Small SSD for my dad.

[belgolas]

Well my dad is one of the harder people to buy for Christmas because he usually doesn't use what we buy him but since he uses his computer for his business and I think he would like a nice speed boost.

I haven't followed the SSD market so just point me towards a good 80GB+ ssd that is fast but wont break the bank.

[FlyingFish]

Depends on the OS.

NCIX.com - Buy Kingston SSDNow V Series Gen II 128GB 2.5IN SATA2 Solid State Disk Flash Drive - SNV425-S2/128GB In Canada. SSDNow is great in non-TRIM environments, (Windows XP, Vista, OSX, AMD based computers)

Otherwise go for a nice OCZ with a sandforce controller.

NCIX.com - Buy OCZ Vertex 2 Extended Sandforce 120GB 2.5IN SATA2 Solid State Disk Flash Drive SSD - OCZSSD2-2VTXE120G In Canada.

[belgolas]

Nice nearly $200 after MIR and PP price.

So you recommend this over the 80GB Intel gen 2?

[YoungMan]

I prefer the Intel myself. Much more reliable than OCZ. And performs better than Kingston, although Kingston is quite reliable too. The only major difference is higher sequential write, as if that's important for an OS drive lol
(They have better warranty service and don't give you hoops to jump through like MIR)

[Evilyeti]

I have the Intel X25-M Gen2 80GB in my Desktop as my OS drive and I have the Intel X25-V 40GB as the OS drive in my Laptop and they're both impressive drives.

I want to purchase one of the Intel 120GB SSD's when they come out they're suppose to be even cheaper than the Intel 160GB ssd.

[AkG]

Intel is NOT "much more reliable than OCZ". That right there is pure FUD. OCZ SF drives use the same NAND as the Intel. For SSDs a PCB is a PCB so the only dif between them is the CONTROLLER chip. Anyone can get a dud SSD, just like anyone can get a dud HDD. Intel vs OCZ is "6 in one, half dozen in the other" when it comes to SSD RMAs.

As for the OP question. IF you need 80GB or more for your dad it does depend on the OS and how much hassle factor you are willing to do in setting things up.
IF hes running XP you COULD buy an Intel 80GB and setup a weekly manual SSD optimizer schedule (its basically a manual "trim" call that works on older pre-TRIM OS's). OR you could pick up a 120GB Kingston SSDNow which will take care of itself and not need anything special done (very aggressive ITGC so even just a little bit of idle time is enough for most peeps).

IF he is running Win 7. Intel again OR the newer 90GB SF drives. Much like the 40gb'ers use the same NAND as the 60s but are missing a couple chips, the 90s use the same NAND as the 100/120s with just a couple chips missing. BUT are cheaper than the 120s. Of course....if your budget can stretch to 2bills get a 120SF. They have a touch more speed on the low end than an Intel and MUCH more speed on the high end. PLUS 50% more room than the Intel ;)

Where you need 80GB or more your options are much more limited than if you could get by with 60GB. In which case you got access to all the 60GB SFs and JM/Toshiba's that are cheaper again. All depends on your budget (both size and $$$).

[belgolas]

Thanks for all that replied. He is running windows 7 ultimate so trim is supported. I know Linus said something about the OCZ sandforce SSD's do some kind of compression to save space.

As far as the 90GB to 120GB there isn't much difference is price. Is there any difference in the 3.5" and 2.5" drives?

[FlyingFish]

Originally Posted by belgolas

Thanks for all that replied. He is running windows 7 ultimate so trim is supported. I know Linus said something about the OCZ sandforce SSD's do some kind of compression to save space.

As far as the 90GB to 120GB there isn't much difference is price. Is there any difference in the 3.5" and 2.5" drives?

Virtually all the SSDs are 2.5 inches, but for the most part they're functionally the same.