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New SSD

  • 03-01-2013 10:56PM
    #1
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 102 ✭✭


    Im thinking about buying a new SSD for my pc....as my current one seems to have got very slow.
    On the windows performance information it used to have a disk transfer score of 7.8, now its 5.9...

    Anyway, my current SSD is only 128 gig. Was thinking about getting one double this or maybe more. Any recommendations.


Comments

  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,594 ✭✭✭Deano12345


    looters wrote: »
    Im thinking about buying a new SSD for my pc....as my current one seems to have got very slow.
    On the windows performance information it used to have a disk transfer score of 7.8, now its 5.9...

    Anyway, my current SSD is only 128 gig. Was thinking about getting one double this or maybe more. Any recommendations.

    How old is the drive ? Anyway, 256GB is the sweet spot for SSD performance, and depending on how much you want to spend, the OCZ Vector or Samsung Pro 840 are the newest kids on the block !


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,511 ✭✭✭Outkast_IRE


    I can highly reccomend the INTEL drives , i have mine nearly 2 years now and its performance is rock solid that whole time. Going by the windows index mine has held its score of 7.4 for 2 years. Im sure their newer drives would be faster

    It wouldnt be as fast as the OCZ drives but its a hell of alot more reliable :D


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 16,925 ✭✭✭✭challengemaster


    Crucial M4 or Samsung 830 / 840 pro drives are the most reliable on the market. Avoid OCZ like the plague.


  • Posts: 18,160 ✭✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    Have you tried doing a secure erase on it? Might sort the performance issue.


  • Moderators, Education Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 35,235 Mod ✭✭✭✭AlmightyCushion


    Intel, Crucial or Samsung are the most reliable in my opinion. Samsung and Crucial have better bang for your buck compared to Intel. I'd avoid OCZ.


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 102 ✭✭looters


    Karsini wrote: »
    Have you tried doing a secure erase on it? Might sort the performance issue.


    Yep tried that.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 102 ✭✭looters


    Deano12345 wrote: »
    How old is the drive ? Anyway, 256GB is the sweet spot for SSD performance, and depending on how much you want to spend, the OCZ Vector or Samsung Pro 840 are the newest kids on the block !


    I reckin only about 2 years. Its a Crucial M4 SSD, 128 gb. I will leave in desktop as more storage.

    Anyone got any specific recommendations for 256 gig one, with urls?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 169 ✭✭RayCarley


    looters wrote: »
    Im thinking about buying a new SSD for my pc....as my current one seems to have got very slow.
    On the windows performance information it used to have a disk transfer score of 7.8, now its 5.9...

    Anyway, my current SSD is only 128 gig. Was thinking about getting one double this or maybe more. Any recommendations.

    Have you set up junctions so that your documents, pictures, videos etc. are stored on a second, mechanical hard drive? If so, that's probably why your score dropped to 5.9. I wouldn't take the windows index too seriously anyway, it's more of an indication rather than a measure of actual performance. You should run AS SSD and see if your drive really has slowed down. Your M4 really shouldn't have slowed down already though. I'm presuming you have it set to AHCI and have a 6Gbps sata connection? I can't see you getting that much of an improvement by upgrading it to be honest, unless something has actually gone wrong with the drive.

    If you definitely do want to upgrade Toms Hardware always does a good job on reviewing and recommending SSDs: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/ssd-recommendation-benchmark,3269.html
    The best SSD currently is probably the Samsung 840 Pro as people have been saying. Amazon don't have it in stock at the moment, but I'm sure you'd find somewhere that does: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-Series-256GB-Solid-State/dp/B009LI7CTY/


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,594 ✭✭✭Deano12345


    looters wrote: »
    I reckin only about 2 years. Its a Crucial M4 SSD, 128 gb. I will leave in desktop as more storage.

    Anyone got any specific recommendations for 256 gig one, with urls?

