elsongs
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Best SSDs?
I'm prepping my computer, built in 2012, for an upgrade so it can run Win 10 and Sonar Platinum. It currently has a 128GB Samsung SSD, which has served me well, and was the best SSD to get at the time for the money, but is too small for my needs now. What's the best SSD at the moment I should be looking into?
Elson Trinidad Los Angeles, CA, USA Web: www.elsongs.com Twitter: twitter.com/elsongs DAWs: Cakewalk by Bandlab, Cakewalk Sonar Platinum x64, Propellerhead Reason 9, Presonus Studio One v3 OS: Windows 10 Professional CPU: Intel i7 3820 3.6MHz MB: ASRock X79 Xtreme4 RAM: Corsair Vengeance 16GB DDR3 Audio: Focusrite Scarlett 18i20 2nd Generation MIDI: MOTU Microlite & Novation Impulse 61
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Mesh
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Re: Best SSDs?
2016/07/13 09:09:40
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☄ Helpfulby BobF 2016/07/13 09:53:56
I think Samsung has been a winner for sometime now, especially the EVO range and should serve you very well. My next upgrade will also be a larger OS SSD drive and planning on getting one of these. Some more info on best SSD's: http://www.anandtech.com/show/9799/best-ssds
Platinum Gaming DAW: AsRock Z77 Overclock FormulaI7 3770k @ 4.5GHz : 16GB RAM G.Skill Ripjaws X 250GB OS SSD : 3TB HDD : 1TB Sample HDDWin 10 Pro x 64 : NH-D14 CPU Cooler HIS IceQ 2GB HD 7870Focusrite Scarlett 2i4The_Forum_Monkeys
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JonD
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Re: Best SSDs?
2016/07/13 11:18:48
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Yep, the Samsungs seem to be more popular than the others by a wide margin (At least, going by their mention on audio forums).
Aside from the size, the other important consideration is whether to go EVO or PRO. I chose to go PRO for my O.S. drive, for a bit more robustness and the longer warranty (10 vs 5 years). I use an EVO to house my most-used Kontakt libraries.
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denverdrummer
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Re: Best SSDs?
2016/07/13 12:26:52
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Not all SSD is the same. The two main types in the consumer market are MLC and SLC (Multi Level Cell vs Single Level Cell). MLC tends to be less expensive per GB, but it is not as stable as SLC.
The EVO's are a great product, but are MLC. SLC's are usually out of most people's budget, but I'd just say becareful if you are recording to a MLC SSD, you will want to back it up regularly.
Just know that MLC wears out over time, and you will see reduced write speeds and/or data loss.
Again, nothing wrong with MLC, it's what I have, but I only use it for OS/Applications. I use a good old 7200rpm to record to, it works fine and is plenty fast for recording. YOU can certainly record to a MLC, just have a backup solution in place and do it regularly.
Also agree that the Samsungs are a great product for the price.
Good luck!
Win 10 Pro 64 bit, Dell Inspiron 15, core i7, 16GB RAM, Focusrite Scarlett 18i20, Mackie MR5 Mark 1 speakers
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Beagle
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Re: Best SSDs?
2016/07/14 15:42:12
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but even with MLC wearing out quicker than SLC they still have a lifespan that's much greater than any disk and platter.
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robert_e_bone
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Re: Best SSDs?
2016/07/14 18:50:16
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I concur with Beagle on this issue. I read multiple articles over the past few months, and the conclusions reached is that there is no particular advantage in spending more money for a high-end SSD versus a more reasonably-priced one.
The more expensive ones did not end up with any significantly longer lifespan (MTBF) than the less expensive ones.
I had an $800 500 GB SSD fail within a few months, back when those first came out - 2011 or 2012, but the manufacturing quality across the industry vastly improved since then, and nowadays I routinely pick for price when buying and installing any new SSD's.
Even these cheaper ones last a long long time, and I myself am completely comfortable spending less money. I take regular backups in any case, so I don't see an issue of exposure to any potential loss of data.
