Your thoughts about my thoughts regarding a SSD

**Akaie** · August 19, 2011, 11:20 PM

Hey guys.

So, I have been eye'ing the OCZ 120gb Vertex 2 for a while. I find that they're a decent brand for computer products, 120gb gives me some nice wiggle room (a 60gb drive would be a bit too small for my taste), and the read and write speeds seem to be the best for a SATA II drive (I'm especially happy for the write speeds in comparison to some of the ~100-200MB/s write speeds of some of the SSD's on the market).

As much as SATA III SSD's are intriguing, I don't find the extra speed necessary, and I'm willing to sacrifice the difference for a price decrease, after all I'm Australian and we suffer from disgustingly inflated prices. The cost of the 3.5" version is $199AU ($16 cheaper than the 2.5" version). Oh... I primarily buy from Scorpion Technology (Scorptec).

So! My question is this: what you do think about my choice? While considering I don't feel the need for an SSD any faster than the Vertex 2, am looking for a 120gb drive at around ~$200AU and am generally an economical son of a ...., can you offer an alternative that fits in with my specific criteria?

**snuggans** · August 20, 2011, 12:28 AM

what does a Vertex 3 120gb cost over there?

also, make sure you get the 32nm nand instead of the 25nm

**Akaie** · August 20, 2011, 04:12 AM

The two main stores I buy from list the Vertex 3 120gb as $275 and $277. As much as I like the speeds of the Vertex 3, I'm finding it hard to justify ~$75 extra for the step up.

I'll be sure to inquire about 32nm stock. Thanks, snuggans.

**Smokey** · August 20, 2011, 04:38 AM

Heres a good link:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-ssd-price-per-gb-ssd-performance,2942.html

Do your research on SSD's, there's lots of things to take into account not only read & write speeds. A good controller can make the difference...

**Top-Tier-Tech** · August 20, 2011, 09:14 AM

Originally Posted by Smokey

A good controller can make the difference...

Which is why I will stay away from OCZ in the future (I have a 180GB Vertex 2)

Look into Crucial and intel SSD's for more reliable controllers.

**Akaie** · August 20, 2011, 08:50 AM

I can certainly see why you pointed out the Vertex 3. If I can spare a bit of extra cash, I'll lean towards the V3. Thanks again.

**Akaie** · August 21, 2011, 01:39 AM

In looking at Crucial and Intel stock, two seem awfully 'bright' against the rest.

http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/...20-series.html and http://www.crucial.com/store/partspe...LE=CT128M4SSD2.

I'm leaning towards the Crucial ($309; $10 dearer than the Intel SSD). Thoughts?

**Top-Tier-Tech** · August 21, 2011, 08:44 AM

Originally Posted by Anton93

I'm leaning towards the Crucial ($309; $10 dearer than the Intel SSD). Thoughts?

I plan on getting a Crucial SSD for my gaming rig at some point in the future, I think their SSD would be an excellent choice for you.

**mrmouth** · August 21, 2011, 06:29 PM

I cannot wrap my mind around $300 for a drive.

**Crazyeyesreaper** · August 23, 2011, 09:00 AM

i remember when a 500gb HDD was $180 so $300 for the insane speeds offered by an SSD is worth it, its the same with GPUs if you want to play with the best you have pay out the ass like the rest lol

**Taiji** · August 23, 2011, 10:41 AM

OCZ Agility 3, cheaper than the vertex and almost as fast. There's some issues with the Sandforce 2281 controller being so advanced, but it's what is allowing the awesome speeds. If you look around you'll find plenty of people with problems, but then most of that is just them being too noob to flash their drive, or reset their bios, or reinstall windows - A load of noob-rage and L2C going on lol

Apparently actual RMA rates are low, comparable with crucial, and OCZ's support staff seem pretty cool. Intel may be the best bet for reliability, but we're talking maybe 1% difference in RMA rates. Personally I wasn't put off by that in the least. Cheap and fast, I'm very happy with my Agility 3 - Going to buy another to raid them