Can some one help a noob with SSD

[fire_storm]

Hi

I was thinking of getting a WD VelociRaptor but people recommended I get an ssd, when I researched to see which is better I got lost, I have no idea what is the better controller or what ssd stutter is
is my system compatible with it
I have a GA p965-DS3, not sure if its the best to run an ssd on
Can someone explain or be nice enough to link me to a guide of some sort


Thanks

[acameron56]

Here's a head-to-head performance chart
Patriot Torqx 128GB SSD Review


Sorry I can't be of more help, but I can't afford either so I've never looked into it all that much.

[AkG]

Hi fire_storm,

Stutter is when the SSD controller becomes overloaded and your WHOLE system pauses or "stutters". This is a bad thing. The best SSDs on the market have either a Intel, indilinx or Samsung controller in them. These drives usually dont stutter. The best bang for your buck SSDs are the Indilinx based ones like the Torqx, Vertex, Falcon. A review is in the works looking at the ADATA 592, but for right now these are the ones I recomend. :)

60GB is about as small as I would recomend, but the 128s are my personal favourite. The most important test to look at when comparing SSDs for an OS drive is NOT read or write speed but Crystal Disk Mark 4k (small file) read and write as these are the types of files which bring an OS SSD to their knees and cause stuttering....usually.

If you give us a budget we could probably be a little less vague as their are many variables to look at (1 big SSD vs 2 smaller in Raid vs 4 really small in Raid, etc etc). Hope this helps. :)

[fire_storm]

Originally Posted by AkG

Hi fire_storm,

Stutter is when the SSD controller becomes overloaded and your WHOLE system pauses or "stutters". This is a bad thing. The best SSDs on the market have either a Intel, indilinx or Samsung controller in them. These drives usually dont stutter. The best bang for your buck SSDs are the Indilinx based ones like the Torqx, Vertex, Falcon. A review is in the works looking at the ADATA 592, but for right now these are the ones I recomend. :)

60GB is about as small as I would recomend, but the 128s are my personal favourite. The most important test to look at when comparing SSDs for an OS drive is NOT read or write speed but Crystal Disk Mark 4k (small file) read and write as these are the types of files which bring an OS SSD to their knees and cause stuttering....usually.

If you give us a budget we could probably be a little less vague as their are many variables to look at (1 big SSD vs 2 smaller in Raid vs 4 really small in Raid, etc etc). Hope this helps. :)

I was thinking of a 64 gb drive for me OS, I have 1TB drives for my other files and I don't go over 40 gb usually for my OS drive

I am looking for a drive around 250 CAD
As far as I researched the G.Skill performed best in that price range but I am not sure of the more technical details

[AkG]

The OCZ Vertex, the Patriot Torqx and the G.Skill Falcon are all the SAME. The only differences are variables in drive to drive performance seen in any batch (i.e. one Indi SSD vs another Indi...there isn't much dif except luck of the draw!), the slightly tweaked OCZ firmware, the support and the warranty. If you plan on upgrading in two years....it doesn't matter. As of right now (or at least as far as I am aware) the Falcon has a 2 yr warranty. The Vertex a 3 year and the Torqx a 10 year warranty. OCZ support is the best of the 3 as they have an awesome Forum!

[JimboToronto]

Originally Posted by AkG

OCZ support is the best of the 3 as they have an awesome Forum!

+1

A Barefoot's a Barefoot but OCZ has the inside line on Indilinx firmware development and their forum, being overclocker/enthusiast based, is a rallying place for SSD enthusiasts, much as the netbook/UMPC forums were a couple of years ago.

[gingerbee]

don't forget the torqx 10 year warranty i think that's a big selling point.

[fire_storm]

Originally Posted by AkG

The OCZ Vertex, the Patriot Torqx and the G.Skill Falcon are all the SAME. The only differences are variables in drive to drive performance seen in any batch (i.e. one Indi SSD vs another Indi...there isn't much dif except luck of the draw!), the slightly tweaked OCZ firmware, the support and the warranty. If you plan on upgrading in two years....it doesn't matter. As of right now (or at least as far as I am aware) the Falcon has a 2 yr warranty. The Vertex a 3 year and the Torqx a 10 year warranty. OCZ support is the best of the 3 as they have an awesome Forum!

I will be buying the drive from Canada but I will be taking it with me to Dubai as I am originally from there, if it breaks there I am screwed either way as no one of them offers international warranty, but now I am leaning to the torqs, I do come to Canada often but I don't want to risk having the warranty finish when I am not in Canada

One concern is my mother board, do I need a new mother board for this
mine is GA-P965-DS3
GIGABYTE - Product - Motherboard - Overview - GA-965P-DS3 (rev. 3.3)

[JimboToronto]

Originally Posted by fire_storm

One concern is my mother board, do I need a new mother board for this mine is GA-P965-DS3

No problem. It will work fine.

[JimboToronto]

Originally Posted by gingerbee

don't forget the torqx 10 year warranty i think that's a big selling point.

As AkG pointed out, the warranty is really a red herring. After two years today's SSDs will be obsolete anyway. By the time write endurance and/or heat-related IC degradation occurs in this year's drives, SSDs will be much faster, much more capacious and much cheaper.

Todays SSDs of a few hundred gigabyte capacities and a few hundred megabyte per second transfers will seem slow and tiny.

Longer warranties on mechanical HDDs are are a more practical consideration. Generally "enterprise" drives with longer warranty periods also have better bearings and vibration resistance than shorter warranted "consumer" HDDs.

SSDs don't have these differences. An Indilinx Barefoot is an Indilinx Barefoot. A Samsung K9HCG08U1M-PCB0 is a Samsung K9HCG08U1M-PCB0. It doesn't matter who solders them on a PCB, they'll last the same time.