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SSD controllers, synchronous vs. asynchronous


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So I've been looking into purchasing another SSD lately so I've done a bit more research compared to how much research I've done when purchasing my OCZ Vertex 2.

 

So I'm aware that there are various SSD controllers like the Sandforce, Marvell, Samsung and Indilinx(based off of Marvell).

There's also the case about synchronous vs. asynchronous NAND. I found some information about that here: http://www.hardocp.c..._asynchronous/1

 

So what I've come up with is that Synchronous NAND provides more real world benefits than Asynchronous, and Marvell controllers overall(from what I see) are more reliable than Sandforce but have a lower level of performance. Now I'm looking for reliability and speed when I purchase a SSD and this OCZ Vertex 2 I have was not very good when it came to reliability.... It died fairly fast and I had to send it for a RMA. It died on me again after I got the new drive but I manage to get it back up and running but I'm no longer using it as my boot drive due to the fact I find reinstalling windows on it to much of a hassle if it's just going to up and die on me in 2-3 months so it now just serves as a program storage drive for fast access. I have the 35nm version(or 34nm I don't remember the exact number) of the SSD so I didn't get the newer less stable 25nm version of the drive.

 

I don't know much about Samsung's controller but this video on newegg gave me a idea. http://www.newegg.co...N82E16820147164

The 3-core ARM9 based MCX controller has a fancy name but I can't seem to find any info to compare it to other controllers. But it does seem reliable after reading feedback from buyers on several Samsung drives. If you have any info on this controller I'm all ears.

 

I'm aware that OCZ's Vertex 4 SSD is no longer using Sandforce controllers and instead is using a Indilinx controller which seems to be better than the Marvell controller in both performance and reliability so I'm considering purchasing a Vertex 4, but the price tag is still quite high.

 

So I'm basically looking for a:

 

  • 256gb SSD that actually has at least 235gbs of usable space
  • Is less than a dollar per gig(if possible)
  • uses Synchronous NAND(if possible)
  • Controller with Reliability and Performance(reliability comes first)
  • SATA III(obviously)

Here are the ones I've picked out so far:

 

SAMSUNG 830 Series MZ-7PC256B/WW 2.5" 256GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) $249.99 EDIT: has 256Mb of DDR2 Cache memory so you have more storage space to use.

 

 

OCZ Vertex 4 VTX4-25SAT3-256G 2.5" 256GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) UPDATE: Price drop $10 + $10 mail in rebate = $199.99

 

 

ADATA Premier Pro SP900 ASP900S3-256GM-C 2.5" 256GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) $189.99 (running with a sandforce controller and seems to have a shorter life span only MTBF 1,000,000 hours)

 

EDIT: Any suggestions? Additional knowledge on SSDs?

Edited by My_Inner_Fred

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Some storage articles from my blog might help: http://computerhardw...h/label/Storage

 

OCZ Vertez 4 would be my choice out of your 3.

 

Wow you've got a massive amount of useful information on your blog. Thanks for sharing I'll be taking my time to read this.

 

I also forgot to mention the Samsung SSD has 256Mb of ram for cache data so it doesn't take up to much space on the drive itself.

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Wow you've got a massive amount of useful information on your blog. Thanks for sharing I'll be taking my time to read this.

 

I also forgot to mention the Samsung SSD has 256Mb of ram for cache data so it doesn't take up to much space on the drive itself.

Yeah he definately has put some decent work into his blog and it really is a wealth of information. Actually I reckon we should ask if he wants to write a few newsletter articles and of course he gets to whore himself out at the end :D

 

His blog is my go to for directing people when they ask about toggle nand specifically in regards to sandisks great line of cheap well performing adds.

 

For pricing and performance it looks like that vertex 4 is a steal wish those kinda prices where available to me.

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Alright after some calculations I've come up with these results:

 

The OCZ Vertex 4 drive has 256gb of space so after formatting we'll have 238.5gbs of usable space.

Now that equates to around .92 cents per gb of usable space.

 

This other drive here is currently on sale for $79.99 basically $80.

The ADATA S510 Series AS510S3-120GM-O 2.5" 120GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) - OEM has 120gb of space but after formatting it only has around 111gbs of space so if I buy 2 drives and set them in RAID 0 I only have 222gbs of usable storage space.

 

 

So this equates to around .72 cents per gb of usable space. But this drive is using the sandforce controller which I'm not to fond of and has a MTBF rating of only 1,000,000 hours compared to the Vertex 4's 2,000,000 hours, but I'd get faster overall speed because they are in RAID. Correct me if I'm wrong here.

 

So bottom line I'd be paying $220 for 238.5gbs for the Vertex 4 and $160 for 222gbs with 2 ADATA S510 drives. Which one should I get? Help me balance the pros and cons OCC! Thanks XD

Edited by My_Inner_Fred

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Formatting is not where you lose space - you lose it due to the asinine way that HDD/SSD manufacturers calculate gigabytes. They use base 10. Computers use base 2. A "256 GB SSD/HDD" is really 256,000,000,000 bytes which is the same as 238.4 GB.

 

 

Anyway, on topic, ALWAYS go with a single larger drive over 2 smaller ones. The headaches for RAID 0 aren't terribly common, but when they occur, you'll wish you never ran RAID. :lol: I'd bet you can find a better deal on a 256/240 GB drive than the Vertex 4 though.

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I don't think the RAID setup's drawbacks are made up for by the performance difference you're likely not to see.

 

So basically the issues with RAID are most likely not worth the performance boost I'd get and I'm most likely not going to see due to it being so fast anyway. Right?

 

@Waco

 

oh I see that does clarify some things about space... But thats with over provisioning already done right? Maybe I'm getting the concept of over provisioning incorrect....

 

As for the choice with Vertex 4 I heard the Indilinx controller on it is very effective and the 5 year warranty did seem somewhat appealing. I was on the edge of deciding to either get the Samsung ssd or this OCZ Vertex 4. Both seemed like good choices...

Edited by My_Inner_Fred

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To be honest you really can't go wrong with any of the newer SATA3 SSDs from the major players. The one that hits the best price point with a good warranty is the one I'd jump on.

 

And yes, the quoted size (256, 240, whatever) is after over-provisioning. :cheers:

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I just found out the Samsung 830 series SSD had a deal last month for $190... I wish I could have saw that sooner.... So I'm still unsure which SSD to buy.

 

The Samsung one looks great but it's quite expensive at the moment even with the price drop. The Vertex 4 seems like a good deal at the moment and I don't see alot of reviews with people having issues with the drive at the moment.

 

Any suggestions? Preferably something with Synchronous NAND and a mature stable controller. I've noticed quite a few Corsair SSDs use Asynchronous NAND and thats a no-go in my book at the moment from the info I've obtained.

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