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IS A DEARER SSD A BETTER SSD?

idata
Esteemed Contributor III

Can you help

 

I fitted a OCZ ssd to my desktop last year but it has failed.. OCZ are going to replace it but I am reluctant to use the replacement as OCZ does not have a great name for reliability.

I am told INTEL ssds are very reliable and was getting set to buy either a 335 or a 520.

Then somebody said that a 320 was a better choice for reliability as it had parts in it that were more resistant to switch on voltages and power failure.

Looking at suppliers prices the 320 160gb is quite a bit more expensive than either the 335 180gb or the 520 180gb.

I can't figure out why as 335 and 520 are the latest , fastest etc.

Is it because retailers paid more for the 320 when they bought them and don't want to lose money by selling then on cheap or is the 320 basically a more reliable ssd. 

 

9 REPLIES 9

According to this: http://ark.intel.com/products/56563/Intel-SSD-320-Series-120GB-2_5in-SATA-3Gbs-25nm-MLC# infosectionadvancedtechnologies ARK | Intel&# 174; SSD 320 Series (120GB, 2.5in SATA 3Gb/s, 25nm, MLC) and this: http://ark.intel.com/products/66248/Intel-SSD-520-Series-120GB-2_5in-SATA-6Gbs-25nm-MLC# infosectionadvancedtechnologies ARK | Intel&# 174; SSD 520 Series (120GB, 2.5in SATA 6Gb/s, 25nm, MLC) Enhanced Power Loss Data Protection http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/solid-state-drives/ssd-320-series-power-loss-data-protection-... http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/solid-state-drives/ssd-320-series-power-loss-data-protection-... is indeed only available on the 320 series. But do note that there seems to be a connection between unexpected power losses and occurrences of the "8MB bug" in the 320, so the enhanced protection may not do you any good. As mentioned earlier, my 320/x25-m generation drives run fine on my systems, but your mileage may vary. Other than that, I will repeat my recommendation for also looking at the other brand alternative.

idata
Esteemed Contributor III

OKEN,.. I am grateful for the information you have given me and I know that like a lot of things in computing there are no absolutely YES or NO answers to some questions.

I had already decided that my new ssd would be either an Intel or from a certain far eastern manufacturers that makes everything "in house". I am sure that there are other worthy contenders but I can't go on checking things forever and these two brands seem to be the tops for reliability based on what I have read so I will choose from them.

idata
Esteemed Contributor III

OKEN... I hope you don't mind but I forgot to ask you something in my previous message so here it is.

Lets assume you are in the market to buy a ssd.

Lets assume the manufacturer has to be Intel

Lets assume the cost and capacity of the ssd are not important..

Would you buy a 320, a 330 a 335, or a 520

I know I am asking a lot but if you could tell me the reasoning behind your decision I would be grateful.

DEMTO wrote:

Lets assume you are in the market to buy a ssd.

Lets assume the manufacturer has to be Intel

Lets assume the cost and capacity of the ssd are not important..

Would you buy a 320, a 330 a 335, or a 520

If the cost was truly not important, I would buy an Intel DC S3700 Series. It is a enterprise/datacenter class drive based on a new Intel inhouse SATA III controller with roots in the original x25-m/320 series controller. It costs like 2.5 times as much as the 520 series per GB capacity, but is supposed to be bulletproof in every way, including capacitor-based power loss protection.

If I would have to choose from specifically the 320/330/335/520, the choice come down to whether I want a Sandforce controller or not. Of the four, only the legacy 320 doesn't run Sandforce. I have had a Sandforce based drive die on me (an OCZ vertex II) and have experienced hibernation resume compatibility issues with that drive on a specific machine that resumed fine with a 320. But I also own a 520 that shows none of those problems in my office laptop, even though some owners on this forum is reporting serious 520/33x compatibility issues with certain system configurations. So, if I was to use the drive in my system that didn't like the Vertex II, I would stay away from Sandforce as an extra precaution and go for the 320. If I knew others were running similar systems with Sandforce based drives without issues, I would go for the 520.

But breaking your premise of must be Intel and price not an issue for a moment, in reality and considering the competition, I would and do go for 840 and 840 pro. Oops, I said it.

idata
Esteemed Contributor III

OKEN... Thank you very much for your reply.

Yes, the enterprise DC S3700 series are the one's to go for if price were really of no importance. They seem to have everything and I thought you might recommend them. I have looked into them before and I do not want to spend that kind of money. Its a pity but there it is.

I am going to find out a bit more about the 840 and 840 pro as the manufacturer does have a good name for reliability. Then it will be decision time. I hope I get it right this time