Solid State Hard Drives worth the money?

**rm249** · 04-13-12 at 02:08 AM

Im upgrading a system I have and I was thinking about buying a solid state drive just for the operating system, something like a 60-80 gig.
They are asking around $100 just for this little amount, while you can buy a 1TB drive for around the same price.

Do you think its worth the money just to run the operating system on one of these drives.
Supposely it suppose to make boot up time 11 seconds faster, and more realible.

Is it really worth a $100 bucks?

What do you think?

**blaxroze** · 04-13-12 at 02:26 AM

I'm not gonna get a SSD until the price is reasonable. I rarely turned off my PC though, always let it sleep. So fast start up is not an option to me. If I am going to buy an SSD, it should at least match my 1 TB HDD size. I'm not gonna downgrade it, its just like the a tv that I owned a 42" lcd, i dont want to get a led tv at 40".

**mirrow** · 04-13-12 at 02:55 AM

Remember that installing games and applications on your SSD will also greatly improve their performance. Games like Skyrim have to load tons of textures (the GPU and HDD/SSD do this) and so on.

The prices are becoming better and better, but hey; it wasn't to long ago when HDD's were expensive as well

Valid_Username · 04-13-12 at 03:24 AM

No question, they are worth every penny.

zero80472 · 04-13-12 at 03:50 AM

hell yes to your question

i got a SSD for my core i7 :P and it is awasome ) with my GTX 680

**BBlake** · 04-13-12 at 03:53 AM

Absolutely it's worth it!

If you game, I would recommend getting a 120GB or bigger drive to install them on it as well. A lot of games have to load lots of textures, as mirrow said, an SSD will greatly improve load times.

**Omega_Prime** · 04-13-12 at 04:23 AM

Yeah it isn't purely about start up, though it is worth it. Also, you will need to change a few settings such as changing from IDE to AHCI to get the best performance from your SSD.

Would certainly recommend 120GB or larger, I have a 60GB SSD and boy is it hard to keep it free of space.

**Spacebunny** · 04-13-12 at 05:08 AM

Please note the differences between SSD with SLC or MLC and read and write times..
its advised to checkout some benchmark(s) (best for your money vs speed)

Quote:

more realible

Doubtful.. having a backup is highly advised :)
Those it make the operating system more responsive.. h*ll yeah
Also the loading times of games are reduced
Its also really Quiet..

I bought some cheap one's.. and placed them in raid 0 (more space/speed vs the price of 1 big drive)

**cechi** · 04-13-12 at 05:28 AM

definitely worth it, go and grab one. I am using SSD for almost two years.

**TensionX1** · 04-13-12 at 05:40 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by Omega_Prime

Yeah it isn't purely about start up, though it is worth it. Also, you will need to change a few settings such as changing from IDE to AHCI to get the best performance from your SSD.

Would certainly recommend 120GB or larger, I have a 60GB SSD and boy is it hard to keep it free of space.

Same here, 60GB, I got the Patriot Pyro SATA3 SSD.

Code: Select All

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820220602

Personally, it was well worth the money simply because my boot up drive was a 1TB 5200rpm, and it took like a minute and a half just to finish loading everything. With my SSD, it takes less then 30 seconds.

The only stuff I add into that SSD are certain drivers and programs and Windows itself. In total, I have almost 6GB left of storage space, but thankfully I have 2 1TB HDD in my system.

If you have the money, it's definitely worth the upgrade, certain programs and drivers works wonders with a SSD. Just remember if you were considering of getting it, SATA2's read/write does not exceed over 300MB/s. SATA3 on the other hand does, on average, you would see reading 500 - 550MB/s, while write could range from 200 - 5XXMB/s.

Mine is pretty good for the price, reading is upto 520MB/s & writing is upto 490MB/s.

bogus109695 · 04-13-12 at 06:30 AM

rm the problem with the solid state drives is they "burn out". Literally. They are the next planned obsolescence from the system to get money from people. They have mastered the time frame for burn out thru memory flash stick testing and public use. Worse yet! The windows operating system is notorious for access its "os drive" even when doing nothing! This behavior will burn out a solid state drive even quicker. Solid state should be considered for fast access memory storage and retrieval but not necessarily for constant data changes which would shorten its life span quickly. This is my opinion. Hope it helps. Look into ram drives. They are kept active with power even with the computer off. And they are among the fastest response for boot and os operations.

