SSD Size

[fasteddy2020]

With SSD's getting comparatively cheaper, is there a size that is better than another? What I mean by this is, would a 240GB more reliable/stable/last longer than a 500GB drive, a 500GB more reliable/stable/last longer than a 750GB and so on. I understand the read/writes aspect and deterioration over time but, in this case is larger "better"? I don't really need the space because I have several HDD's for storage and backup but price per GB goes down as size goes up. I am looking at the Samsung 840 EVO and not sure how big to go and what the true sweet spot is.

 

[Divide Overflow]

There's nothing inherently better about a drive with larger capacity. Keeping some free space available is definitely healthy as more free space allows the drive to evenly wear. A very rough rule of thumb is try to never use more than 80% of the SSD space and you should have a healthy drive with a normal lifespan. Anything above and beyond that isn't really contributing to the longevity of the drive. If you have a good idea how much space you'll require, you can pick the right size accordingly.

 

[manofthem]

Other than the larger ssds usually have faster speeds, especially the writes, I think you'll be good either way.

840 Evo

120gb
Sustained Sequential Read
540MB/s
Sustained Sequential Write
410MBp

250gb - 1tb
Sustained Sequential Read
540MB/s
Sustained Sequential Write
520M

 

[AsRock]

Other than the larger ssds usually have faster speeds, especially the writes, I think you'll be good either way.

120gb
Sustained Sequential Read
540MB/s
Sustained Sequential Write
410MBp

250gb - 1tb
Sustained Sequential Read
540MB/s
Sustained Sequential Write
520M

So true, i think most do it to some degree. At the time i was getting my Force GT's the Samsung SSD i wanted did it although i was after a 256GB model so. How ever with it being out of stock i ended up getting 2 Corsair Force GT's 120GB which are pretty much the same as there higher GB models.

Watch out for the warranty's too some go as high as 5 years.

 

[Jetster]

Larger versions of the same SSD are faster and have longer life. There is data all over the interwebs to confirm this. But a small higher quality drive will be faster then a poor quality larger one. So really its bang for buck and you don't really want to waste money on Leger drive if you not going to use it. Some drives come with configured over-provisioning 120, 240 where some do not 128 156. You should allow space for trim and trash cleanup. This should be unalocated.

 

[rtwjunkie]

With the new smaller size of the chips in SSD's, it's more true than ever that the larger drives have faster write speed than smaller drives. for instance, at least with Crucial, for example, theM500 500GB is comparable in write speed to the 256GB M4, and the current M500 240GB is slower on writes than the previous M4 256GB.

 

[thebluebumblebee]

With the new smaller size of the chips in SSD's, it's more true than ever that the larger drives have faster write speed than smaller drives. for instance, at least with Crucial, for example, theM500 500GB is comparable in write speed to the 256GB M4, and the current M500 240GB is slower on writes than the previous M4 256GB.

...well, not smaller size chips. Smaller manufacturing process - equals higher capacity per chip - means fewer chips for a given capacity - means fewer channels and SSD speed is all about channels. The Tech Report has a nice review of the M500's where they stated, "480GB is the new 240GB". Nice review, highly informative. They are doing a stress test of SSD's, and basically, we have nothing to worry about. The only caveat with SSD's that I know of is that there is no data recovery if a drive dies. Make sure you backup your data! IMHO, aim for twice the capacity that you think you'll need.

 

[rtwjunkie]

...well, not smaller size chips. Smaller manufacturing process - equals higher capacity per chip - means fewer chips for a given capacity - means fewer channels and SSD speed is all about channels. The Tech Report has a nice review of the M500's where they stated, "480GB is the new 240GB". Nice review, highly informative. They are doing a stress test of SSD's, and basically, we have nothing to worry about. The only caveat with SSD's that I know of is that there is no data recovery if a drive dies. Make sure you backup your data! IMHO, aim for twice the capacity that you think you'll need.

That's exactly what I was trying to say, just didn't quite know how to put it into words! Thanks!!

 

[AsRock]

Larger versions of the same SSD are faster and have longer life. There is data all over the interwebs to confirm this. But a small higher quality drive will be faster then a poor quality larger one. So really its bang for buck and you don't really want to waste money on Leger drive if you not going to use it. Some drives come with configured over-provisioning 120, 240 where some do not 128 156. You should allow space for trim and trash cleanup. This should be unalocated.

Corsair allow you to change the over-provisioning with their tools.