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Samsung 830 vs Vertex 3?!

Which drive would you go for?

  • The Vertex 3 - top drive but reliability is questionable.

    Votes: 4 8.5%

  • The Samsung 830 - another great drive but poor GC

    Votes: 43 91.5%
  • Total voters
    47
Ifti

Ifti

macrumors 601
Original poster
Dec 14, 2010
4,347
3,018
UK
Ok, there have been a few threads on SSDs going recently.
I was sold on the Vertex 3 as the SandForce controller takes care of all the Garbage Collection etc very well. With the firmware updates following the previous issues, it's a highly rated drive.

On the other hand, the Samsung 830 is also highly rated. I believe Apple use them in their systems also? My concern with these is the poor idle Garbage Collection noted in reviews which spoil an otherwise good drive. If Apple use these SSDs why doesn't OSX just support TRIM as soon as one is installed?

I want to buy a 240GB drive in the next day or two. Which should I go for??
 
Samsung 830 without a doubt. I personally hadn't experienced and problem with garbage collection. As you stated, with Apple using these drives in current models perhaps it would be easier or logical for them to support TRIM on the 3rd party Samsung SSD's in the future.
 
If you're concerned about the 830's garbage collection, just enable TRIM. From what I have read, there are no issues with it on this drive.

I'd choose the Samsung 830. I just don't trust OCZ.
 
Is it easy to enable TRIM on the Samsung?
I've read in the past that it can sometimes cause problems rather then help?
 
I've had a vertex 3 in my recently replaced mid 2010 Macbook Pro for over a year now. I've had no issues. My friend has had a Vertex 2 for longer than that and has had no issues. Personally, I don't understand why there's such a question of reliability on OCZ drives. The Vertex 3 is excellent, but I've heard stellar things about the 830 as well.
 
Samsung 830. Renowned for its performance and reliability.

Also; will never trust OCZ after they dramatically reduced the performance and lifespan of their Vertex 2 (swapping 34nm for 24nm), but kept selling it under the original spec. Very naughty.
 
Ifti said:
Is it easy to enable TRIM on the Samsung?
I've read in the past that it can sometimes cause problems rather then help?
Click to expand...

- It's as easy to enable on Samsung drives as any. That is to say it's very easy.
Indeed, it can sometimes cause problems. For instance, Anandtech's recommendation is to avoid enabling TRIM on SandForce SSDs in Mac OS X.
I have heard of no TRIM issues with the Samsung 830. And considering the Retina MacBook Pro's SSD is basically a Samsung 830, I think that is to be expected.
 
I have the Vertex 3 in my desktop as the boot drive. Reliability is not a huge concern for me, I backup my boot drive with a full clone onto another drive, so if it ever fails I can just switch over.

Also, I symlinked the Caches and some other folders to the SSD from the HDD (my home folders are on the HDD) and that made a huge performance improvement!
 
Poll looks pretty one sided so far!

So is everyone looking at the reliability only? Since the Vertex 3 is rated faster and has outstanding reviews everywhere Ive checked online.

Why would you choose the Samsung 830?
 
Ifti said:
Poll looks pretty one sided so far!

So is everyone looking at the reliability only? Since the Vertex 3 is rated faster and has outstanding reviews everywhere Ive checked online.

Why would you choose the Samsung 830?
Click to expand...

The Samsung 830 is faster than a Vertex 3. But it's not a difference you would notice in every day use.
 
Sandforce drives:

+ Faster sequential writes
+ Better with compressible data like OS
+ Much cheaper
+ <1.0 write amplification because the controller does real time compression
+ Better power consumption
+ Better performance in sustained heavy workloads

Samsung drivers:

+ Deals with compressible and incompressible data the same
+ Better IOPS.
+ Better track record for reliability

Both are used as OEM drives by Apple (The Toshibas are Sandforce based and the Samsung ones are well... Samsung based).
 
theSeb said:
The Samsung 830 is faster than a Vertex 3. But it's not a difference you would notice in every day use.
Click to expand...

The tech specs on both drives (although its difficult to actually achieve those in real usage I guess) state the Vertex 3 is faster.......
 
Ifti said:
The tech specs on both drives (although its difficult to actually achieve those in real usage I guess) state the Vertex 3 is faster.......
Click to expand...

Tech specs are not a very good comparison tool.

In general when using compressible data, read speeds are faster, while write speeds are slower.

46988.png


46986.png


46989.png


46990.png


Both write and read speeds using incompressible data (like copying a movie file for example) are faster
46991.png


46992.png


Real world use (heavy)
46974.png

46977.png


Real world use (light)
46980.png

46983.png
 
theSeb said:
Tech specs are not a very good comparison tool.

In general when using compressible data, read speeds are faster, while write speeds are slower.
Click to expand...

Ok man!
You have me sold!! lol
Now Im on the looking for a 830!

Thanks for all the info. I guess the poll says it all really.