**karlosr** · 04-13-12 at 06:38 AM

Absolutely.

It's the biggest noticeable speed increase to a pc by far.

Had mine for over a year and wouldn't go back (only for storing on external hdd's) :)

**Cheesaw** · 04-13-12 at 06:43 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by renagade410

i think im gonna buy one solely to install my os on....not really into computer gaming so im not too sure what else i would install on it

Install your programs on it. Having your PC start fast is nice (I can turn off my PC instead of just sleeping it), but the real advantage comes when you load programs on it. Throw your browser on it (I use Pale Moon for extra speed), your download manager (even though the files get save to another drive), your media player, Photoshop, anything you want to run fast and you'll be happy!

Personally, I had a 96 gig SSD but I bit the bullet on a Crucial M4 256GB recently because the 96 giger was just too small for me, but everybody's different.

If you want to spend about a dollar per gig keep an eye on slickdeals dot net. I regularly see SSDs on there for that price or LESS!

Here's one now!

Code: Select All

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?SID=VIBa_oVuEeGeMVLcST-z5Ab72c1&AID=10440897&PID=1225267&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-cables-_-na-_-na&Item=N82E16820227726

**kolewan** · 04-13-12 at 06:54 AM

Quote:

Here's one now! OCZ Agility 3 AGT3-25SAT3-120G 2.5" 120GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) for $99 after rebate!

You might wanna code that link before you get a warning.

I find SSD are getting far better in price. I found a 120gb OCZ vertex for $120 on sale at a local computer shop. Works incredibly fast, also a large difference in loading speed and texturing speed in the Witcher 2. I really like them, but probably wouldn't settle for a 60-80gb

04-13-12 at 05:40 AM	#10
TensionX1 Batman? Join Date: Jan 2012 Posts: 614	Quote: Originally Posted by Omega_Prime Yeah it isn't purely about start up, though it is worth it. Also, you will need to change a few settings such as changing from IDE to AHCI to get the best performance from your SSD. Would certainly recommend 120GB or larger, I have a 60GB SSD and boy is it hard to keep it free of space. Same here, 60GB, I got the Patriot Pyro SATA3 SSD. Code: Select All http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820220602 Personally, it was well worth the money simply because my boot up drive was a 1TB 5200rpm, and it took like a minute and a half just to finish loading everything. With my SSD, it takes less then 30 seconds. The only stuff I add into that SSD are certain drivers and programs and Windows itself. In total, I have almost 6GB left of storage space, but thankfully I have 2 1TB HDD in my system. If you have the money, it's definitely worth the upgrade, certain programs and drivers works wonders with a SSD. Just remember if you were considering of getting it, SATA2's read/write does not exceed over 300MB/s. SATA3 on the other hand does, on average, you would see reading 500 - 550MB/s, while write could range from 200 - 5XXMB/s. Mine is pretty good for the price, reading is upto 520MB/s & writing is upto 490MB/s.

04-13-12 at 06:43 AM	#13
Cheesaw Newcomer Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 53	Quote: Originally Posted by renagade410 i think im gonna buy one solely to install my os on....not really into computer gaming so im not too sure what else i would install on it Install your programs on it. Having your PC start fast is nice (I can turn off my PC instead of just sleeping it), but the real advantage comes when you load programs on it. Throw your browser on it (I use Pale Moon for extra speed), your download manager (even though the files get save to another drive), your media player, Photoshop, anything you want to run fast and you'll be happy! Personally, I had a 96 gig SSD but I bit the bullet on a Crucial M4 256GB recently because the 96 giger was just too small for me, but everybody's different. If you want to spend about a dollar per gig keep an eye on slickdeals dot net. I regularly see SSDs on there for that price or LESS! Here's one now! Code: Select All http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?SID=VIBa_oVuEeGeMVLcST-z5Ab72c1&AID=10440897&PID=1225267&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-cables-_-na-_-na&Item=N82E16820227726 Last edited by TheWang; 04-13-12 at 07:39 AM.