Bob Bone
Wisdom is a giant accumulation of "DOH!" Sonar: Platinum (x64), X3 (x64) Audio Interfaces: AudioBox 1818VSL, Steinberg UR-22 Computers: 1) i7-2600 k, 32 GB RAM, Windows 8.1 Pro x64 & 2) AMD A-10 7850 32 GB RAM Windows 10 Pro x64 Soft Synths: NI Komplete 8 Ultimate, Arturia V Collection, many others MIDI Controllers: M-Audio Axiom Pro 61, Keystation 88es Settings: 24-Bit, Sample Rate 48k, ASIO Buffer Size 128, Total Round Trip Latency 9.7 ms
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SuperG
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Re: Best SSDs?
2016/07/14 20:19:05
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robert_e_bone
I concur with Beagle on this issue. I read multiple articles over the past few months, and the conclusions reached is that there is no particular advantage in spending more money for a high-end SSD versus a more reasonably-priced one.
I agree. These are consumer drives, and are no more likely to fail than the equivalent mechanical HD, with normal usage. Like all drives though, you should be backing it up. The PNY 960Gb I just bought is full-speed SATA III 6.0Gb model, comes with a three year warranty, it's from a known vendor. They go for $249, but you might be able to catch them on sale.
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denverdrummer
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Re: Best SSDs?
2016/07/15 12:35:36
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In my day job I'm an engineer for a storage company. I didn't mean to say spend more money on higher priced SSD's. The biggest failing point for mechanical drives is in laptops where they are dropped, which throws usage statistics off for longevity. I test on server farms where we are writing constant I/O streams far more than even a power user would perform, even higher than most Enterprise data base systems would write. We have mechanical drives that have been used well more than 5 years. Enterprise storage systems like EMC, IBM, Hitachi are nearly all mechanical. They are slowly introducing SSD as enterprise solutions and even some of that is MLC depending on how it's used.
Again nothing against SSD's they are the future, and I love them and use them. I think how you use them to get the most out of them.
SSD's do fail and it's not about longevity it's that they fail differently than mechanical drives. When an SSD fails your data is likely gone for good. On a mechanical drive the data is usually recoverable. Where mechanical drives biggest failure point is someone dropping something, a SSD is more likely to be damaged via power spikes, overheating, etc.
Segate's hybrid SSHD is a great technology is combines the best of both and is great for data. You can get the read write speed because the cache on the drive is a large SSD, usually 8 - 32GB NAND. It also has an onboard database to store recently used files on the SSD as a copy, so you work with the files as an SSD and it transfers it back to the HDD. The files are on the spindle and your data will usually be recoverable. Plus the price advantage for SSD is unbeatable.
For an OS drive MLC is a no brainer, price for performance. I would not recommend MLC SSD for long term data storage, unless you are backing up to mechanical or cloud.
Win 10 Pro 64 bit, Dell Inspiron 15, core i7, 16GB RAM, Focusrite Scarlett 18i20, Mackie MR5 Mark 1 speakers
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ampfixer
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Re: Best SSDs?
2016/07/15 13:38:18
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I use Intel SSD's and so far they have been great. I do a weekly backup to a spinner just to be safe. I'll never go back to spinners for my drives, SSD all the way.
Regards, John I want to make it clear that I am an Eedjit. I have no direct, or indirect, knowledge of business, the music industry, forum threads or the meaning of life. I know about amps. WIN 10 Pro X64, I7-3770k 16 gigs, ASUS Z77 pro, AMD 7950 3 gig, Steinberg UR44, A-Pro 500, Sonar Platinum, KRK Rokit 6
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SuperG
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Re: Best SSDs?
2016/07/15 18:17:11
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denverdrummer
For an OS drive MLC is a no brainer, price for performance. I would not recommend MLC SSD for long term data storage, unless you are backing up to mechanical or cloud.
