Is it worth it?

[farlex85]

So I'm thinking of possibly snagging one of these ssd's today but I'm just not sure if there will be a worthwhile improvement from my raptor x. Quieter sure, but will there be a noticeable difference in performance? $160 worth? Benches I don't care about, just everyday performance (net, games, music recording). Let me know what you think.

 

[Completely Bonkers]

Just do it!

 

[Tatty_Two]

A bit faster yes, "very" noticable, well noticeable in some things, not really games, load time might be a little faster, in game probably not.... worth $160? ..... not of my money personally, i would rather get a 2nd raptor for raid 0 and save the change but thats just my opinion.

 

[fullinfusion]

you cant compare spin drives with ssd's, even against a Raptor!

If you configure a ssd and let trim run over night while your loged off makes a huge difference

 

[fullinfusion]

Here, Linus runs a few tests... WATCH HERE

 

[Tatty_Two]

Here, Linus runs a few tests... WATCH HERE

Thats all very well and good, noone is denying they are faster/quiter, specifically the Op is asking about the benefit to him, he is not concerned in anything apart from internet access, gaming and music recording, yes you can find a whole host of things that will really benefit greatly from an SSD, then you can find lots of things (apps) that bring improvements but perhaps not vast, it's then weighing up if for what an individual does, will they actually see $160 worth of major improvement, my point was that on the things he listed he will see improvement..... just not "major" IMO. Now if I were the Op, I would be selling that 6850 and adding some money to it and buying the 6870 and pocket a fair bit of change if I wanted to see some improvements, but then again I game more than I record music

 

[qubit]

Windows boot will be noticeable faster. SSDs are a mixed bag and I wouldn't buy one at the moment.

Best to look at comparative reviews and decide yourself.

I've got a Raptor X (that window is awesome no? ) and can tell you the following:

- It makes a helluva racket. But you know this one...

- Modern high capacity, high performance 7200rpm HD's such as the WD Caviar Blacks have largely cought up in performance and won't really feel much different on the desktop. Seek times are still better on the Raptor X though.

 

[micropage7]

thats kinda hard thing
SSD wins on speed, shock resistant but lose on size, price and product variation
if you have money it will be OK , but if you patient enough you could wait for awhile until the size and the price kinda more affordable

 

[n-ster]

Not worth it...

II got my 2nd Vertex 2 60GB for 120$ - 20$ MIR, aim for something like that, 100$ for 60~64GB isn't that hard to find

 

[Chris_Ramseyer]

I have at least 5 of every Raptor made and have reviewed more SSDs than anyone else. The question really isn't if it is worth it. The question should be can you afford to live without it.

Until you have the tech you really won't understand. It would be like having a Ferrari to take the kids to school and not have to fear getting a ticket. You can spend more time at home playing GT5 and then all of a sudden spring into action to get the kids to school, then return home just as fast. Let's say you shaved 10 minutes off the time it takes to get their in your minivan. So now you are thinking that OK a Ferrari could save me 10 minutes a day at 100K USD and that really isn't worth it for 10 minutes a day.

You are have look at it in the long run. Ten minutes a day is more than an hour each week, close to five hours a month or the way I like to see it, 2.5 DAYS a year.

Any budget SSD will save you 10 minutes a day and I good one will shave even more load time. It really depends on how often you load stuff but you will get there faster with an SSD. The good thing is that SSDs don't cost 100K USD. Dig deep in your wallet and pull out 200 USD and go find something with a SandForce SF-1200 controller. For 200 you can find a 120GB drive if you look hard enough.

Everything else is like sitting in stop and go traffic.

 

[assaulter_99]

The question really isn't if it is worth it. The question should be can you afford to live without it.

Until you have the tech you really won't understand. It would be like having a Ferrari to take the kids to school and not have to fear getting a ticket. You can spend more time at home playing GT5 and then all of a sudden spring into action to get the kids to school, then return home just as fast. Let's say you shaved 10 minutes off the time it takes to get their in your minivan. So now you are thinking that OK a Ferrari could save me 10 minutes a day at 100K USD and that really isn't worth it for 10 minutes a day.

