Advice on SATA II SSDs requested!

[LoWRiDeR82]

Hi all,

I am thinking of adding an SSD for the OS and apps in my rig. I believe my computer is only compatible with up to SATA 2 so I guess I can't get a SATA 3 SSD.

in that case, I would like to know which one you believe is the best SATA 2 performancewise.
I heared the OCZ Vertex 2 is very good. Is there anyone better? Is the process of installing the OS etc on an SSD the same as with a normal HDD? Do I need to update any firmwares?

sorry for the barrage of questions! Thanks in advance to whoever helps

 

[harambasha]

Vertx2 is very good yes.

Any SSD with SandForce controller will do. Basiclly just look for read/write performance to be above 200mb and that's it.

SATA3 is compatible with SATA2 connections so you could buy maybe SATA3 disk and be future proof

 

[LoWRiDeR82]

Do you think I would see any benefit on my current platform with a SATA3? Would it be at least slightly faster maxing out my SATA2 port or does a SATA2 SSD also max it out?

You suggest going straight for SSD SATA3? Vertex 3 then? Or which one?

 

[LifeOnMars]

I recently got a Sata III Corsair Force 3 60GB and I'm using it for my OS. Very nice Personally I would just get a Sata III drive as they are backwards compatible anyway and can then be used to their max when you upgrade your board/setup.

Good luck.

 

[entropy13]

Go straight for a SATA III SSD so that when you do get to replace your CPU/board, at least you can easily carry over your SSD to the new board. Crucial's M4 is a good combination of price, size and performance. OCZ's Vertex 3 is one of the faster drives out there, although there's a price to pay for it.

 

[LoWRiDeR82]

alright.... ill go for the OCZ Vertex 3 240gb then When using it (installing win 7 etc) is it the same procedure as with a normal hdd?

 

[harambasha]

alright.... ill go for the OCZ Vertex 3 240gb then When using it (installing win 7 etc) is it the same procedure as with a normal hdd?

yes business as usual, I installed one yesterday without doing any changes to BIOS. and installation from USB stick - was done in 10min or so

I see people saying to go to BIOS and change SATA mode to AHCI instead of IDE but it didn't work for me. Vertex2 120gb.
with AHCI enabled installation cannot proceed. installed then with IDE Enhanced mode. Tried to change to AHCI afterwards but cannot boot into windows then so continuing to use IDE Enhanced (IDE Compatible works as well).

 

[LoWRiDeR82]

What do you mean installation from USB Stick? I have windows on CD not usb stick

yes business as usual, I installed one yesterday without doing any changes to BIOS. and installation from USB stick - was done in 10min or so

I see people saying to go to BIOS and change SATA mode to AHCI instead of IDE but it didn't work for me. Vertex2 120gb.
with AHCI enabled installation cannot proceed. installed then with IDE Enhanced mode. Tried to change to AHCI afterwards but cannot boot into windows then so continuing to use IDE Enhanced (IDE Compatible works as well).

 

[TheOne]

Be aware that only the SandForce Gen2 controllers can perform well on both SATAII and III, the Marvell based controller will perform around 200MB/s on SATAII, also be aware that the SandForce Gen 2 controller, the SF-2281, used by memory manufacturers is unstable with some systems, this includes the Corsair Force 3, Force GT, OCZ Vertex 3, Agility 3, Solid 3, Patriot Wildfire, Kingston HyperX, Mushkin Enhanced Chronos Deluxe, and others.

As for installing Windows 7, manufacturers usually recommend unplugging any standard mechanical drive, HDD, to make sure that Windows properly detects that it is installing on an SSD and configures itself accordingly, as well as running the drive in AHCI mode, if you install Windows using IDE mode and then decide to switch to AHCI Windows will BSOD at startup, a registry fix must be applied before you switch to AHCI, Microsoft provides a tool that does this for you.

Microsoft AHCI Fix

My Corsair Force 3 120GB in ATTO achieved 260MB/s Write, and 277MB/s Read, though I have returned it for a refund through Corsair, it would drop out of BIOS and require a cold boot to restore, one of the many issues the SF-2281 suffers from.

 

[LoWRiDeR82]

so do you suggest waiting for them to mature a bit? You sound like you know a lot. How can I make sure it will be ok with my system and not unstable?

 

[TheOne]

so do you suggest waiting for them to mature a bit? You sound like you know a lot. How can I make sure it will be ok with my system and not unstable?

