Solid State Drives
- Thread starter N_J
- Start date
SSD's are great, but like many things, they do have their cons. Quick list:
Pros:
- There isn't your usual arm, platter, etc. There are no moving parts, so there's much more reliability in terms of being reliable mechanically.
- Due to there being no moving parts, no need for the drive to spin up, etc... they're fast.
- Virtually no noise due to there being no spinning motor or platter. No more grinding noise! I'm pretty sure some SSD's have cooling fans, but they aren't anything at noise level compared to modern fans.
- Small form factor, most if not all are 2.5".
- Low power consumption.
Cons:
- To be completely honest, the only "real" and largest con is price for the storage density. No matter the size you get, the price you pay is very high these days. A reliable ~64GB SSD can go upwards of a hundred or more US dollars.
- Data recovery is very difficult with an SSD. Once the SSD becomes faulty, etc, recovering the data may not be possible.
- As SSD's are still relatively new technology, they're prone to "random failure". There are many underlying factors and this should not be a deal breaker when purchasing an SSD as firmware updates are released fairly regularly if necessary.
etc..
As far as reliable brands go, there are many: Intel, Crucial, Samsung, Corsair, etc.
Pros:
- There isn't your usual arm, platter, etc. There are no moving parts, so there's much more reliability in terms of being reliable mechanically.
- Due to there being no moving parts, no need for the drive to spin up, etc... they're fast.
- Virtually no noise due to there being no spinning motor or platter. No more grinding noise! I'm pretty sure some SSD's have cooling fans, but they aren't anything at noise level compared to modern fans.
- Small form factor, most if not all are 2.5".
- Low power consumption.
Cons:
- To be completely honest, the only "real" and largest con is price for the storage density. No matter the size you get, the price you pay is very high these days. A reliable ~64GB SSD can go upwards of a hundred or more US dollars.
- Data recovery is very difficult with an SSD. Once the SSD becomes faulty, etc, recovering the data may not be possible.
- As SSD's are still relatively new technology, they're prone to "random failure". There are many underlying factors and this should not be a deal breaker when purchasing an SSD as firmware updates are released fairly regularly if necessary.
etc..
As far as reliable brands go, there are many: Intel, Crucial, Samsung, Corsair, etc.
Also: Never get an SSD for anything older than Windows 7, I don't know about any other OS, but this is the only one that has the trim command which automatically cleans up temp / old / bad data, it's essentially an auto-defrag. This is vital for longevity.
Another benefit is that SSDs are nowhere near as weighty as HDDs, as they have much less material in them. I think they give off less heat.
Another deficit is that it's commonly agreed that using the SSD for anything other than boot-up is a bad idea if you want longevity. They DO have a limit read/write lifecycle.
Another benefit is that SSDs are nowhere near as weighty as HDDs, as they have much less material in them. I think they give off less heat.
Another deficit is that it's commonly agreed that using the SSD for anything other than boot-up is a bad idea if you want longevity. They DO have a limit read/write lifecycle.
Shintaro
Well-known member
+1
Great for laptops.
Stick with MAJOR brands.
Companies bragging about being the fastest *usually* means less reliable. Unless you are right in to the tech side. But if you are a normal user it normally means more of a pain-in-the-a$$.
And be prepared to update the firmware. But remember that update of SSD firmware will most likely wipe the drive.
Great for laptops.
Stick with MAJOR brands.
Companies bragging about being the fastest *usually* means less reliable. Unless you are right in to the tech side. But if you are a normal user it normally means more of a pain-in-the-a$$.
And be prepared to update the firmware. But remember that update of SSD firmware will most likely wipe the drive.
AKA
Windows Specialist
Firmware updates yes - Destructive firmware updates no. They are the exception, not the rule.
Out of the 6 SDD's I have in various computers, I have not encountered a single destructive firmware. All of them take less than 30 secs to actually perform.
And they benefit both Laptops and Desktops.
As for being a Pita, no they aren't. Not if you have a decent model. They are no more PITA than a mechanical HDD.
As for life cycle/longevity - they will last as long as a mechanical HDD.
The belief that SSD's are fragile, short lived temperamental components is largely erroneous.
Certain manufacturers/models have flaws - that is undeniable. But if you choose the right drive, you will avoid a lot of the naysayer bad press.
*
Whether someone chooses to avoid them or not is their choice. But the vast majority of SSD purchasers are converts.
I've got a Vertex2, Crucial C300, C4 and several Intel 520's - in both desktops and laptops and all of them have been flawless and more than worth the purchase.
As already mentioned - stick with Intel, Crucial and Samsung and you're pretty much guaranteed a good and reliable drive.
A Guy
Righteous Dude
+1 I have had zero issues with my SSD. Simply the best performance upgrade you can make to your PC. A Guy
I see multiple SSDs drop below $1/gb when on sale...