On a sidenote, should I ensure I enable TRIM on OSX with the Samsung 830??
If so, is there another way to do it without having to use a separate app like 'TRIM Enabler', or is that app the best way to go?
 
Not sure why people blame OCZ so much for the Vertex 3, they don't make Sandforce controllers however since they're one of the most visible vendors for Sandforce SSD's people are quick to jump on the blame wagon.

However in regards to Macs, I've seen a lot more issues with Sandforce controllers than using others. The Samsung 830 is a very good drive, it doesn't smash every other SSD in the market but when it comes to your primary data drive, reliability is by far the most important feature you need to worry about before being concerned about absolute high speeds. The 830 has a very good track record, Apple uses them, should be all you need to know.
 
Ifti said:
Ok man!
You have me sold!! lol
Now Im on the looking for a 830!

Thanks for all the info. I guess the poll says it all really.
Click to expand...
The benchmarks show that in the real world light and heavy benchmarks, the 830 comes out on top. But bear in mind these are the equivalent of something that a normal user would be doing over the course of hours or days. They are recorded actions of doing stuff on a computer and then played back automatically and take a couple of minutes. Usually, the slowest component is you, the user. So in typical use you would not see a huge difference, but the reliability of the 830, coupled with excellent performance, makes it a great choice.

I am not biased since I actually use a Vertex 3 in my Mini server. When I bought the Vertex 3 it was much better priced and the 830s were not in stock. I was aware of the possible issues, but I've not experienced any, even though many have on both PCs and Macs.

These days you can pick up the 830 from amazon.co.uk at around £145 for the 256 GB. I am waiting for the 512 GB Samsung 830 to come down in price so I can replace the Vertex 3 and use that in another older Mac.

On a sidenote, should I ensure I enable TRIM on OSX with the Samsung 830??
If so, is there another way to do it without having to use a separate app like 'TRIM Enabler', or is that app the best way to go?
Click to expand...
It's a good idea and, no, I am not aware of another way to do this.
 
Yeh Ive seen the Samsung 830 at around £145-160 - out of stock at a lot of places at the £145 prices though.

I did see it on Amazon for £145 but cant find it any more? Seems to have shot up in price there!


Most of the reviews for the Vertex3 are so good - they call it the new benchmark etc as well! I suppose those who have had reliable drives are the lucky ones!
 
theSeb said:
The benchmarks show that in the real world light and heavy benchmarks, the 830 comes out on top. But bear in mind these are the equivalent of something that a normal user would be doing over the course of hours or days. They are recorded actions of doing stuff on a computer and then played back automatically and take a couple of minutes. Usually, the slowest component is you, the user. So in typical use you would not see a huge difference, but the reliability of the 830, coupled with excellent performance, makes it a great choice.

I am not biased since I actually use a Vertex 3 in my Mini server. When I bought the Vertex 3 it was much better priced and the 830s were not in stock. I was aware of the possible issues, but I've not experienced any, even though many have on both PCs and Macs.

These days you can pick up the 830 from amazon.co.uk at around £145 for the 256 GB. I am waiting for the 512 GB Samsung 830 to come down in price so I can replace the Vertex 3 and use that in another older Mac.


It's a good idea and, no, I am not aware of another way to do this.
Click to expand...

You can execute the commands through Terminal.

http://digitaldj.net/2011/07/21/trim-enabler-for-lion/

Ifti said:
Yeh Ive seen the Samsung 830 at around £145-160 - out of stock at a lot of places at the £145 prices though.

I did see it on Amazon for £145 but cant find it any more? Seems to have shot up in price there!


Most of the reviews for the Vertex3 are so good - they call it the new benchmark etc as well! I suppose those who have had reliable drives are the lucky ones!
Click to expand...

TigerDirect had it for $90 last week. That's in the states though. Amazon generally has the cheapest price.
 
Hyper-X said:
Not sure why people blame OCZ so much for the Vertex 3, they don't make Sandforce controllers however since they're one of the most visible vendors for Sandforce SSD's people are quick to jump on the blame wagon.
Click to expand...

- It's still OCZ's responsibility to choose a controller that works, and if it has issues, that's as much their responsibility as it is SandForce's. It makes for a bad experience for the user regardless of who made it.

In addition, there is the distasteful architecture shift a couple of years ago, which I think is the reason for a lot of people's reservations about OCZ.
I certainly don't trust them.
 
screw my crucial haha i just ordered an 830 (jk crucial was good but i like reliability)
 
Ok I'm going to go with you guys on this one - I guess the poll speaks for itself! Lol

Just placed my order for a Samsung 830 Notebook kit 256GB.
Unfortunately it's out of stock at a lot of places. The places where it is in stock are charging £15-20 extra!
Finally purchased from Scan.co.uk for £143 - although need to wait until the 25th for stock, which is only a week so I can wait I guess, but thought it was a pretty good price considering!

New MacBook Pro has arrived today, although its still in its box! Haven't had a chance to unbox it even. Guess it gives me a week to get my settings migrated across and everything set up before the SSD arrives!
 
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