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    What makes the intel X25-M SSD so great? I dont understand

    Discussion in 'Apple and Mac OS X' started by dmitrip, Jun 23, 2009.

  1. dmitrip

    dmitrip Notebook Guru

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    Hey guys, I am ordering my macbook pro 15 inch soon and I am planning to also order a good SSD. Now I am sure that you have all heard that the intel x25-M is the fastest SSD out there but is it still? because I found a OCZ vertex which has the following specs:

    Capacity: 250GB
    Interface: SATA II
    Interface Type: SATA
    Buffer Memory: 64MB
    Write Speed: up to 160 MB/sec
    Read Speed: up to 250 MB/sec
    Form Factor: 2.5"
    MTBF: 1,500,000 hrs.
    Temperature, Operating (°C): -10 to 70
    Shock, Operating: 2 msec (Gs): 1500


    Now for comparison here are the Intel x25-M specs:

    Capacity: 160GB
    Interface: SATA
    Write Speed: up to 70 MB/sec
    Read Speed: up to 250 MB/sec
    Form Factor: 2.5"
    MTBF: 1,200,000 hrs.

    so the OCZ has more space, and almost twice faster write times and is only about 100$ more expensive. So am I missing something here? or is the Intel X25-M not the best SSD out there anymore? I would really appreciate some thoughts because I dont want to make a mistake when buying my SSD.

    thank you very much
     
    dmitrip, Jun 23, 2009
    #1
  2. jackluo923

    jackluo923 Notebook Virtuoso

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    Try search for SLC version of Intel X25-M
     
    jackluo923, Jun 23, 2009
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  3. tasty_chicken

    tasty_chicken Notebook Consultant

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    Although the OCZ maybe faster in Write and Read speeds, the Intel SSD still blows OCZ out of the water with Random Write Performance.
     
    tasty_chicken, Jun 23, 2009
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  4. dmitrip

    dmitrip Notebook Guru

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    so there is more to it then just read and write speeds? can somebody please explain.

    thank you
     
    dmitrip, Jun 23, 2009
    #4
  5. tasty_chicken

    tasty_chicken Notebook Consultant

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    To put it simply, your OS is constantly writing to disk. When your Random Write is low, you may experience freezing or skipping because the disk is trying to keep up with your OS. Traditional HD have a cache to help counteract this. Having a SSD with good Random Write Performance helps counter that.

    And just to clarify, the OCZ's random write performance may not be as fast as the Intel Drive, it's still faster than Traditional 10,000 RPM Western Digital VelociRaptor Drives.
     
    tasty_chicken, Jun 23, 2009
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  6. MrX8503

    MrX8503 Notebook Evangelist

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    Intel set the tone as the top heap of the pack as far as SSD speeds are concerned.

    When they released their ssd it destroyed all others, but OCZ released the vertex and summit shortly after, which are comparable in speed and costs less. Still not as fast overall though.

    So if you're investing in SSD, go OCZ vertex or summit.
     
    MrX8503, Jun 23, 2009
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  7. ljhfasfdadds

    ljhfasfdadds Notebook Enthusiast

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    Its the controller that makes the Intel better
    Thats why drives with the same controller have similar performance
    e.g. Indilix - g.skill falcon, ocz vertex, patriot torqx, etc
    Stay away from Jmicron controllers
     
    ljhfasfdadds, Jun 24, 2009
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