Technical > PC Hardware Discussion/Reviews > Suggestion on a decently priced 256 GB SSD?

Suggestion on a decently priced 256 GB SSD?

SanDisk, Kingston, OCZ Agility 3/4, and OCZ Vertex 3 are usually the lowest prices, around $160-180 on really good sales. You have to keep your eye on Logicbuy's daily wrap-ups or Newegg's shellshockers, however.
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If we lose this freedom of ours, history will record with the greatest astonishment, those who had the most to lose, did the least to prevent its happening.

Well, I'm looking for SSDs that get good reviews.

I looked at the Samsung 830s and they seem to have major issues in which after awhile they slow down big time and Samsung has yet to acknowledge the issue or fix it.

The Crucial M4 drives have random issues that even the current firmware hasn't fixed yet. Some people report random file corruption even with the latest firmware. Doesn't instill much confidence in me.
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Tom
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The OCZ Technology drive also seem to have some issues too. Dead drives, unbootable drives, etc.

reply to trparky
So you want reliability, speed, and low price? I don't think that's realistic. You generally can pick two out of the three.

Your best pick is probably a Vertex 4 running the new FW and hope you don't get a DOA.

FWIW I have been using a Vertex 2 120GB and an ADATA 120 GB without issue. Problems with SSDs are almost purely anecdotal, although the low-end OCZs (Agilities and lower) seem to have an unusual amount of DOAs or SSDs that stop working shortly after arrival.
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If we lose this freedom of ours, history will record with the greatest astonishment, those who had the most to lose, did the least to prevent its happening.

Seems that standard spinning disk HDDs are still the most reliable way to go. Proven beyond a shadow of a doubt.

SSDs seem to be still maturing and they are having QA issues still. Makes me doubt SSDs are ready for prime time.
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Tom
Boycott AT&T uVerse! | Tom's Android Blog | Galaxy Nexus LiquidSmooth by TeamLiquid

I'd like to go with an SSD for at least the boot drive but these reviews are really making me worried.

reply to trparky
I don't know where you get that idea. MHDDs have had serious issues as well despite being around for decades. For home use, an SSD is perfectly fine for boot drives and the 240/256GB size is now the sweet spot on the price/size spectrum.

With the Thailand flooding and continued high prices of MHDDs, SSDs are even more attractive.

Just stay away from the cheapest brands and you'll be fine. I've built or own computers with OCZ Vertexes, Intels, and ADATA's and have yet to have an issue with any SSD (and yet have had MHDDs die on me, hmm).

Sales aside, take a look at these:

»www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a···20167086
»www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a···20227792
»www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a···20147135
»www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a···20147164
»www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a···-233-208
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If we lose this freedom of ours, history will record with the greatest astonishment, those who had the most to lose, did the least to prevent its happening.

I still have four year old HDDs that are still chugging along. *knock on wood* They may be small but they rock solid reliable.

Of all the ones that I'm looking at with the links you've given, the Intel ones are getting the most favorable reviews.

reply to trparky
Which is anecdotal as well.

Don't let anecdotal reviews sway your decision to buy or not. As with any device, don't buy the cheapest thing out there. Sure, there's a small % chance you may get a DOA (as it is with any electronic product), but one of our own got a bad Caviar Black with his new build.
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If we lose this freedom of ours, history will record with the greatest astonishment, those who had the most to lose, did the least to prevent its happening.

reply to trparky
I've had an 80GB Intel SSD for over a year with no issues. I've just bought a 120GB Intel for my new build. The reviews of the other drives convinced me to go with Intel again.
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Intel 520 Series Solid-State Drive 240 GB SATA 6 Gb/s 2.5-Inch - SSDSC2CW240A310 (Drive Only)
With
Silverstone Tek 3.5-inch to 2 x 2.5-Inch Bay Converter (SDP08B)

Seems like it may be the best deal.
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Tom
Boycott AT&T uVerse! | Tom's Android Blog | Galaxy Nexus LiquidSmooth by TeamLiquid

reply to trparky
Depending on the motherboard/chipset you have, maybe the Intel Smart Response Technology would be an ideal solution?

On my Asus P8Z77, I can use a SSD up to 64GB that acts as a cache. From what I have read, the performance is greatly improved when booting and loading new programs.

This would allow you to keep your OS and storage on the larger MHDDs, even in a RAID configuration, while utilizing the much faster access time of the SSD for the applications that get used more frequently.

I'm still in research mode about this, but it might be something to consider if it proves to work as advertised. A fast 64GB SSD is relatively inexpensive.

reply to trparky
Intel 330 Series SSDSC2CT240A3K5 2.5" 240GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
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reply to trparky
Samsung 830 Series

My desktop motherboard has an Intel X58 chipset. The notebook hell if I know.

reply to trparky
=D

»www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a···20226226

reply to jmn1207

reply to trparky