04-13-12 at 02:26 AM	#2
blaxroze Expert Join Date: Aug 2011 Posts: 950	I'm not gonna get a SSD until the price is reasonable. I rarely turned off my PC though, always let it sleep. So fast start up is not an option to me. If I am going to buy an SSD, it should at least match my 1 TB HDD size. I'm not gonna downgrade it, its just like the a tv that I owned a 42" lcd, i dont want to get a led tv at 40".

04-13-12 at 02:55 AM	#3
mirrow Master Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Delft, Holland Posts: 1,134	Remember that installing games and applications on your SSD will also greatly improve their performance. Games like Skyrim have to load tons of textures (the GPU and HDD/SSD do this) and so on. The prices are becoming better and better, but hey; it wasn't to long ago when HDD's were expensive as well

04-13-12 at 03:24 AM	#4
Valid_Username Expert Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: UK Posts: 720	No question, they are worth every penny.

04-13-12 at 03:50 AM	#5
zero80472 Novice Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 146	hell yes to your question i got a SSD for my core i7 :P and it is awasome ) with my GTX 680

04-13-12 at 03:53 AM	#6
BBlake Apprentice Join Date: Jan 2012 Posts: 328	Absolutely it's worth it! If you game, I would recommend getting a 120GB or bigger drive to install them on it as well. A lot of games have to load lots of textures, as mirrow said, an SSD will greatly improve load times.

04-13-12 at 04:23 AM	#7
Omega_Prime Autobot Supreme Commander Join Date: Jul 2010 Posts: 3,568	Yeah it isn't purely about start up, though it is worth it. Also, you will need to change a few settings such as changing from IDE to AHCI to get the best performance from your SSD. Would certainly recommend 120GB or larger, I have a 60GB SSD and boy is it hard to keep it free of space.

04-13-12 at 05:08 AM	#8
Spacebunny Novice Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 236	Please note the differences between SSD with SLC or MLC and read and write times.. its advised to checkout some benchmark(s) (best for your money vs speed) Quote: more realible Doubtful.. having a backup is highly advised :) Those it make the operating system more responsive.. h*ll yeah Also the loading times of games are reduced Its also really Quiet.. I bought some cheap one's.. and placed them in raid 0 (more space/speed vs the price of 1 big drive)

04-13-12 at 05:28 AM	#9
cechi Novice Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Czech Republic Posts: 134	definitely worth it, go and grab one. I am using SSD for almost two years.

04-13-12 at 06:30 AM	#11
bogus109695 Apprentice Join Date: Dec 2009 Posts: 262	rm the problem with the solid state drives is they "burn out". Literally. They are the next planned obsolescence from the system to get money from people. They have mastered the time frame for burn out thru memory flash stick testing and public use. Worse yet! The windows operating system is notorious for access its "os drive" even when doing nothing! This behavior will burn out a solid state drive even quicker. Solid state should be considered for fast access memory storage and retrieval but not necessarily for constant data changes which would shorten its life span quickly. This is my opinion. Hope it helps. Look into ram drives. They are kept active with power even with the computer off. And they are among the fastest response for boot and os operations.

04-13-12 at 06:38 AM	#12
karlosr Newcomer Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 66	Absolutely. It's the biggest noticeable speed increase to a pc by far. Had mine for over a year and wouldn't go back (only for storing on external hdd's) :)

04-13-12 at 06:54 AM	#14
kolewan The Perseverant Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Canada Posts: 729	Quote: Here's one now! OCZ Agility 3 AGT3-25SAT3-120G 2.5" 120GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) for $99 after rebate! You might wanna code that link before you get a warning. I find SSD are getting far better in price. I found a 120gb OCZ vertex for $120 on sale at a local computer shop. Works incredibly fast, also a large difference in loading speed and texturing speed in the Witcher 2. I really like them, but probably wouldn't settle for a 60-80gb