Solid State Drive Reliability

M

mischa88

New Member
Hello!

I have just joined these forums as I would like to build a computer. The sticky thread for building computers is great!

I have been reading about SSD drives and am drawn to them as I can use my external drive for media I don't use often.

So, how reliable are they? If you leave your PC on all day (sleep mode when you're away) would they last as long as HDDs? I've read that some people think they won't last as long, but I thought I should ask on a site with people with good knowledge of hardware.

:good:
 
I don't have any experience with them but I'd imagine that they would last a very long time due to not having any moving parts. Personally the 7200 rpm drives are fine for me right now but hopefully an ssd drive of 500gb or less will be much more affordable in the next few years.
 
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The reliability factor regarding solid state drives isn't the number of hours that it is powered up or the number of read cycles, it's the number of write cycles that are limited. No one really knows how long an SSD will last. The SLC, (single layer cell), SSDs are currently much more expensive than the MLC, (multi layer cell), SSDs, but SLC drives will withstand many more write cycles before failure. The MLC SSDs are becoming affordable, (debatable), but will sustain fewer write cycles. MTBF, (mean time between failure), specifications really mean nothing with SSDs and currently the average warranty for an SSD is only 2 years. I think best guess right now is about 10 years with normal and wear leveling firmware.

http://www.guru3d.com/article/corsair-x128-ssd-review-test/3

http://www.storagesearch.com/ssdmyths-endurance.html
 
What about defragmenting?

jevery said:
The reliability factor regarding solid state drives isn't the number of hours that it is powered up or the number of read cycles, it's the number of write cycles that are limited. No one really knows how long an SSD will last. The SLC, (single layer cell), SSDs are currently much more expensive than the MLC, (multi layer cell), SSDs, but SLC drives will withstand many more write cycles before failure. The MLC SSDs are becoming affordable, (debatable), but will sustain fewer write cycles. MTBF, (mean time between failure), specifications really mean nothing with SSDs and currently the average warranty for an SSD is only 2 years. I think best guess right now is about 10 years with normal and wear leveling firmware.

http://www.guru3d.com/article/corsair-x128-ssd-review-test/3

http://www.storagesearch.com/ssdmyths-endurance.html
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Thank you! I read the articles and will definitely be going for SLC. Coursework is kept on my laptop, so important stuff will be safe anyway.

I read a similar question on Yahoo Answers and someone said not to de-fragment a SSD. Is this to do with using up read/writes? If so, wouldn't it get slower and slower if you don't de-fragment?
 
SLCs are much more expensive than MLC. I would have loved to bought the SLC, but couldn't even come close to being able to justify the cost. It was tough enough to justify $300 for an 80 GB SLC drive. Defrag is pointless because there is no head to move to locate the scattered sectors of a fragmented file. Access times are instantaneous.
 
Brand Suggestion

jevery said:
SLCs are much more expensive than MLC. I would have loved to bought the SLC, but couldn't even come close to being able to justify the cost. It was tough enough to justify $300 for an 80 GB SLC drive. Defrag is pointless because there is no head to move to locate the scattered sectors of a fragmented file. Access times are instantaneous.
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Okay, thank you! Well, at the moment, I've only used about 20GB of space on my HDD, so will probably aim for about 80 GBs as I want to make a really fast computer, so might as well try a couple of games on it :D.

I have heard that Intel make SSD drives and assume they would be a good brand? If not, do you know which ones would be good? Please bare in mind that I'm from UK.

Edit:

Never mind, will be going for MLC, by the time it needs replacing, SSDs will probably have better value for money.
 
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Intel SSDs are well regarded as fast and dependable. I have the 80GB X-25M. I see their currently $75 dollars less than what I paid a few months ago. :( Oh well. I'd recommend at least an 80 GB for your OS and primary applications and then a regular HD for storage. SSD performance starts to decrease when the drive starts nearing full capacity and the little free space that's left receives more write cycles, so most feel it's best to chose a capacity that allows at least 30-40% free space. I currently have 46 GB of my 74 GB drive filled with all my regular apps and have a 250 GB Barracuda for storage. I originally had my eye on the Corsair 128 GB, but the read times were quite a bit less than the Intel. Hmm, :( I see their nearly equal now, and the Corsair has faster write times. Oh well. The SSD technology and market changes very fast so it pays to do research before buying. My advice - research, read magazine and internet reviews, pay attention to what people seem to be buying and the reviews at Newegg, and get at least 80 GB or larger so that you can maintain plenty of free space on the drive. Good Luck. :)
 
jevery said:
Intel SSDs are well regarded as fast and dependable. I have the 80GB X-25M. I see their currently $75 dollars less than what I paid a few months ago. :( Oh well. I'd recommend at least an 80 GB for your OS and primary applications and then a regular HD for storage. SSD performance starts to decrease when the drive starts nearing full capacity and the little free space that's left receives more write cycles, so most feel it's best to chose a capacity that allows at least 30-40% free space. I currently have 46 GB of my 74 GB drive filled with all my regular apps and have a 250 GB Barracuda for storage. I originally had my eye on the Corsair 128 GB, but the read times were quite a bit less than the Intel. Hmm, :( I see their nearly equal now, and the Corsair has faster write times. Oh well. The SSD technology and market changes very fast so it pays to do research before buying. My advice - research, read magazine and internet reviews, pay attention to what people seem to be buying and the reviews at Newegg, and get at least 80 GB or larger so that you can maintain plenty of free space on the drive. Good Luck. :)
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Thank you, this is really good advice. I wasn't aware of different read/write speeds for SSDs and will do some research into them tonight. I don't think that you could go wrong with Intel, but will compare against Corsair, as I have seen Corsair recommended a few times for hardware in other threads.
 
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