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SSD and HHD selections

Post Date: 2011-12-19
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Posts: 86 		  Quote iCheck Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Topic: SSD and HHD selections
    Posted: 19 Dec 2011 at 8:38am
Hi I wanna buy a 120GB SSD which brand should i go for? And with that particular brand(SSD), Which partner brand(HDD)should it be pair with to get a good gaming experience? HDD going for 1TB. Any recommendation? Thanks
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Posts: 86 		  Quote iCheck Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 19 Dec 2011 at 8:40am
2TB would also be fine with me if the price difference with its 1TB ones are minimal.
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Posts: 0 		  Quote jmaster299 Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 19 Dec 2011 at 10:38am
Us users normally recommend the Intel 320 series SSD, which comes in many sizes (80GB, 120GB, 160GB, etc.), and the 1TB WD Caviar Black HDD. Those two drives have the best reliability, performance and warranties, which are the most important things.

The Intel 320 series drives are not SATA III but the performance of the drive it's self is better then other SATA III SSD making it a better and faster choice. The data transfer rate is not the most important thing for SSDs.

HDD prices are rather high right now but should drop soon. If you can't afford both get the SSD now and buy the HDD later. Some places have ok prices, you just have to shop around. I personally got a very good deal on the 750GB WD Caviar Black, which has the same speeds as the 1TB.




Edited by jmaster299 - 19 Dec 2011 at 10:40am

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Posts: 86 		  Quote iCheck Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 19 Dec 2011 at 10:58am
What do you mean by SSD doesn't depend on its speed? Then what is the purpose of buying an SSD, i always thought it was the speed of writing and reading data. Can you briefly explain to me? thanks. Furthermore, if i have a SSD, do i need to use it as a cache for my HDD or a storage for my games and OS? Or can i do hybrid(cache and storage)? Which is better?
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kane860 View Drop Down
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Posts: 612 		  Quote kane860 Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 19 Dec 2011 at 11:30am
I actually just created a new topic for HDD's because I didnt see this one.. anyways, I have been seeing mixed reviews on the caviar black drive on Newegg which is making me a little nervous about getting that one. 
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Posts: 0 		  Quote jmaster299 Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 19 Dec 2011 at 12:27pm
No, I said data transfer rate is not as important on a SSD. SATA speeds only refer to the rate at which information is transferred to and from the drive, it has nothing to do with how quickly the drive reads or writes information.

The Intel 320 series is faster and more efficient then most other SSD making it's over all performance faster even though it's data transfer rate is only SATA II and not SATA III. The data transfer rate is just the speed at which that info is passed between what ever program is running and the drive it's self.

@Kane860,
Don't go just by customer reviews on one website, especially when it's not a tech website as the "average" customer won't know what they are talking about. I have 2 caviar black HDDs, a 500GB and a 750GB and they are both running great. I've had the 500GB drive for over a year now.

I looked at some of those 1 "egg" reviews and they are totally bogus. Some of them are complaining about things like prices and other service issues from Newegg that have nothing to do with the drives. If you do have issues, which is still unlikely, the Caviar Black drives have a 5 year warranty, which is very good.

I can't be certain for Newegg but I know other sites like Amazon will lump all their reviews for a certain item between different version that they sell. For example, the 750GB drive I purchased from Amazon and some reviews for it are from people claiming they were sent refurbished drives.

Those reviews are misleading. Amazon can be selling different versions of the same thing, like both new and refurbished versions of the same item, some model number and everything, but the reviews for all the different versions are listed together. I checked with Amazon before buying my drive just to make sure it was not refurbished and that's how I found out about them lumping their reviews together.

I inspected the drive when I got it to make sure it did not have the refurbished tag on it from WD and even checked the serial number with WD to make sure it was new, and it was. So I don't know if Newegg combines their reviews like that but it's a possibility. So reviews you see of bad drives could be from drives that are not new.

Also ignore any review that does not list "Verified Owner". Ignore those reviews because you have no idea where that person bought their drive and it very well could be that they purchased a used or refurbished drive or something like that. If it does not say "Verified Owner" on Newegg it means the person did not buy it from them.