You are have look at it in the long run. Ten minutes a day is more than an hour each week, close to five hours a month or the way I like to see it, 2.5 DAYS a year.

Any budget SSD will save you 10 minutes a day and I good one will shave even more load time. It really depends on how often you load stuff but you will get there faster with an SSD. The good thing is that SSDs don't cost 100K USD. Dig deep in your wallet and pull out 200 USD and go find something with a SandForce SF-1200 controller. For 200 you can find a 120GB drive if you look hard enough.

Everything else is like sitting in stop and go traffic.

Well is all good if it helps you. But its not the case for everybody. I myself experienced it in some of my clients builds, was great, but for me personally wasn't worth it, since I surf the net mostly on my pc. So can you afford to live without it? For me, yes. It's all down to personal use/can afford or not of users. Your example doesn't work for everybody. Especially your argument of a ferrari. Where I live, it's start/stop in traffic jams, so a camry or a lambo will take the same time approx from home>office.

But I see your point, cause even though these fast cars don't make sense in traffic and speed limitations, you still see them around, since their owners love them and have the cash, so why not?

 

[niko084]

They are WAY faster but...
Honestly I just can't justify one yet... Once they become a little more mainstream and get the data writes before death higher.

 

[ckoons1]

not yet

 

[Chris_Ramseyer]

How many data writes do you need? SandForce drives will last for years. SMART Modular just released an enterprise drive and says it will last for five years under 24/7 enterprise loads. The XceedIOPS drive is a SandForce SF-1500, nearly the exact same as the consumer SF-1200.

Has anyone even heard of an SSD actually dying from wearing out their flash? I've kill far more platter drives than I have SSDs.

 

[niko084]

How many data writes do you need? SandForce drives will last for years. SMART Modular just released an enterprise drive and says it will last for five years under 24/7 enterprise loads. The XceedIOPS drive is a SandForce SF-1500, nearly the exact same as the consumer SF-1200.

Has anyone even heard of an SSD actually dying from wearing out their flash? I've kill far more platter drives than I have SSDs.

Yes I have killed MANY.

But yes they are getting much better, much much, I'm just waiting for a bit more, and a smaller price tag.

 

[fullinfusion]

Well look at my shitty cropping and look at how much life is in this ssd. (I did it to get a rise outta Mussels)

If one does the necessary ssd tweaks and let windows work its TRIM magic by *Logging off or letting the rig sit in the bios over night* then a drive will last years.

Id never go back to mechanical drives again

 

[farlex85]

Man there's a pretty wide rift here. Greatest thing ever or "meh." That day came and went w/o me biting, mostly for the reasons Tatty and others have said earlier. Just didn't seem worth the money. I watched that video fullinfusion, and honestly that was what finally made me decide not to. I've never been one to worry about shaving off a millisecond or 2 off a browser (why I still use the fox) nor do I care too much about a couple seconds of boot time (I generally walk away from my computer when booting). Sure if I had my other drive side by side you can see the difference, but from what I could see the difference was definitely small enough to evade my perception if I lacked a direct comparison. That was before I even found out about all this stuff about them being unreliable and what not.

Guess I'll hold out a bit longer. Really it's the noise that bothers me......Thanks for the input guys, keep the debate going.

 

[Chris_Ramseyer]

Yes I have killed MANY.

But yes they are getting much better, much much, I'm just waiting for a bit more, and a smaller price tag.

If you have killed many then how many? What drives? What was there enviroment, primary usage?

 

[n-ster]

The 64GB 120$ A-DATA mighht be worth it though, if noise bothers you, its another story, invest in n SSD then

 

[Chris_Ramseyer]

200 Dollar 120GB SandForce drives are the best deal going right now.

 

[kevikev]

Any idea what controller is in this one:
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0331849