A personal opinion of solid state drives

[Mr Buckshot]

I recently purchased a 16 GB solid state drive for about $275 Canadian, and it's designed to fit into the ExpressCard slot of my laptop (unfortunately, I can't put it into my ASUS EEE 4G).

Now you may be wondering why the hell I paid $275 for 16 gigs of space when the same money can grab me 500 gigs for hard-drive based storage. The answer is: I needed a tough, durable, fast-reading storage device to store very, very precious non-gaming-related data (some IB schoolwork, and even scans of immigration documents that were issued when I moved to Canada).

A solid state drive uses flash memory (either NAND non-volatile or DRAM volatile) instead of a magnetic disk to store data. It reads/writes much faster than a standard 5400rpm laptop hard drive thanks to the lack of moving parts, although it is (slightly) slower than a 7200rpm at the writing part.

But where an SSD truly shines, though, is in its durability. You drop a hard-drive based laptop on the ground, and there's a serious risk of the impact damaging the hard drive, which potentially makes it unusable. You drop an SSD on the ground, it stays perfectly intact. An SSD can endure extreme shock, altitude, and vibrations, much more than a hard drive. And it is more heat-resistant than a hard drive although you probably won't want heat to become a factor.

My ExpressCard slot only transmits at 2.5GB/s, so the SSD is (slightly) bottlenecked in my main laptop. But when I ran a virus scan on the SSD, it completed about 1.5 times as quickly as it did for my E drive (I partitioned the laptop hard drive and my E drive, for schoolwork, is about 18 GB, which is close enough to 16).

SSDs can also totally replace the laptop hard drive, though a 64 GB model retails for just under $1000.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/95/E-disk_2-5_scsi.jpg

Yep, that's a 2.5" SSD, meant for internal use.

Pros of an SSD:
- Lightweight
- Highly durable (main reason for buying it)
- Very fast read/write time thanks to no moving parts and therefore little latency.
- Perfectly silent

Cons of an SSD:
- Price. It costs around $15 USD per gig. However, I'm sure the price will eventually go down. After all, in the old days, we paid $100 or more for a 5-megabyte hard drive, and now the same amount of money gets us a 200GB-plus hard drive.
- Limited lifetime. Like a USB flash drive, it's limited to a certain number of "write cycles," and will wear out afterwards.

Verdict: If you have money and like tech, purchasing an SSD may be good for bragging rights. If not, stick with the hard drives. But if you have uber-important computer files that need durable storage, I highly recommend the purchase of an SSD.

[Bodzilla]

cool review.

[n00b1n8R]

I'll wate untill they become more viable on a cost/volume ratio, but I've been waiting for these since the first USB flash drives.

[Llama Juice]

almost all of buck's threads have something to do with "So I have a lot of money and here is a neat toy"

16 GB is not enough space for anything nowadays. I bought a 2 GB flashdrive for school thinking that'd be fine for transferring stuff just from my laptop to a PC at school, but then projects started getting into the 700 + MB range and it made me realize that I have to start copying things off of my flash drive to store elsewhere.

Anyhow, right now that toy of yours looks entirely useless in my eyes for the price it's at. It's not going to be able to copy stuff from your laptop to another device (atleast not very easily...) and so it ends up being just another 16GB added to your laptop's "overall" space.

PROTIP: For any of you kids out there who think you'll need something like this.... don't be silly. Buy a 500 GB portable HDD and just leave it at home. Plug it in when you wanna dump something onto it and leave it there.

All my old school projects will fit nicely onto my 500 GB HDD AND if I NEED to, I can bring it with me. I bought my HDD about a year and a half ago for $130 (american) It's a Western Digital and it runs great. Sure it's not as fast as a SSD drive, but I hardly ever really NEED to use it.

But... I guess if you have a lot of money that you really just don't want, and you have a spare express port that you wanna fill... then a SDD drive like that would be... neat.

[Bad Waffle]

Buckshot, I'm pretty sure if somebody wants to go research a solid state drive, they'll go to the (http://www.maximumpc.com/article/is_a_solid_state_drive_in_your_future) professionals (http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=134&Itemid=1). I really don't get the point of half your threads.

