Looking for the Best SSD for my Kubuntu box

[Aries K]

Looking to replace my 2TB Samsung HD204ui HDD with a SSD (probably 250GB). What would be the best "set it and forget it" SSD for Kubuntu? Thanks in advance.

My specs as follows:

AMD A8 6500 Richland APU 65W
8GB Crucial Ballistix Sport
MSi FM2-A75MA
Antec Earthwatts Green PSU 380W
Did away with all optical drives
2x USB 3.0 (front)
Circa 2008 Acer Aspire Case
Kubuntu 13.04

[oshunluvr]

I'm currently using 4 ssd's in various boxes. All without any issues. You're about to get bombarded with opinions on which is the best and why, so before I start that parade let me offer some tips:

SSDs are a fast moving target so most of what you'll read on the internet is way out of date. Current Ubuntu releases support ssd's without much effort. Block alignment and such are mostly automatic. More important will be mounting options. Be sure and turn off access time stamping to reduce writes. Personally, I also do not set automatic garbage collection (trim) unless you're doing a lot of data transactions like a very large database, it's recommended to run trim a only couple times a year.

Current model SSD's all have a lower failure rate than HD's so don't let those stats factor in too much. They all will also out live their usefulness. IME, with both HDs and SSDs they either fail in the first couple months or not for many years. A lot of people still recommend Intel drives, but they're relying on stats that are 4 years old and Intel drives cost about double many more suitable brands - not near worth in my view. The bottom line with regards to reliability is the same with an SSD as with a HD; backup anything you can't risk losing.

Which exact model for you depends on what you value most: Speed, Cost, Performance, or Power usage. My latest pick was the Samsung 840 PRO 256GB. -The fastest on the consumer market but not the most expensive (get the PRO model). I also have an ADATA XPG SX900 128GB and a couple others that are older and not worth mentioning. I would recommend either of those choices. From what I've read, stay away from the lower end OZC's.

IMO, for a laptop- consider wattage before all else, for a desktop- speed is king, if you want to use an American based company- Mushkin is tops.

[Aries K]

Thank you for your reply. I was looking at the Samsung pretty hard, I will be sure to look at the Mushkin as well. I forgot to add that my most recent desktop is centered towards efficiency as I could care less about gaming, overclocking, intense editing, etc. I guess you can call it a "HTPC" style desktop lol. I mostly use it for browsing the web, doing coursework, and occasional movies; just wanted to test out the SSD arena to get the icing on the cake as I know my slow spinning HDD is slowing me down.

[oshunluvr]

Yeah, you'll get boot times in well less than a minute and shutdown in like 15-20 seconds without much effort. Looks like the new Samsung 840 EVO same similar performance to the 840 PRO for 30% less cost. $99 for 120GB at Newegg.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/...mark,3269.html

[Aries K]

Yeah, you'll get boot times in well less than a minute and shutdown in like 15-20 seconds without much effort. Looks like the new Samsung 840 EVO same similar performance to the 840 PRO for 30% less cost. $99 for 120GB at Newegg.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/...mark,3269.html

It will definitely be between the Samsung 840 or a Mushkin Chronos. Another question, I like to do a clean install everytime a new Kubuntu release comes out. Will this cause damage in the long run to my SSD? Thanks again.

[oshunluvr]

I usually do as well. Damage? No. I suspect the wear-and-tear of a new install is equal or possible somewhat less than an upgrade. Either way, unless and until you do it like 100,000 times I wouldn't worry much.

Assuming you get past the initial failure stage (about 90 days I reckon) the drive will outlast your need for it.

[Aries K]

Decided to go with this one . http://www.amazon.com/Mushkin-Chrono...ds=mushkin+ssd