I bought my 120gb Corsair Force 3 GT off newegg last year for $200... (they now drop to $100 from time to time)
and I still do not regret it... The extra few seconds I save are ever so lovely for someone as OCD as I am :grin1:
Most of the problems I have heard of with SSDs were with the older Sandforce controllers used in the first line of OCZ's drives... I believe they have since been worked out...
When I bought my SSD I went with corsair as at the time they were the only ones to have SSD diagnostics.
I bought my 120gb Corsair Force 3 GT off newegg last year for $200... (they now drop to $100 from time to time)
and I still do not regret it... The extra few seconds I save are ever so lovely for someone as OCD as I am :grin1:
Most of the problems I have heard of with SSDs were with the older Sandforce controllers used in the first line of OCZ's drives... I believe they have since been worked out...
When I bought my SSD I went with corsair as at the time they were the only ones to have SSD diagnostics.
Britton30
R.I.P July 9, 2014
- Apr 24, 2012
- 200
Firmware updates are safe if you follow the makers' instructions.
TRIM is nothing like defragging, it simply cleans the memory cells of deleted files so they can be used again. Some drives use Garbage collection, wear levelinf and there's Intel tool box which do the same thing.
Prices are dropping rapidly, the 64GB Crucial M4 I paid $120 for 6 months ago can be had for <$60 if you watch for specials.
I have 2 M4's with no trouble with firmware.
Performance is fantastic with a SSD, programs which used to take a few seconds to open, Photoshop, Word, etc now are open when my finger leaves the mouse.
I have both setup with the OS and several programs on the SSDs and Users and App Data on a HDD.
TRIM is nothing like defragging, it simply cleans the memory cells of deleted files so they can be used again. Some drives use Garbage collection, wear levelinf and there's Intel tool box which do the same thing.
Prices are dropping rapidly, the 64GB Crucial M4 I paid $120 for 6 months ago can be had for <$60 if you watch for specials.
I have 2 M4's with no trouble with firmware.
Performance is fantastic with a SSD, programs which used to take a few seconds to open, Photoshop, Word, etc now are open when my finger leaves the mouse.
I have both setup with the OS and several programs on the SSDs and Users and App Data on a HDD.
Last edited:
Shintaro
Well-known member
Most of the problems I have seen needed firmware updates due to problems.
But most of the time there are 2 schools of thought, each with pro's and con's.
1/ Don't touch it if it ain't broken
2/ Keep it updated to avoid problems.
Me personally, I fall in to number 2. And that is because if I screw it up I can generally fix it.
BUT when I am helping people it is ALWAYS number 1 !
But most of the time there are 2 schools of thought, each with pro's and con's.
1/ Don't touch it if it ain't broken
2/ Keep it updated to avoid problems.
Me personally, I fall in to number 2. And that is because if I screw it up I can generally fix it.
BUT when I am helping people it is ALWAYS number 1 !
Most F/W releases are for stability or improvements...
I have updated my FW once(twice because I wasn't positive the first one stuck)
and that was because when I got the drive from newegg the latest FW wasn't installed... (it had come out the week prior)
Installing it was very quick and easy...
As for the points Shintaro pointed out... I generally updated everything as stable updates come out... With the exception of CCC(AMD/ATI GFX drivers)
They used to cause a ton of problems with my 5870 x2(CF) where I ran an older version to keep my system running correctly... I have since removed one of my 5870s so I am sure I could update but I am still a full 4 versions behind but running without any issues and plenty of speed.
I have updated my FW once(twice because I wasn't positive the first one stuck)
and that was because when I got the drive from newegg the latest FW wasn't installed... (it had come out the week prior)
Installing it was very quick and easy...
As for the points Shintaro pointed out... I generally updated everything as stable updates come out... With the exception of CCC(AMD/ATI GFX drivers)
They used to cause a ton of problems with my 5870 x2(CF) where I ran an older version to keep my system running correctly... I have since removed one of my 5870s so I am sure I could update but I am still a full 4 versions behind but running without any issues and plenty of speed.
Very true, my friend. I'm currently sitting on 12.1 for my 5850s. If I go any higher, at least with 12.2/3/4... it's 116's all the way down.... :banghead:
It's a real shame that they've "forgotten" the 5xxx series. The least AMD could do would ensure that we'd at least be able to use these newer drivers :roll eyes (sarcasti
I am on 12.04...
A single 5870 will out perform the 6870 but not with CF...
I do enjoy my 5870s, they are great cards so much so that I cant justify buying a new one at the moment :grin1:
A single 5870 will out perform the 6870 but not with CF...
I do enjoy my 5870s, they are great cards so much so that I cant justify buying a new one at the moment :grin1:
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