Good advice. I'm now using the SSD for OS/Programs/Content, the mechanical drive for user projects, and a USB3.0 drive to backup the two up to on a weekly basis, using Windows backup. Actually, I've got Windows 10 file history on too - so modified project files are backed up on an hourly basis. I think I'm covered..... 
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kitekrazy1
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Re: Best SSDs?
2016/07/24 16:52:42
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I go for the ones with better warranty. Whether one drive performs better than another I wouldn't know unless using a benchmark app. Using real everyday apps I couldn't tell the difference.
Shop places. I bought a SanDisk 240 with a 10 year warranty for under $120. I have an Intel 480 I got for about the same price.
If you do gaming a 480gb is necessary since game developers are all about bloat and less about optimization.
I couldn't imagine using a 120 for DAW.
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ØSkald
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Re: Best SSDs?
2016/07/25 12:30:35
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for m.2 check that your m.2 on the motherboard is connected to the PCIe alone, and not chairing the channels with other drives. i had problem with a Gigabyte motherboard. now i have a ASUS mobo, and gets the speeds i want.
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VanessaJ
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Re: Best SSDs?
2016/07/27 02:39:46
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denverdrummer
The EVO's are a great product ...
... nothing wrong with MLC, it's what I have, but I only use it for OS/Applications. I use a good old 7200rpm to record to, it works fine and is plenty fast for recording. YOU can certainly record to a MLC, just have a backup solution in place and do it regularly.
Also agree that the Samsungs are a great product for the price.
Good luck!
Same here ... I have a Samsung EVO (500GB) that I use for OS/Applications and I write everything to a separate 7200rpm hard drive. It's a great, stable set up and, with the SSD, everything loads super fast. If you're budget-limited, then yes ... the Samsung EVO is my recommendation.
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ston
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Re: Best SSDs?
2016/07/27 06:29:31
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Proper long term use in the field data analysis by Graungroolz suggests that, like for platter drives, it's time in use not amount of use which is the lifetime limiting factor of flash drives. Something of the order of 5-6 years' heavy drive enclosure (i.e. data centre) use, perhaps longer, but certainly far less than the predicted life time which is predicated solely on running out of write cycles/wear levelling.
F'rinstance, if you hammered a 64GB flash drive continually at 80MB/s, you'd run out of write endurance after about 51 years. The drive will almost certainly fail before then, but not due to the re-write limitations, just auld age.
+1 for Samsung btw
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Jeffiphone
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Re: Best SSDs?
2016/07/27 14:25:24
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Don't wanna hijack the OP's thread......but my IT guy said a 256GB SSD would be perfect for running Sonar (along with Windows 10). He's not a musician, nor familiar with recording software. So wanted to check here first before he installs it.
Is 256GB enough? Or should I opt for and SSD with more? FWIW, I don't use loops often, so all them are on my external HD. So basically, my machine is 99% used for Sonar Platinum.
Thanks so much.
~Jeff
Acer with i7 processer - Sonar Platinum 64bit - Windows 10 64 bit - Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 (2nd Gen) -
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elsongs
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Re: Best SSDs?
2016/07/27 14:39:52
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Jeffiphone
Don't wanna hijack the OP's thread......but my IT guy said a 256GB SSD would be perfect for running Sonar (along with Windows 10). He's not a musician, nor familiar with recording software. So wanted to check here first before he installs it.
Is 256GB enough? Or should I opt for and SSD with more? FWIW, I don't use loops often, so all them are on my external HD. So basically, my machine is 99% used for Sonar Platinum.
Thanks so much.
~Jeff
256GB should be good enough. I have 128GB on mine and the drive is 70% full (Granted, I'm still on Windows 7 and Sonar X3e). I did end up buying a Samsung 850 PRO SSD that's 512GB, which I managed to get at my local Fry's for just $188 the other week. It's more than enough, but you figure an excess of drive space would go into the virtual memory cache anyway.
