Best SSD for about $100ish

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Wow, crimney. Almost 3 years?
Google says:
August 24, 2009 - "I'm thinking about getting a new computer."
September 22, 2009 - "My new computer will probably come 95% from NewEgg."
November 16/17, 2009 - "I'm having BSOD/Win7 issues with my new computer."

...so I assume it was built around October-ish, Shegokigo .

--Patrick
 
Yep, definitely sounds about right.

Probably around the same time of year I'm going to update the CPU/MB this year, to which I'll of course, defer to your advice.

I think at least 90% of my last 2-3 systems have been Pat built ;)
 
I remember the 3D thread. I started it, because I needed to get a new monitor.

My fascination with 3D ended pretty soon after acquiring it. It was nifty, but the dimness was annoying, and wearing the 3D glasses over my glasses sucked hard.

I still don't regret getting a 3D capable monitor though. 120hz refresh rate is awesome.
 
The only thing that makes a 3D monitor 3D capable is 120hz refresh rate. This basically means it can draw 120 frames per second, allowing it to display two images simultaneously at 60fps by interlapping the two.

Not being pat, I have no idea what the technical terms for any of this is.
 
120khz is required for 3D gaming on a monitor(I assume that's what he meant).

My TV is default 3D compatible, so I don't have to worry about refresh rate.
 
I always thought monitors were in kHz, not Hz, either way, shit be fast, yo.

Hz means cycles per second, so in monitors it refers to image refreshes (or frames) per second.

But yes, shit be fast. They say you can't see a difference after 60fps, but I swear I can.

Though I can't see any difference between 110 and 120.
 
I'll of course, defer to your advice.
You ain't gonna like it, because right now my advice is to wait until May/June 2013 (another year!) to get the biggest bang for your buck.

Haswell CPU - less complex new socket 1150 means less wasted power, huge (4x) potential increase in Quick Sync transcoding compared to Ivy Bridge. Also, socket 1150 means it will be incompatible with everything before Haswell.
Lynx Point - built-in USB 3.0 and SATA3 on all ports, as well as probable PCIe 3.0 support (twice as fast as PCIe 2.x). Oh, and it will require socket 1150, meaning you'll need a whole new motherboard and all.

If you absolutely can't wait, I'll understand, and will of course attempt to give the best advice possible. :)

EDIT: Yes, 120Hz is the usual refresh rate for 3D monitors (so they can do both halves of 3D at 60Hz each). I bought my CRT just because of that (at the time, LCDs couldn't do 120Hz).

--Patrick
 
Hrrrm, I do love those draw points Pat, very well may wait until then to do it. We'll see how happy I am with the current set-up I have come Winter game releases. Still, definitely nice specs on that those CPU/MBs....

On the original topic, I placed an order for that SSD you recommended and can't wait to toss my Steam, Warcraft and couple other game folders onto it.

On the new topic, the 120hz works on 3D but does it give 120hz refresh on 2D gaming as well? I'd love to play ALOT of my games with the Vsync turned off, but tearing drives me crazy.
 
How big an SSD did you get? When I bought my Intel 510 last summer, there was no chance I could fit my Steam and WoW folders on it if I wanted to use it as the boot drive as well.

But man, those boot speeds. *swoon* :D
 
The one Pat recommended is 128gb. Also my STEAM folder is kept to 2-3 games installed on it at any given time so it's kept pretty compact.
 
If you hate Vsync but also hate tearing, then a 120hz monitor would work well for you. I'm assuming by 2D gaming you mean 3D rendered, rather than 3D like things popping out at you. Yes, the increased refresh rate would mean more frames per second on games, which means less tearing.
 
Right. It will still tear, but it will only tear when your fps goes over 120. If you're looking to practically eliminate tearing, then you'll want to look at something like Lucid Virtu's Virtual Vsync.



--Patrick
 
Sad that even though my system is pretty much crushing the Diablo 3 specs, I get annoying Micro Stutter.

I've learned to accept it in a few games due to the software limitation, but knowing that it might be my HDD speed is driving me bananas.
I've had the same annoying intermittent micro stutter since the D3 launch and my computer kills the recommended requirements.
 
In the beta, the only stutter I had was entering new areas, coming up to Unique fights, boss battles, that sort of thing. No stuttering elsewhere. I was just using the integrated graphics and a mechanical HDD, but that meant I could never really get over 20-30fps. I doubt that's the happy sort of trade-off, though. Also, I have no idea if the stuttering is just part of the 1.0.3 patch and so everyone has to deal with it right now.

--Patrick
 
The only stuttering I've had is all server related, when my ping would suddenly spike for some reason. Got me killed twice last night in elite mobs.

BTW, Killed the Butcher on Nightmare last night :)
 

Necronic

Staff member
Honestly I can't for the life of me understand why people don't flock full steam to SSDs. Ok, yeah their capacity may seem a bit low, but I can slap my OS on a 70 gig one for like 60$, and all my games/programs fit on a larger one (120-240 gigs) for like 200$.