[Patrickssj6]

Buckshot, I'm pretty sure if somebody wants to go research a solid state drive, they'll go to the (http://www.maximumpc.com/article/is_a_solid_state_drive_in_your_future) professionals (http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=134&Itemid=1). I really don't get the point of half your threads.
Pro: It's a professional review
Contra: It's a professional review

I don't want to read through 5 pages about 1 single product. Buckshot summarizes the products for the average customer.Short and precise, without the bells and whistles. :)

[Bad Waffle]

if you're one of those types that buys something expensive without really looking at it, then thats your problem.

[SnaFuBAR]

It's another "bragging rights with daddy's money" threads.

[Patrickssj6]

if you're one of those types that buys something expensive without really looking at it, then thats your problem.
I don't.

http://benchmarkreviews.com/images/reviews/storage/OCZSSD64GB/OCZSSD64G_Specifications.jpg

But what do I care what the Shock Resistance/Vibration is or how much the MTBF is? 2.000.000hrs...could get tight in my schedule.



OCZSSD64GB Specifications


Read up to 58MB / sec

Write up to 35MB / sec

Slim 2.5" Design

100.2 x 70 x 9.5mm

Lightweight 77g

Low Power Consumption

Shock Resistant 1500G

High-Capacity 64GB

RAID Support

MTBF 2 million hours

1 year warranty
They forgot to mention the most important part...like Buckshot said...limited write cycles are possible. As a customer, that's one of the most things I would consider while buying.

And why would I care for the benchmarks if they aren't comparing them to any other products? It's not like I care if the writing speed if 54MB/s or 55MB/s...if it can write 18MB/s max on Vista anyway with an average computer.

I guess this is helpful...since it's based on personal opinion.

Ratings:


Presentation: 8.50

Appearance: 9.50

Construction: 9.75

Functionality: 8.25

Value: 6.25


Without Buckshot I wouldn't know that something like this existed tbh. So be thankful or don't post it all.

[Zeph]

It's another "bragging rights with daddy's money" threads.

my sentiments exactly. I'm still waiting for an expensive car review thread, tbqh.

[jcap]

You also forgot about data recovery from SSDs. :-/

Biggest downfall to them, IMO.

Also, it takes A LOT of effort to break hard drives that are out on the market today. You don't just drop it and suddenly it stops working. Drives today can survive drops in excess of 300 g when not in motion and 50 or 60 g when in use.

[InnerGoat]

:words:It's not aimed towards us. These SSDs are mainly for laptops in tough working conditions or ultraportables that use as little power as possible. You'd use an external drive when it's docked of course.

[Patrickssj6]

It's another "bragging rights with daddy's money" threads.
Uhm no not really. May I remind you who created this (http://www.modacity.net/forums/showthread.php?t=3657) thread?

He can only brag if we admire, so it's up to you anyway.

[SnaFuBAR]

Every thread he makes is about his possessions. I created that thread because I wanted everyone to share what they have and create and build and for everyone to share experiences. Don't try to be an asshole by comparing him and I, when the threads are in sharp contrast to each other.

[Zeph]

Uhm no not really. May I remind you who created this (http://www.modacity.net/forums/showthread.php?t=3657) thread?

I dont see how this thread and the 'post your pc' thread can really be compared. Everyone pretty much has a different setup. This is a "review".

[Zeph]

You also forgot about data recovery from SSDs. :-/

Biggest downfall to them, IMO.

This is why I wonder why he's storing precious data on them. If the brick dies, your data is permanently lost. At least on a typical hard drive, the data will still be there if the platters remain intact.

[Patrickssj6]

I dont see how this thread and the 'post your pc' thread can really be compared. Everyone pretty much has a different setup. This is a "review".
Well yeah I don't really want to argue but...

"this is my pc, this is my Wii, my laptop, my 360..."

I think that's a lot more bragging than his review. He created a lot of threads about this stuff? So let him...you guys also compare your guns, airsofts-gasrifles-and-whatnot's...

