Need help with SSD choice - returning my OCZ Vertex 3 MAX IOPS

v6maro

v6maro

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Oct 10, 2002
Messages
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Ok guys, my OCZ Vertex 3 MAX IOPS keeps crashing when idling, I got newegg to accept a return on it. I tried to fix the issues with OCZ support, but yeah, that didn't work. So the drive goes back. I now need to chose a new drive. If you had the choice, which would you select of the following two:

#1 Crucial M4:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148448
128gb
Sustained Sequential Read Up to 415 MB/s
Sustained Sequential Write Up to 175MB/s
4K Random Read/Write: 40K / 35K IOPS

OR

#2 Mushkin Chronos Deluxe
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226225
120gb
Max Sequential Read Up to 560MB/s
Max Sequential Write Up to 515MB/s
4KB Random Write Up to 90,000 IOPS

OR, do you have a different drive you'd recommend?

I'm looking for something fast, yet STABLE. The OCZ was very fast, but it crashed all the time which I cannot have.

Thanks!

Steve
 
Not the Mushkin drive. You'd be replacing a known turd for another possible turd.
 
Intel 510 series, is probably your best bet. It's not the fastest drive, but it's quite stable.
Sandforce drives are often the luck of the draw, in that a lot can depend on your specific motherboard (not the model but your motherboard)and how well it syncs up with the drive while still remaining within tolerance. I think that as more ssds push themselves to the limits of sata 3, then they will have to revise the tolerances.
I was reading that a lot of the firmware issues are related to this, and it's an open secret in the industry, or at least that's how it was explained to me.
 
avddreamr said:
Intel 510 series, is probably your best bet. It's not the fastest drive, but it's quite stable.
Sandforce drives are often the luck of the draw, in that a lot can depend on your specific motherboard (not the model but your motherboard)and how well it syncs up with the drive while still remaining within tolerance. I think that as more ssds push themselves to the limits of sata 3, then they will have to revise the tolerances.
I was reading that a lot of the firmware issues are related to this, and it's an open secret in the industry, or at least that's how it was explained to me.
Click to expand...

Hrm, I'll have to look at that one. The reviews of the Crucial are pretty good, is that sandforce 2 as well?
 
The Crucial M4 gets a lot of recommendations. Of those two, I'd take it for sure, plus Newegg is running a 15% of coupon for them. It uses a Marvell controller, I believe.
 
In the latest issue of the CPU magazine, I saw a comparison of SATA III SSDs and there was a Patriot model in the test that decisively beat even the Vertex 3 in the benchmarks. It was also the priciest one in the article, but you get what you pay for. Since you had originally bought a Vertex 3 MAX IOPS, I assume you're after the maximum performance you can get. I'm not sure how Patriot measures up as a brand in terms of perceived reliability, but it's at least something to take a look at.

I don't remember the precise model name, but you can look it up online or at a newsstand yourself. (Or you can give me until this evening to get back home and let you know.)
 
guney said:
In the latest issue of the CPU magazine, I saw a comparison of SATA III SSDs and there was a Patriot model in the test that decisively beat even the Vertex 3 in the benchmarks. It was also the priciest one in the article, but you get what you pay for. Since you had originally bought a Vertex 3 MAX IOPS, I assume you're after the maximum performance you can get. I'm not sure how Patriot measures up as a brand in terms of perceived reliability, but it's at least something to take a look at.

I don't remember the precise model name, but you can look it up online or at a newsstand yourself. (Or you can give me until this evening to get back home and let you know.)
Click to expand...

this one?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820220599

sandforce driven, argh
 
I have to plead ignorance on the evils of Sandforce SSD controllers. Can anyone point me to something like a "SandForce Bashing 101" resource that can help me get up to speed?
 
v6maro said:
lol good to know, I guess I'll pass on this one.
Click to expand...

LOL... there is a method to our OCZ and Sandforce bashing. OCZ has promoted the idea that periodically secure erasing their drives is acceptable. My Vertex 2 has to be erased about every 4 months and that is with light usage. They go on and on discussing how to write to their drives as little as possible. It still won't matter.

I don't want to think about how much shorter of a window I would have if I was still in college and my workstation saw heavy use.
 
Thanks for the feedback guys. I'm going to get the Crucial M4 256gb, picked it up from newegg for $331!
 
v6maro said:
Yeah I mentioned that to them over chat, they took care of it no problem for me.
Click to expand...

Yeah, looks like it is back on now. Good plan by them - I was on the fence before, then pissed I missed the promo, then bought it when the promo came back. So their "promo out of funds" scam worked wonders.
 
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