What SSD Should I buy?

[Olorin]

Thanks for your advice.

[Darksword]

I wouldn't waste the money on two of those Kingston SSD's. The specs say they're slow (170 read / 40 write) and the user reviews also say they're a little slow. And they lack TRIM support.

I think you'd be better off with one 80GB Intel X-25M personally.

[lowfat]

Originally Posted by Darksword

I wouldn't waste the money on two of those Kingston SSD's. The specs say they're slow (170 read / 40 write) and the user reviews also say they're a little slow. And they lack TRIM support.

I think you'd be better off with one 80GB Intel X-25M personally.

As a boot/gaming drive, writes play such a small amount in real world performance. Sequential reads are pretty much the same as a Vertex and it has higher random IOPS. Even w/o TRIM the drive will hold its own.

[YukonTrooper]

Originally Posted by BT!

anyone know whats the difference between these 2?
NCIX.com - Buy Intel X25-M 80GB 34NM Postville 2.5IN SSD SATA Solid State Disk Flash Drive - SSDSA2MH080G2C1 In Canada.
and
NCIX.com - Buy Intel X25-M 80GB 34NM Postville 2.5IN SSD SATA Solid State Disk Flash Drive Retail Box - SSDSA2MH080G2R5Single In Canada.

The more expensive one comes in a retail box. There is nothing different about the hardware between the two.

[Jackquelegs]

Retail box includes a 2.5in-3.5in adapter and a whole bunch of manual and packaging. The OEM version comes in a brown box
Pic is from the last time my friend and I went SSD harvesting

[Olorin]

Originally Posted by lowfat

As a boot/gaming drive, writes play such a small amount in real world performance. Sequential reads are pretty much the same as a Vertex and it has higher random IOPS. Even w/o TRIM the drive will hold its own.

I'm a little confused. You mentioned that these drives were not worth getting. But if their performance is on par with the Vertex as far as boot times/loading and that's exactly what I need it for, then wouldn't the Kingston units be a good option for the money ?

I don't need them for copying large amounts of data. I just want a substantial improvement in boot times and loading for games and apps. That's about it really.

[Lpfan4ever]

Originally Posted by Olorin

I'm a little confused. You mentioned that these drives were not worth getting. But if their performance is on par with the Vertex as far as boot times/loading and that's exactly what I need it for, then wouldn't the Kingston units be a good option for the money ?

I don't need them for copying large amounts of data. I just want a substantial improvement in boot times and loading for games and apps. That's about it really.

The confusion is, every Kingston V Series SSD EXCEPT the 40GB uses the dreaded JMicron602 controller. The 40GB uses the Intel controller, which is what makes it different from the others.

[Olorin]

So far I read several comments that the controller in the new Kingston units have terrible stuttering and yet several reviews on these units seem to contradict those findings, so I'm not sure. Obviously the reviewers who tested these units know what they are doing right ? I just read several reviews concerning the 60 and 128gb versions and according to the reviewers, the stuttering has been largely mitigated due to increased cache on the controller and improved firmware. As I understand it, this was a major problem in the past. But the new firmware revisions, at least according to reviews I've read, confirmed that stuttering is a non-issue.

Like I said, I am interested in these units based largely on the price. I don't want to pass on these units based on falsehoods; I'm just looking for user experience.

[AkG]

the JM602's that Kingston use have 16kb of cache to help mitigate the stuttering issue. It works to some extent but IMHO the JM602s are not a good deal at any price. They were decent when they were current tech BUT they are now at least one generation out of touch with the rest on the market. Stuttering will not be as bad as say a OCZ Apex....BUT they are not anywhere near as good as the 40GB model. You will need a lot of tweaking / care and feeding to your OS to get acceptable results. With that being said, in RAID 0 some people have found them to be decent choices, but I wouldn't recommend them. It simply is not the best way to enter into the SSD world.

The best bang for your buck SSDs are: OCZ Agility, GSKILL Falcon 2 and Kingston SSDNow V 40GB. ANYONE of these choices are great single choices and IMHO worth the added cost compared to the Kingston V 64 and 128.

[Olorin]

Thanks man. I'll see if I can possibly get the 40 gb unit. I really can't afford the OCZ or Kingston V+ units. I can imagine they are faster but then that had better be, especially at the prices they command. Just need a good value unit that boosts quickly for windows and for gaming. I don't need outrageous transfer rates. It's just so difficult for one to arrive at any conclusion when there is so much information out there. Some sources claim this or that, others claim the opposite and you don't know where you stand. It can be a little overwhelming, especially for those not in the know, like myself. Thanks again for your advice.

Everyone thanks.