Kingston SSDNow V-series - review

Cams · Post by **Cams** » Thu Aug 13, 2009 6:38 am

Having just bought one of these, I am now in a quandary about whether to return it or not. I just found a recent review (posted two days before I write this) which suggests that they are half-decent drives and the best value out there at the moment.

tweaktown.com

I just wondered if any SPCRers had this drive and could comment, or indeed whether any SPCRers did NOT have this drive and would still care to comment!

Here is an excerpt from the conclusion of the article:

When it really comes down to it the drive is running at half the speed of drives costing three to four times as much. For the average consumer who does not need the cutting edge and is looking for the best bang for the buck, this is a product that deserves your attention.

Sounds like I'm the right sort of consumer for this drive. I'd use it for OS and apps, no data storage and I'm not a gamer or enthusiast.

rpsgc · Post by **rpsgc** » Thu Aug 13, 2009 11:03 am

I think the G.skill Falcon for a bit more would've been a better choice. I don't know the prices in the UK though. Over here it's a 30 â‚¬ difference, which I'd gladly pay. No nasty Jmicron controller.

But if you're happy with it...

jessekopelman · Post by **jessekopelman** » Thu Aug 13, 2009 1:49 pm

Look at the second graph on this page (the Maximum one). Notice how the SSDNow V is the only SSD to have a worse write score than the conventional HDD. Notice that it is also worse by a huge margin! This is what makes makes me dubious about this drive. Yes, the better SSD cost nearly double what the Kingston does, but the Knigston costs a hell of a lot more than most conventional HDD. If you are going to pay a premium for SSD performance, you might as well get one that actually outperforms conventional HDD. If the price for that is too steep, wait a bit. New models are coming fast and furious and prices will fall rapidly.

rpsgc · Post by **rpsgc** » Thu Aug 13, 2009 1:51 pm

jessekopelman wrote:Look at the second graph on this page (the Maximum one). Notice how the SSDNow V is the only SSD to have a worse write score than the conventional HDD. Notice that it is also worse by a huge margin! This is what makes makes me dubious about this drive. Yes, the better SSD cost nearly double what the Kingston does, but the Knigston costs a hell of a lot more than most conventional HDD. If you are going to pay a premium for SSD performance, you might as well get one that actually outperforms conventional HDD. If the price for that is too steep, wait a bit. New models are coming fast and furious and prices will fall rapidly.

It's has a JMicron, what did you expect?

jessekopelman · Post by **jessekopelman** » Fri Aug 14, 2009 12:32 pm

rpsgc wrote: It's has a JMicron, what did you expect?

It's not about what I expected . . . Lots of reviews are saying this revised JMicron is good enough to not stutter and don't include serious random write tests. Lots of people still don't know what's important in terms of metrics or even how the different drives stack up against one another and conventional HDD. I expect most people to be confused. The number of people who read Anandtech and other serious sites on a regular basis is relatively very very small. Two years from now, there will be much less of an excuse for ignorance, but I'm sure plenty of people will still be confused.

Googer · Post by **Googer** » Fri Aug 14, 2009 5:18 pm

I personally made the SSD leap today when I snatched a 64 GB Super Talent UltraDrive ME / GX (their Indilinx-based MLC SSD line that now supports Win 7 TRIM with the latest firmware update released a couple days ago) for $135 shipped with $27 (20%) cashback through Bing from superbiiz. It shipped already too, so now I just need to wait for the painfully slow haul of cross-country UPS Ground service.

So, there's really no need to have to worry about stuttering issues while getting an SSD on-the-cheap anymore.

jessekopelman · Post by **jessekopelman** » Sat Aug 15, 2009 12:54 pm

Googer wrote:So, there's really no need to have to worry about stuttering issues while getting an SSD on-the-cheap anymore.

Not being nice to our European (and elsewhere) friends who don't have access to such pricing, are we . . ?

Googer · Post by **Googer** » Sat Aug 15, 2009 12:57 pm

I'd imagine they will before long as newer generations of drives are rolled out worldwide.

Cams · Post by **Cams** » Sat Aug 15, 2009 1:52 pm

I sent it back and will carry on with my Raptor for the next few months, innit?