Edited by jmaster299 - 19 Dec 2011 at 12:34pm

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Posts: 612 		  Quote kane860 Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 19 Dec 2011 at 1:31pm
Thanks for the feedback JMaster, I will probably stick with the caviar black
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Posts: 86 		  Quote iCheck Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 19 Dec 2011 at 11:10pm
If an SSD is fast but the transfer rate is onli SATA2, will the drive be bottlenecked? I mean since my HDD is going to be SATA3 and my whole system is also going for SATA3, wont it be better if my SSD goes for SATA3 too?
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Posts: 36758 		  Quote DST4ME Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 20 Dec 2011 at 12:36am
Transfer rate is more for drive to drive, you want to look at read/write and at different levels, most of our use is at the 4k level, its here that the 320 is pretty fast, faster then the 510.

just because your hdd is sata 3 it does not mean anything, you hdd does not have enough speed to max out sata 2, so all it does is support sata 3 but no hdd has enough speed to even max out sata 2.

as for caviar, IMHO if you gonna get one, get the 1TB cause its speeds are better then the other sizes.

when reading reviews anywhere as pointed out by jm299 look at the negative reviews and see what they are, the ones that are about the site, or dealer or doa I don't really count, if the doa is a lot then yes but if its just a few then I don't hold that against the part, Its also very important to remember that most reviews don't tell you the longevity of the part or its reliability since most reviews are written shortly after purchase, and keep in mind we don't know the knowledge of the reviewer, personally I could careless what a person that has limited knowledge on the subject thinks of one part or the other, cause they don't really know enough to give a proper review.

Nvidia Drivers----AMD Drivers
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Posts: 86 		  Quote iCheck Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 20 Dec 2011 at 3:42am
Is Sandforce processor important in a SSD? Whats the difference between the intel 320 series and the OCZ vertex 3?
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Posts: 86 		  Quote iCheck Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 21 Dec 2011 at 7:50am
I've heard that the vertex 3 have faster read and write speed which almost faster that the 320 series by 2. But the problem is, is the reliability of 320 better than vertex3? Or is it warranty that the 320 wins over vertex3? Why does everyone recommends 320?
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Posts: 128 		  Quote hotshot146 Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 21 Dec 2011 at 2:49pm
the reliability and the warranty are both better on the 320 series than the vertex. Yes the vertox is faster than the 320 series. So it comes down to speed vs reliability and warranty. I would go with the 320 series.
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Posts: 36758 		  Quote DST4ME Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 21 Dec 2011 at 3:56pm
OCZ has a horrible track record with ssds and vertex 3 has had some major issues.

Sandforce controller is not the greatest controller on the market and has had some issues in the past.

You will find the 320 faster in 4k and some other speeds then vertex 3.

Edited by DST4ME - 21 Dec 2011 at 3:58pm

Nvidia Drivers----AMD Drivers
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Posts: 86 		  Quote iCheck Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 21 Dec 2011 at 8:31pm
Ok thanks, last question. M4 vs 320, which is the best for gaming? and also in terms of performance, reliability and warranty.
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Posts: 4 		  Quote parabolic Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 23 Dec 2011 at 10:42pm
I bought a Plextor PX-M3S 128gig SSD.  So far so good after a few days.  I wanted something reliable, and based on my research these marvel controllers are more reliable than the sandforce.  Initial benchmarks have me around 450-500 read and 200 write.  Came with mounting bracket and the 5 year warentee was nice.  Give it some research!
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Posts: 36758 		  Quote DST4ME Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 25 Dec 2011 at 1:27am
marvel and sandforce both are not good at all and not reliable.

read and write is not how you judge ssd perfomrance, you need to look at all levels.

right now intel 320 is the most reliable ssd and gives you 5 year warranty.

as for m4 goes its faster then 320 but reliability 320 comes first then m4, but m4 has been around and proven itself so IMHO you are good with both.



Edited by DST4ME - 25 Dec 2011 at 1:28am

Nvidia Drivers----AMD Drivers
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Posts: 86 		  Quote iCheck Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 25 Dec 2011 at 1:59am
Thanks for the advises.
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