Opinions on Kingston 128GB SSD

Kingston 128gb SSDNow V-series HDD - Houston-Imports.com | Awesome Screenshot
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I can pick up one of these locally for 150, is that a good buy?

Will It work in the M11x and is it worth it? 128 is pretty small, but then again, I keep most of my files in externals anyway.

 

You get what you pay for. It runs a JMicron JMF618 controller which has a history of stuttering issues and is also slower than Intel, Sandforce, and Indilinix controller based drives. Personally I would just spend the extra for an Intel or Sandforce or look for a good deal on an Indilinix drive.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/har...ssd-thread-benchmarks-brands-news-advice.html

Has some good basic info about SSDs

http://forum.notebookreview.com/har...ssd-thread-benchmarks-brands-news-advice.html

Newer thread after the old one was closed.

Also Google/forum search function for more specific questions.

 

Kingston makes ssds that are usually not at par with other ssds. Its still a heck of a lot faster than an hdd, but if you wanna go for a good ssd, the ocz vertex2, g.skill, and intel ssd's are probably your best options.

Newegg.com - OCZ Vertex 2 OCZSSD2-2VTXE120G 2.5" 120GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
$210 after mir, its a little more expensive then the one you picked out. faster read/write times and more iops.

 

Good call guys. Thanks for the tips. I kinda thought that most/all SSD's were about the same.

 

Random writes performance > everything else, therefore Intel SSD. But if you can't afford it, then sandforce.

 

Actually crucial probably makes the best consumer ssd right now if you wanna talk about iops:

Benchmark Results: 4K Random Reads/Writes And Interface Bandwidth : Tom's Hardware's Summer Guide: 17 SSDs Rounded Up

Its probably one of the best ssd out right now, and it can also use sata 3.0 so you'll be limited by the sata 2 interface in the m11x. Also be aware that the c300 256gb is different then the c300 64/128gb ones. The 2 lower ones have slower write performance and iops in writing, but since after you install everything on your system all your gonna be doing is reading that info so its not a big deal.

 

Speaking of SSDs, what do you guys think of the 256gb samsung drive dell allows you to upgrade to?

 

I'd stay away since you can get the c300 256gb on newegg for $535, and its better.

 

Well I traded for my envy 14 for the the m11x and the owner is getting me one of the samsung SSDs to make the deal even.

Would you guys recommend selling that SSD and getting a different one or should I just stick with the samsung one from dell?

 

Wheres he getting it from? is it used or new?

 

New straight from Dell. He works with their computers so most likely gets a good discount on em.

 

Well samsung doesnt make bad ssds by any means. You'll definitely see a great improvement over an hdd. If you wanna compare numbers take a look at some charts here: mainly, iops for read/write, and sustained write/read speeds:
Benchmarks SSD Charts 2010
I'm not sure which model dell sticks in their alienware laptops though. You might wanna dig around.

 

I gotta disagree with you here. Random *READ* performance is far more important than random write performance.

Random write performance only comes into effect when you are copying files or installing programs, which frankly isn't very often. Random read performance comes into effect when you do anything with your computer... boot your OS, load an application, run a game, multitask and do multiple things at once, etc.

Both Intel and SandForce-based drives are excellent SSD's. You really couldn't go wrong with either one. And to be honest, whatever miniscule differences those two drives have on paper will probably never be noticed in real-world situations. I say look at the holiday deals coming up for both Intel and SandForce-based drives (OCZ Vertex 2, G.Skill, etc), and buy whatever one gives you a better deal.

 

I meant random as opposed to sequential. I think the writes are just as important as the reads anyway, especially when doing things online (which these days, for most people it's most of the time). As for my suggestion for Intel, it was more to do with stability/longevity rather than speed, as you don't need to worry about things like TRIM, etc. I suppsoe if you upgrade your hardware every 1-2 years it won't matter anyway.

I agree with your advice though - just buy whatever is the best deal going.

 

Newegg.com - OCZ Vertex 2 OCZSSD2-2VTXE120G 2.5" 120GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

This is a pretty smokin' deal if you ask me.

 

I bought a Crucial 128Gb C300 SSD for the wife's Dell XPS M1530 and it is like a different machine - easily outstrips my i7-740 equipped Dell XPS 15 for day to day tasks.

When doing the reinstall of her data and programs I had 5 concurrent data copy operations, plus a download and an install going on simultaneiously. Did it stutter or slow down, did it heck!

Really worthwhile buy and I'll no doubt be replacing the HDD on my machine when the next generation of SSD's come out.

 

Definitely +rep. The benefit of an SSD is NOT load times. Any drive, mechanical or SSD, can boot an OS or load a single application well. Where an SSD really shines is IOPS. This is driven by its fast random read times, and the fact that performance scales so well with high-depth NCQ queues.

I've pimped out a video I made quite a few times on this forum already, that shows this in effect
YouTube - Why I love my SSD - Windows 7 boot + loading 27 applications in about 1 minute.

You will never find this kind of multitasking performance on a mechanical hard drive, no matter how fast it spins, no matter how high its aerial density, and no matter how much you short stroke it. THIS is why SSD's rock.

 

I got a gskill pheonix pro 128gb for $186 bucks over black friday
Newegg.com - G.SKILL Phoenix Pro Series FM-25S2S-120GBP2 2.5" 120GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
i love it , getting about 250mbs read and 230mbs write , humongous difference from the stock 320gb i got. I also got one for my desktop. This is one of the most noticeable upgrades i have ever done as far as overall speed of interacting with the computer.

 

Crucial gets my vote too. Their specs are basically up there with everyone else, if not better than most others, but the real selling point for me was the 5 year warranty.

And 5 years down the line, i'm still using a couple of 150GB raptors in my desktop so...

Nox

 

I replaced my m11x HDD with a Crucial 256SSD works great. No issues at all. Had a Samsung SSD in my m17x took a dump 2 weeks out of warranty, just died. Got free tech support for it.

 

dont buy SSD now wait till 2011 am sure the prices will go dwon

 

Hi Highside,

Just wondering if this is the Crucial SSD that you are using:
Newegg.com - Crucial RealSSD C300 CTFDDAC256MAG-1G1CCA 2.5" 256GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

If so, how is your experience with this SSD so far?

 

And if you wait till 2015 they'll go down even further!

 

I think by then it'll be replaced by LSD's capable of read and write speeds up to 5gb/s and over 1,000k iop/s.

 

SSDs are like laptops. The best time to buy is always 6 months from now.

 

lol, gave me a chuckle

 

It was actually this one,

Crucial M225 CT256M225 256GB MLC SSD SOLID STATE DRIVE

Still working fine. Looking at getting 2 for my 17x.

 

Kingston's are not bad and do not suffer from the stuttering of previous gen controllers. This is a Toshiba controller and not Indilinx anyhow. It gained Techspot's recommendation based on cost for performance. The V+ (SNVP325) is excellent, although more expensive.

However, if it is an SNV425, steer clear if you're looking to save on battery life, because it's a power hog. Otherwise, it is a good performer. I have one in one of my desktops. But if you want overall best performance and a good improvement in battery life then sandforce is great. But Intel is the best all around performer and value for the cost, and also has one of the lowest power consumptions.