OCZ Vertex 60GB vs OCZ Vertex 2 40GB or wait...?

ilovejedd · Post by **ilovejedd** » Fri Aug 20, 2010 10:06 am

I'm trying to wait patiently for Intel to release their 25nm SSD's but with the recent deals I'm seeing on SSD's, I'm getting more and more tempted to pull the trigger.

I can get the OCZ Vertex 60GB for $129 and the OCZ Vertex 2 40GB for $139. My question is, how much better is the Vertex 2? 40GB is feeling a bit small considering I plan on using the drive for both OS and applications (basically Windows 7, Office 2010, Firefox & SCII). A bare Windows install, I think uses around 10-20GB. SCII is ~12GB and that's not even including subsequent patches and expansions. Although I guess I could live with just Win7+SC2 on the SSD and the rest of the apps on a 3.5" 1TB drive.

How much better is the Vertex 2 (Sandforce?) compared to the original Vertex (Indilinx)? The upcoming Intel X25-V 80GB seems like it would be perfect for me assuming it falls in the $100~150 price bracket. Alas the wait just seems so long.

The current X25-M 80GB G2 isn't a bad deal, too. Alas, I'm going to need around 3 of these drives (maybe more) so the extra $50~70 can quickly add up.

Post by **CA_Steve** » Fri Aug 20, 2010 10:37 am

Your apps are a light load to the SSD. I'm not sure you would notice the difference. You can compare models at Anandtech's SSD Bench. Note your 60GB and 40GB versions will be slower than the ones benchmarked as they have less memory controller channels....but, it will give you an idea of the relative performance. The big performance bump is from moving from an HDD to any SSD with a decent controller.

ilovejedd · Post by **ilovejedd** » Fri Aug 20, 2010 11:05 am

What I'm really trying to eliminate is load times for SC2. Right now, I'm using a Seagate Momentus 7200.4 500GB. Apparently, I hate having to wait for levels to load which is what "hastened" my move to SSD.

I kinda want to wait for the Intel G3's and subsequent price drops but that's at least 2 months away...

*ugh* This is the issue with tech. There's always something new just around the corner and prices tend to have steep drops. It's hard to determine when's a good time to upgrade unless your hardware croaks.

Post by **CA_Steve** » Fri Aug 20, 2010 1:01 pm

Game load times are where SSD's excel. The Vertex should cut your time in half; the Vertex 2 a little more..is my guess. Assuming there isn't another bottleneck, like the video card (classic example: Start WoW. Login with a toon in Dalaran. See how long it takes to populate your surroundings/let you interact.)

mkk · Post by **mkk** » Fri Aug 20, 2010 1:59 pm

I was set on waiting but when I saw a couple of reviews of some smaller Sandforce-1200 drives like the Corsair Force F40 I felt I might as well get me a relatively affordable one right now. Checking up on local prices made me get the 60GB(56) F60 model instead beause of a minute difference in price. I'm glad I did because the extra space makes life much easier under Win7. Not using half the space yet after three days. As reviews suggest these smallish drives are not losing as much of their real world performance as lets say the cheapest Intel one due to size. Corsair doesn't seem to be releasing updated firmwares though, if this mature drive will ever have much need for one.

F40 test on KitGuru
F40 test on StorageReview

A quick test of my own loading a mission in Call of Duty 4 netted a pretty precisely halved load times compared to a Samsung F3 1TB. I might want another SSD for gaming sooner than I had expected.

Eunos · Post by **Eunos** » Fri Aug 20, 2010 10:39 pm

Though an excellent drive in its day, I would not recommend the Vertex as it is neither a performance king nor a value star. Its reliability has been criticised.

For performance, the 40 or 60 GB Sandforce drives make sense, or Intel's G2 drives represent good value and all-round functionality.

No amount of speculation here can accurately predict the reliability, performance or pricing of the forthcoming G3 drives, which is why I would not necessarily recommend buying one until well into next year when they are a known quantity.

ilovejedd · Post by **ilovejedd** » Sat Aug 21, 2010 11:16 am

Thanks for the feedback. I won't necessarily get the Intel G3 when it's released. I'll be reading the reviews and will decide based on those. A concern of mine is the release of Intel's 25nm SSD's might trigger price drops across the board. Right now, a SandForce 60GB SSD costs around $160~170. If the Intel X25-M G3 160GB retails for $200, that same $160~170 now might net a 120GB SSD in 3 months time.

Looking at the reliability of the Indilinx OCZ Vertex and upon further consideration of my drive usage, I think I'll hold off on purchasing an SSD for a while. I'll be buying SSD's en masse and the value proposition of current offerings just isn't that attractive.

atmartens · Post by **atmartens** » Sat Aug 21, 2010 7:11 pm

Always put off your purchases until you really need them. That's the simplest way, in my opinion, of avoiding the trap of always waiting for the next revision.

ilovejedd · Post by **ilovejedd** » Sun Aug 22, 2010 4:20 pm

If I waited for that, I'd never buy SSD's until all my hard drives have failed or I build a new PC.

Anyway, I think I'll wait until SSD's drop to ~$1.75/GB. 60GB is just cutting it too close for the things I want it to store (os+programs+games).

atmartens · Post by **atmartens** » Sun Aug 22, 2010 6:23 pm

ilovejedd wrote:If I waited for that, I'd never buy SSD's until all my hard drives have failed or I build a new PC. Anyway, I think I'll wait until SSD's drop to ~$1.75/GB. 60GB is just cutting it too close for the things I want it to store (os+programs+games).

Then that's how long you should wait. To put it another way, why should you spend money on something you don't need?