpn=OCZSSD2%2D2VTXE60G&manufacture=OCZ%20Technology&promoid=1223

Intel SSD's have way higher random write/read speeds than Sandforce. Random writes/reads are more important in a boot drive b/c most of loading your OS is random reads.
 
well i just looked into sandforce's site, but couldnt find much. had to do some more searching via other sites & found more info. im not sure why sandforce wont give details on their own technology, but whatever. from what ive read, im very impressed w/ how this company is making such great advancements in ssd technology. im looking forward to getting an ssd w/ sandforce technology built in & test it against my seagate hd (sata mind u). ive seen videos of early ssd technology in action.
 
My boot drive is an Intel 80gig SSD. Best upgrade I ever made.
 

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