Elson Trinidad Los Angeles, CA, USA Web: www.elsongs.com Twitter: twitter.com/elsongs DAWs: Cakewalk by Bandlab, Cakewalk Sonar Platinum x64, Propellerhead Reason 9, Presonus Studio One v3 OS: Windows 10 Professional CPU: Intel i7 3820 3.6MHz MB: ASRock X79 Xtreme4 RAM: Corsair Vengeance 16GB DDR3 Audio: Focusrite Scarlett 18i20 2nd Generation MIDI: MOTU Microlite & Novation Impulse 61
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Jeffiphone
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Re: Best SSDs?
2016/07/27 14:41:44
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elsongs
Jeffiphone
Don't wanna hijack the OP's thread......but my IT guy said a 256GB SSD would be perfect for running Sonar (along with Windows 10). He's not a musician, nor familiar with recording software. So wanted to check here first before he installs it.
Is 256GB enough? Or should I opt for and SSD with more? FWIW, I don't use loops often, so all them are on my external HD. So basically, my machine is 99% used for Sonar Platinum.
Thanks so much.
~Jeff
256GB should be good enough. I have 128GB on mine and the drive is 70% full (Granted, I'm still on Windows 7 and Sonar X3e). I did end up buying a Samsung 850 PRO SSD that's 512GB, which I managed to get at my local Fry's for just $188 the other week. It's more than enough, but you figure an excess of drive space would go into the virtual memory cache anyway.
Right on! Thanks for reply Elson.
Acer with i7 processer - Sonar Platinum 64bit - Windows 10 64 bit - Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 (2nd Gen) -
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Mesh
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Re: Best SSDs?
2016/07/27 14:42:52
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Jeffiphone
Don't wanna hijack the OP's thread......but my IT guy said a 256GB SSD would be perfect for running Sonar (along with Windows 10). He's not a musician, nor familiar with recording software. So wanted to check here first before he installs it.
Is 256GB enough? Or should I opt for and SSD with more? FWIW, I don't use loops often, so all them are on my external HD. So basically, my machine is 99% used for Sonar Platinum.
Thanks so much.
~Jeff
If you use the SSD for only OS and all your software, that should work out really well (I currently have a 256 GB SSD for this). If you have large sample libraries, you'd definitely need a separate/larger drive. What has worked well for me is a 3 drive setup...... C: 256 GB SSD (OS & Software) D: 1 TB HDD (Sonar Projects) E: 1 TB HDD (synth/audio samples) I also have a 3 TB external drive to back up all of that.
Platinum Gaming DAW: AsRock Z77 Overclock FormulaI7 3770k @ 4.5GHz : 16GB RAM G.Skill Ripjaws X 250GB OS SSD : 3TB HDD : 1TB Sample HDDWin 10 Pro x 64 : NH-D14 CPU Cooler HIS IceQ 2GB HD 7870Focusrite Scarlett 2i4The_Forum_Monkeys
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Jeffiphone
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Re: Best SSDs?
2016/07/27 14:45:38
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Mesh
Jeffiphone
Don't wanna hijack the OP's thread......but my IT guy said a 256GB SSD would be perfect for running Sonar (along with Windows 10). He's not a musician, nor familiar with recording software. So wanted to check here first before he installs it.
Is 256GB enough? Or should I opt for and SSD with more? FWIW, I don't use loops often, so all them are on my external HD. So basically, my machine is 99% used for Sonar Platinum.
Thanks so much.
~Jeff
If you use the SSD for only OS and all your software, that should work out really well (I currently have a 256 GB SSD for this). If you have large sample libraries, you'd definitely need a separate/larger drive. What has worked well for me is a 3 drive setup......
C: 256 GB SSD (OS & Software)
D: 1 TB HDD (Sonar Projects)
E: 1 TB HDD (synth/audio samples)
I also have a 3 TB external drive to back up all of that.
Cool. Thanks Mesh. That's great news! Can't wait to get my machine back. ~Jeff
Acer with i7 processer - Sonar Platinum 64bit - Windows 10 64 bit - Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 (2nd Gen) -
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