It is the re-entry of the SSD price

Back on a point on the price of SSD, upon re-entry. In our new point on the SSD prices, we have changed our panel products. We decided to restrict the products to a single capacity: 120 GB (or 128 GB according to the marks). The reason is simple: it is sufficient capacity for many people and the average price is correct. This type of DSS is perfect for a mid-range machine. 256 GB models and more are still too expensive for the majority of buyers and the 64 GB SSD and less limited the interest of the technology allowing to install the OS and a few programs. In addition, they distort the comparison with a prices go higher because of the incompressible costs (controller, etc.).

Our comparison is therefore restricted to six models: the C400 of Crucial, Vertex 3 ofOCZ Vertex 2 and Intel 320 and 510. These are five models well distributed, representative of their generations. Other manufacturers offer "clones" of these DSS, as Corsair, G.Skill, Kingston (recently), etc. but prices are sufficiently close that it is no problem. Other manufacturers, such as Samsung, offer balanced products that can be interesting if found at a good price. The Korean brand should quickly propose an SSD SATA 6 GB/s, which was announced recently.

Our six SSD offer a capacity of 120 GB about and use either 34 nm - some Vertex 2, Intel 510 - memory or memory in 25 nm - Vertex 3, Intel 320, C400 and some Vertex 2-. Preferred builders interface is obviously SATA 6 GB/s, to exceed the limit of 300 MB / s. Attention, to benefit fully from this interface, a motherboard that handles the standard "natively" - directly in the chipset - is necessary, external controllers often limited by the bus PCI-Express less than 500 MB / s.

If you have a machine in SATA II (3 GB/s), based on SandForce 1 K models are adapted, in other cases we recommend Crucial M4, a very balanced and sold SSD at a correct price. There is also the moment a good case: the Vertex more. This model is a classic (in Indilinx Barefoot) Vertex with a new firmware (a little) more efficient. But it mostly has an advantage: a fairly low price, approximately €120 for the 120 GB version. For a machine in SATA 3 GB/s, it is a good choice, unlike practice having little noticeable between very high and this models Vertex more.

Note, for lovers of ultraportables, mSATA models are beginning to arrive, even if prices remain high a nothing: it exceeds the price of the 3 Vertex closest performance of Vertex 2 of the 3 version.