[Zeph]

:\
Post your <insert thing here> threads are quite prevalent on the internet.

[SnaFuBAR]

don't know if you noticed or not, but most of his topics are praising his country, his father's wealth and their status, and their possessions, and putting down people in lower classes. hardly anything like "comparisons" that you're bringing up. again, don't try to be an ass.

[legionaire45]

As per the original topic of the thread, for the price of an SSD you could buy two hard drives and keep one as a backup at home or just put them into a redundant raid array - 500GB desktop hard drives are cheap as chips now, and even if one dies you have another with a complete backup of everything on your first one.

Until I see 128GB+ SSDs for less then $100, I'm not considering it a viable option for reliability-intensive apps on the cheap. For the price they are selling these things for you can buy two larger drives and keep one for redunant storage.

[Phopojijo]

Buckshot, I'm pretty sure if somebody wants to go research a solid state drive, they'll go to the (http://www.maximumpc.com/article/is_a_solid_state_drive_in_your_future) professionals (http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=134&Itemid=1). I really don't get the point of half your threads.He's allowed to try to make his own reviews. It's in the right forum, it's on topic, it's not breaking any of the rules.

Will it be marketable or useful for the masses? ... Yea probably not. However, he's perfectly allowed to.

Besides, if everything goes like I understand it will {Disclaimer: Jcap, Ghost, and Polar Bear are the ones taking care of the blogs... so I only know the chatter going on between them in the moderator boards... which really isn't much :p} he might even be able to make a blog about it.

Which would be good. I mean, who knows... the blog might get recognized elsewhere.

That's how things start after all...

***

As for the drives themselves... yea -- I don't trust 'em. HDDs are unstable, true -- but SSDs write-limits get me nervous, especially under the stresses of modern operating systems and their tendency to cache and precache. As a secondary drive for applications? Sure... but a lot of people want to put it as their main drive for the performance... but I'm wondering exactly how long it'll take for Windows to eat it alive.

[Mr Buckshot]

All right, I want to clear things up.

This thread was not about bragging rights or anything. It was intended to show something cool to anyone who didn't already know about this technology, and to provide a first-hand account for any skeptics.

[Phopojijo]

And I'm just saying that if you make it a little cleaner and more professional, you could actually make a pretty decent blog about it here.

[Bad Waffle]

Well yeah I don't really want to argue but...

"this is my pc, this is my Wii, my laptop, my 360..."

I think that's a lot more bragging than his review. He created a lot of threads about this stuff? So let him...you guys also compare your guns, airsofts-gasrifles-and-whatnot's...

the "this is my pc, this is my Wii, my laptop, my 360..." doesnt apply, because people dont post pics of their 360, laptop, wii, pc, unless they do something CREATIVE with it. It's human nature to say, 'look at what i did', and thats why we have 'post your...' topics. You're missing the fundamental aspect of the topics.


He's allowed to try to make his own reviews. It's in the right forum, it's on topic, it's not breaking any of the rules.

Will it be marketable or useful for the masses? ... Yea probably not. However, he's perfectly allowed to.

Besides, if everything goes like I understand it will {Disclaimer: Jcap, Ghost, and Polar Bear are the ones taking care of the blogs... so I only know the chatter going on between them in the moderator boards... which really isn't much :p} he might even be able to make a blog about it.

Which would be good. I mean, who knows... the blog might get recognized elsewhere.

That's how things start after all...


Something isn't against the rules when i disagree with it, i don't know why you think i was insinuating he was breaking rules. I'm perfectly allowed to state my opinion (of course, as long as its not too aggressive), so i don't really know why you're being defensive about it. Which brings me to what i was going to say, as soon as blogs are finalized, maybe we wont have to see a 'blog' in a 'topic' atmosphere.

[Kalub]

Describe limited write cycles for me.


don't know if you noticed or not, but most of his topics are praising his country, his father's wealth and their status, and their possessions, and putting down people in lower classes. hardly anything like "comparisons" that you're bringing up. again, don't try to be an ass.