I would wait a while on the SF-2281 drives, if you want a stable drive stick with SATAII drives like the Vertex 2, SandForce has been working on these issues for months now and just released an updated F/W, unfortunately it doesn't help a lot of users, they also came out with an official statement about it on August 8th, they say they are still working towards a solution, I also tend to agree with OCZ's Tony that this issue may not be solved with a F/W update alone, there is also no way to say which system will be stable and which will not.

 

[harambasha]

....manufacturers usually recommend unplugging any standard mechanical drive, HDD, to make sure that Windows properly detects that it is installing on an SSD and configures itself accordingly, as well as running the drive in AHCI mode,....

Microsoft AHCI Fix

doh I had another HDD connected while installing OS on SSD :shadedshu

do you know if this tool works for vertex2 ?

My Corsair Force 3 120GB in ATTO achieved 260MB/s Write, and 277MB/s Read, though I have returned it for a refund through Corsair, it would drop out of BIOS and require a cold boot to restore, one of the many issues the SF-2281 suffers from.

that cold boot is bollocks mate, hope next one you get is alright

I would wait a while on the SF-2281 drives, if you want a stable drive stick with SATAII drives like the Vertex 2, SandForce has been working on these issues for months now and just released an updated F/W, unfortunately it doesn't help a lot of users, they also came out with an official statement about it on August 8th, they say they are still working towards a solution, I also tend to agree with OCZ's Tony that this issue may not be solved with a F/W update alone, there is also no way to say which system will be stable and which will not.

I m also planing on buying SATA3 drive but still a bit confuse whats what.. was it Crusial M4 reliable disk in overall ? apparently 400mbs on SATA3

 

[LifeOnMars]

Yep that Corsair Force 3 120GB you had sounds buggered. My 60GB gets much higher than that and I have had no issues with it. I'm now on Firmware 1.3 also.

 

[TheOne]

Also I forgot to mention before, for SATAII SSD's try to make sure you get one with 34nm NAND, instead of the 25nm NAND that a lot of manufacturers started switching to, to lower the cost of their drives, 25nm has a shorter life and is slower on the old SATAII drives.

doh I had another HDD connected while installing OS on SSD :shadedshu

do you know if this tool works for vertex2 ?



that cold boot is bollocks mate, hope next one you get is alright





I m also planing on buying SATA3 drive but still a bit confuse whats what.. was it Crusial M4 reliable disk in overall ? apparently 400mbs on SATA3

The Microsoft fix changes registry keys for the Microsoft and Intel drivers, so you should have no problems with it.

And the m4 should be fine, it uses a Marvell controller which is slower, but are supposed to be stable.

Also I decided not to purchase another, SandForce claim's it is a compatibility issue, so any SF-2281 drive will have a high chance of having the same problem, Corsair also recommends not to RMA the drives for another as it is believed to be a compatibility issue.

Yep that Corsair Force 3 120GB you had sounds buggered. My 60GB gets much higher than that and I have had no issues with it. I'm now on Firmware 1.3 also.

Sorry, I should have mentioned, my current board only supports SATAII, I was looking for a SATAIII drive that I could use in my next system upgrade in a year or two. Hopefully your drive will continue to go strong, but some users don't immediately have problems with the drive, it can sometimes take a week or more, though AMD boards tend to be more stable than Intel boards, but they can still have the same problems.

 

[LifeOnMars]

Time will tell I guess. Still, has 3 year warranty so I'm not fussed if it decides to throw a wobbly on me

 

[TheOne]

Time will tell I guess. Still, has 3 year warranty so I'm not fussed if it decides to throw a wobbly on me

Indeed, and even though I did have trouble getting in contact with Corsair at times, what they offered in exchange for the drive was very reasonable, I could have exchanged it for a Performance 3 256GB, which uses a Marvell controller, or a full refund, I decided to cut my loses and just get a refund, though I do sometimes wish I had gone with the P3.

 

[LifeOnMars]

Indeed, and even though I did have trouble getting in contact with Corsair at times, what they offered in exchange for the drive was very reasonable, I could have exchanged it for a Performance 3 256GB, which uses a Marvell controller, or a full refund, I decided to cut my loses and just get a refund, though I do sometimes wish I had gone with the P3.

Shows the importance of buying reputable branded goods doesn't it. Glad you had no major issues getting your money back.

 

[TheOne]

Shows the importance of buying reputable branded goods doesn't it. Glad you had no major issues getting your money back.

The only thing is they want you to wait 2 to 3 weeks while the drive and claim are being processed before they send out the check, I asked them if they could shorten it and they got it to me in a week and a half after they received the drive, they sent it via UPS Next Day Air and I got it Thursday August 11th.