Storage SSD drives, Performance degradation, and what to go for?

I've been looking around for some reviews, but there doesn't seem to be anything that recent. I've read various things about performance degredation, and how some manufacturers don't offer the app needed to recondition the drive and so on. Is bit tech going to do another group test on SSD drives? I'd really like to go for a 65gb or so SSD as my OS disk. Max price around £200 I've heard that the Intel drives include the reconditioning tool/are more likely to have firmware updates released more often too.

I realise the whole performance boost is mostly from read speeds, and that write speed isn't as crucial. I assume that's because write speed is more dependent on what your cpu is crunching right??

Would really appreciate some advice here

 

I'd also like some clarification on this. I predict it won't be too long before larger SSDs hit the market, and when that happens I shall pounce

I've read various articles on making the most of SSDs.. most of which involve doing a lot of tweaking etc... but isn't Win7 SSD friendly? I've read some aren't, and some are. It seems like a minefield to me at the moment.

Is there are a truly plug and play SSD that doesn't suffer from degradation over time?

Do you have to disable swap files or risk a shortened life span of your SSD?

Does Windows 7 REALLY only use a swap file when out of RAM?

 

That's the feeling I'm getting at the moment too. I mean I've got a 70gb Raptor as my OS disk (won't put a 1tb F3 purely because of risk of os disk crashes, longer format times), and would really like a clear cut choice. I mean according to some reviews, the intel drives are write speed capped, if I read it correctly, at the same time being the only drives that are able to recondition themselves without having to do multiple passes and so on.

 

The following article makes good reading, and it's probably worth reading the other articles that are linked to. Anandtech seem to have done some really great research and testing in the area.

http://www.anandtech.com/storage/showdoc.aspx?i=3667

 

http://forums.bit-tech.net/showthread.php?t=175922&page=5

We answered many questions here. (nothing less than Anandtech).

 

*edit* nvm.

 

I too am interested in the SSD degradation side as that puts me off a bit!

Thanks, will read!

 

I'll probably end up with the X-M25 80gb from intel. I doub't i'd really miss the difference in performance over the 160gb version.

 

If you manage to get hold of one; the whole Europe is completely vacuumed, and the shipments from Intel are worse than para-military rations.