[legionaire45]

All forms of flash memory have a limited number of times that each byte or whatever on the drive can be written to, and after a while these bytes die. Usually for most SSDs it's somewhere in the range of 100,000-150,000 write cycles IIRC, which sounds like a lot but isn't. However, most SSD manufacturers have done something smart - they even out the usage of each memory cell so that instead of writing to a single cell over and over again while some are left untouched, each cell gets used the same amount. This makes SSDs last a lot longer then many people think.

However, my other points still stand. At this point SSDs are a novelty item and if you really want insane speed for an insane price go buy the Western Digital VelociRaptor (http://www.techpowerup.com/58358/Western_Digital_Launches_VelociRaptor_300GB_-_The_World_s_Fastest_SATA_Hard_Drive.html) - 300GB 10,000RPM SATA II drive that uses a 2.5" form factor (with a large heat sink that makes it 3.5" - it's that fast, it needs a heat sink xD). This drive actually OUTPERFORMS SSDs in some tests and is incredibly cheaper per GB when compared to most SSD offerings.

[Phopojijo]

However, my other points still stand. At this point SSDs are a novelty item and if you really want insane speed for an insane price go buy the Western Digital VelociRaptor (http://www.techpowerup.com/58358/Western_Digital_Launches_VelociRaptor_300GB_-_The_World_s_Fastest_SATA_Hard_Drive.html) - 300GB 10,000RPM SATA II drive that uses a 2.5" form factor (with a large heat sink that makes it 3.5" - it's that fast, it needs a heat sink xD). This drive actually OUTPERFORMS SSDs in some tests and is incredibly cheaper per GB when compared to most SSD offerings.
Yes, but can it be put in a paint shaker? (http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=EJeOUQsfqAM&feature=related) :p (Cue Will it Blend music)

[Kalub]

Ah, thanks for clearing that up.

But, Ive been using this lame 128 mb flashdrive since '04 almost everyday transferring atleast 20mg of data off and on and its still kicking. Just gonna assume that if you only use the SSD drive for school work it should last for a long time.

[Warsaw]

Ah, thanks for clearing that up.

But, Ive been using this lame 128 mb flashdrive since '04 almost everyday transferring atleast 20mg of data off and on and its still kicking. Just gonna assume that if you only use the SSD drive for school work it should last for a long time.

20mg is a lot of weight for something that is massless..:XD:.

In all seriousness, I too would not consider a solid state drive drive for my purposes, because of the cost to performance/space ratio. I also will not be doing any extreme g-force maneuvers at any point in the near future.

[legionaire45]

20mg is a lot of weight for something that is massless..:XD:.

In all seriousness, I too would not consider a solid state drive drive for my purposes, because of the cost to performance/space ratio. I also will not be doing any extreme g-force maneuvers at any point in the near future.
Bullshit dude, I pull 100G turns every fucking day :D. I need that SSD.

[Mr Buckshot]

Documents stored on my SSD are mostly high-res scans of immigration documents, the whole family's Maple Cards, and visas allowing my sister to study at Harvard (the real documents are stored inside a bulletproof, fireproof safe with a primary combination-lock door and a secondary key-lock door). Not to mention documents regarding my departure of the United States and so on. Plus there's all my IB diploma work, including my CAS activity log.

Yeah, SSDs, like any brand-new tech, are a novelty item. The term could be applied to a host of just-arrived items such as multi-gigapixel cameras, 10-megapixel camera phones, Holographic versatile disks, and more.

I forgot to add another benefit: For laptops, 2.5" SSDs have the significant advantage of being lighter and consuming less power. For someone like me, a full-size SSD in a laptop isn't necessary, but trekkers who bring those rugged laptops may have a use. And the military will definitely use these a lot.

Cool fact: The military has been using SSD's since the mid-90's.

[Bodzilla]

Documents stored on my SSD are mostly high-res scans of immigration documents, the whole family's Maple Cards, and visas allowing my sister to study at Harvard (the real documents are stored inside a bulletproof, fireproof safe with a primary combination-lock door and a secondary key-lock door). Not to mention documents regarding my departure of the United States and so on. Plus there's all my IB diploma work, including my CAS activity log.

