Kingston 16GB SSDNow

I'm looking at a Kingston 16GB SSDNow here. There doesn't seem to be much information about the drive. Anyone here used one and have some insight about the drive or know of any issues with it? Thanks for any help.

 

at that price, I'd think the more sensible thing to do is to just pony up the extra $40 and get the 64GB Kingston or $20-30 for a 40 GB Vertex 2/Agility 2.

I didn't know they were still actively selling SSDs that small.... a normal Windows 7 install is over 16GB isn't it?

 

A bit overpriced IMO. 16gb for $60? That's a $3.75 per GB. Not to mention the way SSD work, it should be considerably slower compared to other SSD in the 100+ GB range. Controller used is unknown, maybe Indilinx?

If you can push your budget to maybe $20-$30 you can net you a decent 30gb-40gb SSD with better value/performance.

OCZ Vertex is pretty good $89.99 and has a $10 MIR leaving it to $79.99 if you want to go that route..
Newegg.com - OCZ Vertex Series OCZSSD2-1VTX30GXXX 2.5" 30GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

EDIT: I agree with NotEnoughMinerals, go for a Vertex 2, or Agility 2 for a bit more.

 

Thanks for the replies. While I'd concede the OCZ drives are better, I'm most concerned with price. This drive will be going in a Linux box with just the OS and my Mp3s. While the other drives are priced lower per GB, the extra GB have little to no value to me. Plus it's going in a SATA I machine. The extra performance won't be used.

 

Not sure how you are going to use the linux box but I found that if you have enough RAM and using the live CD option, you can have the whole linux OS placed on a RAM disk(usually less than 700MB that contains about 2G or so things compressed), that beats any SSD on the market.

 

ZaZ,

The 'value' that the extra GB's are providing is the continued health and high performance of not using the drive to it's maximum capacity.

I would say you're in an enviable position - spending a mere ~$40 more and getting/using a drive in a scenario that will make it virtually indestructible.

 

Well 50 bucks isn't a bad price to pay, but the extra 40 goes a long way.

 

I really wouldn't be using the whole 16GB. I'd have the OS, which is 2-3GB and Mp3 collection. That's about three and a half GB. I'd probably be using 6GB out of 16GB.

 

ZaZ,

With that usage (mostly reads, very little writes) and capacity filled I guess you have picked the best SSD for you.

See:
Kingston SSDNow S100 Small-Capacity SSDs | iTech News Net - Gadget News and Reviews


The read speeds are very respectable and the writes are not slow either.

 

It's really just an Internet box. I don't need much space at all, but I wish I knew more about the drive.

 

ZaZ,

I hear you. The spec's, your usage, everything about the operating parameters seems like a good fit for you, but for myself, I would still not buy it.

Why? Because it reminds me too much of the Lexar 16GB ExpressCard SSD I bought. Brutally slow - from day one. Even for storage it is too small (and too slow!). And, not all my systems have an ExpressCard slot either.

For your current needs, it seems a great fit - but our needs have a funny way of changing over time and the much better options for a couple of twenties more would be where I would be putting my money (and of course, those ~$40 extra buys you all the extra information you need about what you're about to purchase).

Good luck.

 

OP sounds like 16gb may be enough for you, however I still say you boost that budget a bit get yourself a 30gb-40gb SSD for reliability's sake.

From my understanding a SSD looses performance as capacity of the SSD decreases, however I may be wrong. I know for sure as size decreases, durability decreases as well since there are fewer NAND modules and the "spare" nand's if any are that of maybe 1gb a few hundred megabytes~.

I've had a few 8gb-16gb ssd netbooks come by. Responsive little buggers and fast while installing the OS, however once the OS was installed the speed decreased. While it was quite responsive, it was not loading programs faster then mechanical hard drives nor was it booting faster then hard drives it honestly acted a bit sluggish in terms of loading webpages/programs compared to HDD's. The only benefit I noticed once the OS was installed was perhaps that the netbook was a couple or so ounces lighter, and of course could be man handled XD.

 

If it's just an internet box, do you even need the speed?

If you are dead set on an SSD, and can only spend $60, then go for it. But personally, I would not, for two reasons:

1) Many other people have stated that an extra $40 will go a long way in getting you much more storage space. I have to agree.

2) No versatility. If you buy this SSD, then this Linux box is pretty much the only machine you will ever be able to use this 16GB SSD in. If you were to get a 60GB SSD, you could easily move it to another machine in the future, give it to a friend/relative that runs Windows, sell it, etc. Spending $60 gives you an SSD that is only useful to this one specific machine. Spending $100 gets you an SSD you can use anywhere you choose.

 

He can run a few other Operating systems other then linux. There's AmigaOS, maybe a modified Commodore? I am unsure if it would work. Solaris may work with some fidgeting, OpenBSD... That's really all I can think of, and tbh I dont think half of them come with web browsers XD.

 

The cons outweigh the pros but if ZaZ only has 60 bucks to spend then he should go for it.

And I believe kent meant he will not be able to install Windows besides XP on that SSD. And what's the point of an SSD if you install an OS you experience a slower SSD?

 

question is, what gains does he expect from the ssd? such tiny linuxes can f.e. be installed on an usb stick, too (lots of them), resulting in the same snapiness.

it's really questionable if those 60 bucks get well spent for that specific setup.

 

Call me kooky and a lot of people do, but I don't see what spending more money gets me? Sure if someone came along and said I've got a Vertex for $70, I might go for it, but that hasn't happened so far. The marginal value of spending more money given the usage, is almost nil. I don't need more space, just enough for the OS and my Mp3s. Anything else I can get from the network. I already have better SSDs in my desktop and tablet. I think it's more likely I'd pass those along those. It is really only for this one box.

What I'd really like to know is what controller it has to make sure there's no performance issues with it. If anyone had any practical experience with one, that'd be great too.

What I'm looking for is quiet, which is why I want a SSD.