My Alienware M11x came in this week and today's payday so I'm getting some upgrades for it. Windows 7 Professional OEM (so it plays nicely with the computers at work), 8 GB RAM, and an SSD!
I've never used a modern SSD before. I'm looking at the 180 GB models because this will be the only drive in the laptop. My loadset shouldn't be much more than 70 - 80 GB but I want plenty of breathing room. My budget is around $380 for the SSD. The two reasons I want an SSD are performance (duh!) and reliability. I want a drive that can't be damaged if the laptop gets dropped or bumped.
Typical usage will include occasional gaming (Minecraft, Age of Empires II, Demigod, Supreme Commander, Sins of a Solar Empire) and software and database development (Visual Studio, SQL Server, IIS). Minecraft and Visual Studio will hit the 4K random read/write usage pattern often so longevity is one of my concerns.
Here are the two drives I'm considering. Both have Sandforce controllers and are pretty much identical.
Corsair Force F180 - $374.99
No reviews on NewEgg. 3 year limited parts and labor warranty, MTBF is listed as 1,000,000 hours.
OCZ Vertex 2 180 GB - $379.99
Only a few reviews on NewEgg, the reviews seem to indicate a high DOA and failure rate. 3 years limited parts and labor warranty, but MTBF is listed as 2,000,000 hours.
I'm leaning towards the Vertex 2 because the MTBF is double, but some of the reviews worry me. However the Corsair model has no reviews. Should I be concerned? Also, are there any other models $380 or less I should consider? Again, my main concern is reliability and longevity.
I've never used a modern SSD before. I'm looking at the 180 GB models because this will be the only drive in the laptop. My loadset shouldn't be much more than 70 - 80 GB but I want plenty of breathing room. My budget is around $380 for the SSD. The two reasons I want an SSD are performance (duh!) and reliability. I want a drive that can't be damaged if the laptop gets dropped or bumped.
Typical usage will include occasional gaming (Minecraft, Age of Empires II, Demigod, Supreme Commander, Sins of a Solar Empire) and software and database development (Visual Studio, SQL Server, IIS). Minecraft and Visual Studio will hit the 4K random read/write usage pattern often so longevity is one of my concerns.
Here are the two drives I'm considering. Both have Sandforce controllers and are pretty much identical.
Corsair Force F180 - $374.99
No reviews on NewEgg. 3 year limited parts and labor warranty, MTBF is listed as 1,000,000 hours.
OCZ Vertex 2 180 GB - $379.99
Only a few reviews on NewEgg, the reviews seem to indicate a high DOA and failure rate. 3 years limited parts and labor warranty, but MTBF is listed as 2,000,000 hours.
I'm leaning towards the Vertex 2 because the MTBF is double, but some of the reviews worry me. However the Corsair model has no reviews. Should I be concerned? Also, are there any other models $380 or less I should consider? Again, my main concern is reliability and longevity.
Too much RAM? Pfft...
(16 items) |
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Too much RAM? Pfft...
(16 items) |