As for everything else? Store it on a NAS drive/external hard drive. Internal platter drives make very little sense to me anymore for gaming PCs, or...really any PCs. The computer itself is streamlined for gaming, and when it comes to media I need to access it with other computers at a moments notice. It's better to keep media on a seperate system and just have the gaming system for gaming.

Also I don't get why people think that they need to upgrade so often. My build has lasted since 2008 (maybe longer). I've replaced a couple parts here and there as they have broken (HDDs->SSDs, GPU broke, technically I downgraded it), but that's about it. Any game I want to play I can play on high res.
 
Honestly I can't for the life of me understand why people don't flock full steam to SSDs.
-Price
-Size
-Lots of people still use IDE drives
-Lots of people still use WinXP
-Mainly it's the price

Also, the Internet is full of people who jeer and haughtily proclaim that PCs are upgradeable and Macs aren't, but then the majority of "upgraders" just go and replace their entire PC rather than upgrading it, and "mainstream" machines don't come with SSDs yet. "Normal" people want space, not speed! They want terabytes on top of terabytes to store their collection of cat videos and illegal downloads, plus all the stuff they rip from YouTube. Gamers are just a tiny market segment that nobody cares about except Nerds.

--Patrick
 

Necronic

Staff member
Normal people are weird.

Edit: I shouldn't be surprised by this. My parents wanted to buy a new desktop computer because there's was getting old. I asked them what they used it for (since they both had laptops). Their response?

"Something has to be plugged into the router right?"

They had absolutely no use for it, or another desktop, and only wanted to buy one because they thought the router (which was wireless) wouldn't work unless the desktop was plugged into it. I wish I was more dishonest. I could make a killing off of people like them.
 
I prefer size over speed for two reasons:

1) My load times are in no way excessive now.

2) I don't want to have to re-download my steam library every time I want to play something.

For the SSD drives, I think they're way overly cost prohibitive right now. When they drop in price, and maybe increase capacity, I'll consider moving to one.
 
I have 155 games on steam. A large percentage of those games are anywhere from 7 to 30 GB in size.

I simply do not want to have to download a game if I want to play it, I want it to already be on my hard drive.
 
Yeah I have 40+ games and only have 1-2 installed at a time. However, that's due to personal preference, if I have too many games installed at a time, I'll never focus and finish the ones I want to.
 
For me, It's:
"Hey, I feel like playing Skyrim today"
...
"Shit, it's not installed."
"Whelp, better start the download"
In the 8 or so hours it takes to download, I don't want or don't have the time to play it anymore.
 
Spontaneous gaming? Nope. I get 1-2 games in my focus and won't stop playing them until they're finished. After that I download the next 1-2 games I'm going to play (usually start the download before heading to work) and everything's set when I get home.
 

Necronic

Staff member
Hence the NAS drive. Download all the steam games. Move them to the NAS drive. Move them back to my computer when I want to play them.

Easy.
Peasy.
Japanesee.
 
Really torn on what to do re: build new system now vs wait until Haswell.

On the one hand: My current desktop is 7 years old (32-bit XP, Pentium D, 9600 GTS). It's definitely showing its age as the average game only runs moderately well at best (to say nothing of games intended for serious power like Skyrim), startup is slow as hell. This isn't unbearable or anything exactly, but I miss being able to play games the way they were meant to be played as opposed to the mid-to-lower end of the scale. Also, parts for the current generation of tech are pretty darn cheap. The fact that you can buy a fantastic rig for around $5-600 is freakin' awesome.

On the other hand: The changes coming with Haswell are significant enough (and backwards-incompatible enough) to make me want to hold off. It will probably cost a bit more as newish tech will (plus Windows 8 probably won't have a from-XP upgrade edition), but it will have a lot more longevity, especially if I want another 7-year-system. Waiting until next year could also let me focus on upgrading the rest of my setup (like getting a NAS/Wi-fi home setup). I would just need to deal with my irritatingly slow desktop system for another year.
 
Man, my "new pc" thread didn't even get a second Patrick look :'( It's clear I'll have to behave more like Shego....Now where's my machete....
(I've decided to hold off 'till I get a free upgrade to Win8 thrown in anyway, so I'll more than likely change my system anyway and post a new thread. I'm joking, not whining, for the record. Before peopel think wrong things of me :p)
 

Necronic

Staff member
Wow Bubbles, way to kill the thread. Now Shego is going to have to start a new thread for us to help her and also not help you.
 
Man, my "new pc" thread didn't even get a second Patrick look :'(
I'm one guy with a family and 2 jobs, and this forum ain't one of 'em :p , plus I've had some...interesting times of late. A lot of threads therefore get buried or slide off the new threads list due to inactivity (both mine and theirs). That said, for attention-getting, there's always my Inbox.

--Patrick
 
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