    Anyway, personally I'd recommend these 3, the OCZ drives have in the past been unreliable (I've gone through 2x Vertex II's, currently on an Agility 3) but these newer drives seem to have sorted it out. I've used the 830 in a freinds laptop, cant speak highly enough of it !

    http://www.dabs.ie/products/ocz-technology-256gb-vector-series-sata-6gb-s-2-5--solid-state-drive-8F22.html?refs=41580000-56350000-434730000&src=3

    http://www.dabs.ie/products/samsung-256gb-840-pro-series-sata-6gb-s-2-5--solid-state-drive-8BNS.html?refs=41580000-56350000-434730000&src=2

    http://www.dabs.ie/products/samsung-256gb-830-series-sata-6gb-s-2-5--ssd-laptop-kit---free-norton-ghost-15-7SRB.html?refs=41580000-56350000-434730000&src=3


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 102 ✭✭looters


    RayCarley wrote: »
    Have you set up junctions so that your documents, pictures, videos etc. are stored on a second, mechanical hard drive? If so, that's probably why your score dropped to 5.9. I wouldn't take the windows index too seriously anyway, it's more of an indication rather than a measure of actual performance. You should run AS SSD and see if your drive really has slowed down. Your M4 really shouldn't have slowed down already though. I'm presuming you have it set to AHCI and have a 6Gbps sata connection? I can't see you getting that much of an improvement by upgrading it to be honest, unless something has actually gone wrong with the drive.

    If you definitely do want to upgrade Toms Hardware always does a good job on reviewing and recommending SSDs: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/ssd-recommendation-benchmark,3269.html
    The best SSD currently is probably the Samsung 840 Pro as people have been saying. Amazon don't have it in stock at the moment, but I'm sure you'd find somewhere that does: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-Series-256GB-Solid-State/dp/B009LI7CTY/


    No I havent set up junctions. Im not sure if I set to ahci. I kind of remember doing this when I installed.
    I ran these tests on the SSD using AS SSD benchmark like you suggested.

    Here are the results. What do you think. Is this normal.

    ssdi.gif


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 16,925 ✭✭✭✭challengemaster


    Looks spot on for an M4 of that age

    17204933146l.jpg

    http://www.overclock3d.net/reviews/storage/crucial_m4_128gb_ssd_review/1

    It'd be a small bit slower than a newer M4, but I'd put that down to controller / updates in the past 2 years


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 597 ✭✭✭Tij da feen


    Yeah as was said above it looks grand. Don't bother using Windows Performance Index, it utter ****e. If I recall correctly it used to list Tea Bag's 6990 lower than a 560ti or something like that. Also it caps all mechanical drives at 5.9 regardless of how good they are or even if they're in RAID.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 169 ✭✭RayCarley


    Yeah there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with those scores. In what way has the drive become slow? Is the computer taking a lot longer to boot or is it just taking longer to open programs etc? Judging by those scores it doesn't look like the SSD is at fault. Unless maybe you need to update the firmware on the SSD or the drivers it is using...

    Either way, I wouldn't be so quick to run out and spend €100 or so on a new drive, unless you really want a larger capacity and have no second hard drive to store your larger files. I'm still running my 2.5 year old 80GB Intel SSD on my desktop, which gets far worse scores than your M4 in AS SSD, but the computer is still as fast as ever and I see no reason to upgrade it any time soon.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,181 ✭✭✭Serephucus


    Have you updated the drive's firmware? If the drive is that old, and you haven't, that could well be why. There was an update a while ago that brought the speeds up to around the 450/200 mark.

    It should tell you on the drive itself what firmware it shipped with. The older ones were 000x. The newest firmware is 040H. Link.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 102 ✭✭looters


    Serephucus wrote: »
    Have you updated the drive's firmware? If the drive is that old, and you haven't, that could well be why. There was an update a while ago that brought the speeds up to around the 450/200 mark.

    It should tell you on the drive itself what firmware it shipped with. The older ones were 000x. The newest firmware is 040H. Link.

    Thanks, good info.
    I upgraded to the new firmware using your link.
    That sorted it. Here is windows score after updating.
    score.gif


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,181 ✭✭✭Serephucus


    Would you mind running the read/write benchmark again? I'm just curious.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 16,925 ✭✭✭✭challengemaster


    I've a feeling it's windows acting the tit rather than the drive being slow. I'd say some 'genius' in WinHQ noticed there's new firmware and decided the old one should have a lower score in Windows Experience


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 102 ✭✭looters


    Serephucus wrote: »
    Would you mind running the read/write benchmark again? I'm just curious.

    Ran it, scores seem to have gotten worse if anything.

    ssd2.gif


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