Yeah, SSDs, like any brand-new tech, are a novelty item. The term could be applied to a host of just-arrived items such as multi-gigapixel cameras, 10-megapixel camera phones, Holographic versatile disks, and more.

I forgot to add another benefit: For laptops, 2.5" SSDs have the significant advantage of being lighter and consuming less power. For someone like me, a full-size SSD in a laptop isn't necessary, but trekkers who bring those rugged laptops may have a use. And the military will definitely use these a lot.

Cool fact: The military has been using SSD's since the mid-90's.
And that is why rather then come in, jump the gun and bash him for this topic (as i've done with most of his other topics) i let him speak his mind.

Credit given where credit is due. And Cudos for having the balls to not Bite back at the flames you got here.

[Reaper Man]

I needed a tough, durable, fast-reading storage device to store very, very precious data
<_< There's these amazing things called DVDs, you can burn them and them keep them someplace safe.

I use them for backing up my photos, nice as a SSD is, the price just repels me, plus, with DVDs there's an exponential amount of space, as when you run out of space, you buy more, cheaply. Run out of space on an SSD, and oshit, now what? Do you invest another large amount of money for another drive? This is the same reason why I don't use an external HDD to backup my files either. (I also make sure that I buy DVDs with good quality dyes on them so that I don't have to worry about them degrading)

[Mr Buckshot]

Cudos for having the balls to not Bite back at the flames you got here.

I've been on this forum a long time, and I know the consequences of smart-aleck comebacks (just look at people like TLSHunter), so I choose not to respond to flames, even if they were received in error. Thanks.

The trouble with DVDs is that they are easily scratched. I've only used DVDs to burn movie recordings from my DVR, and to backup childhood photos and videos (my childhood film-based photos and tape-based videos will not physically last).

[p0lar_bear]

As jcap said, you forgot the major contra to SSD's, and that's data recovery; there is none. If the drive shits the bed, everything on there is gone forever.

I'm not sure though, how long the average SSD lasts, and/or how often they break. At any rate, keep a backup of the contents of that drive on a normal drive, just in case.

[Mr Buckshot]

Polar has a good point. Most SSDs incorporate internal batteries and backup systems to keep the data persistent. It can't compare to the means used by hard drives, but technology improves.

I don't know whether or not SSDs will replace hard drives, but I do know that in the future, hard drives will become dinosaurs.

Yeah, I have the stuff on a 2.5" external hard drive too. Immigration and emigration documents are among the most precious paperwork my family possesses. If anything is lost, it could seriously screw around with citizenship applications. I remember getting my Green-card application rejected (in the U.S.; part of the reason for hot-footing it out of Silicon Valley) due to some missing info or something - it'll never happen again.

[Bad Waffle]

Plus there's all my IB diploma work, including my CAS activity log.



holy shit, you keep your CAS sheet in a safe? mines lost somewhere in my room. Oh well, IB's not worth my time anyways, the colleges im interested in give less a shit about IB than anything.

[Mr Buckshot]

Yeah, all important immigration and IB documents are stored in very, very strong safes (we have two). Those safes are so strong that if the whole house were blown apart, the safes would survive without a scratch. You could fire a whole clip of AK-47 ammo at it and it would only show a few dings. Of course, they're also a heavy bitch to carry, but that's security.

What colleges are you going to that wouldn't give IB students a priority? I am taking a couple AP exams for fun, but my IB diploma is ultimately what counts. I even have my Math HL portfolio in the safe :O, with a scanned version in the SSD of course.

[legionaire45]

To defend SSDs here for a moment: Yes, with hard drives you can potentially salvage the data from the platters, but to be honest it costs so much money that it makes the initial savings from buying that hard drive worthless anyway. To be honest the best defense against data loss, whether you are using an HDD or an SSD is to simply have a redundant backup of some form. Drives fail no matter what their construction is. Hence why I prefer HDDs - they are cheaper :D.

[Bodzilla]

needs moar Raid 10