How good is the Kingston SSDNow V300 120GB SSD?

[melias24]

Hi, im looking for a cheaper SSD so i can install my OS and BF4 in my PC, and i came across the Kingston SSDNow V300 120GB SSD

how good is it, is it reliable and quick?

Thanks 

~Elias

[miyabwah]

I have a V+200, it is very reliable, even with 2 in Raid0. The speeds aren't the best, but what can you expect with a budget SSD?

[Denned]

The Samsung 840 Evo 120gb is only slightly more expensive., I'd say it's worth the extra money.

[Rubenis]

Hi, im looking for a cheaper SSD so i can install my OS and BF4 in my PC, and i came across the Kingston SSDNow V300 120GB SSD

how good is it, is it reliable and quick?

Thanks 

~Elias

V 300 is just terrible after firmware update. Really! Do not buy it.

 

You better of with Crucial M500/550 or Intel or Samsung.

[-rascal-]

V 300 is just terrible after firmware update. Really! Do not buy it.

 

You better of with Crucial M500/550 or Intel or Samsung.

 

Not only that, Kingston changed the NAND chips to cheaper, slower ones. It was all over tech news a few months back.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/7763/an-update-to-kingston-ssdnow-v300-a-switch-to-slower-micron-nand

 

A relative of mine was just thinking of getting a 240GB V300...and I had to go to their house, and yelled NO. They ended up getting a Samsung 840 EVO 250GB instead. This was literally just two days ago.

[Rubenis]

Not only that, Kingston changed the NAND chips to cheaper, slower ones. It was all over tech news a few months back.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/7763/an-update-to-kingston-ssdnow-v300-a-switch-to-slower-micron-nand

 

A relative of mine was just thinking of getting a 240GB V300...and I had to go to their house, and yelled NO. They ended up getting a Samsung 840 EVO 250GB instead. This was literally just two days ago.

Yeah. I did not get this move, because they were good budget SSDs, but then all of this started.

[deviant88]

I have it and its very reliable i have BF4 on it too and diablo 3...you dont need anything faster honestly.

 

Everyone nowdays is like get the samsung evo 840 blah blah,well if its same price where you live get the samsung where i live samsung evo 120 gb vs kingston v300 120gb is 60% more expensive,so get the v300 if thats the case easy.

[Rubenis]

I have it and its very reliable i have BF4 on it too and diablo 3...you dont need anything faster honestly.

 

Everyone nowdays is like get the samsung evo 840 blah blah,well if its same price where you live get the samsung where i live samsung evo 120 gb vs kingston v300 120gb is 60% more expensive,so get the v300 if thats the case easy.

If price difference is 60% now, and it was like 10-15% why do you think it is like that??

 

Older V300 are great, until you do firmware upgrade. New now is not worth buying.

[deviant88]

If price difference is 60% now, and it was like 10-15% why do you think it is like that??

 

Older V300 are great, until you do firmware upgrade. New now is not worth buying.

Ive bought mine 2 months ago with latest firmware installed thats not even avaible on their website for update and its been flawless and performance as expected and its 3 times better read/write than my old 60gb Vertex2.

Its not close to Samsung evo 840 but you wont even notice the difference, from a vertex2 to a v300 yes but between v300 and evo is minimal,you will only see much better benchmark but day to day use and loading BF4 for instance there wont be any.

For instance my OS boots faster by 2-3 sec than vertex2, but battlefield 4 doesnt load any faster on v300 vs vertex2.

 

For OP if you want cheap decent SSD v300 might cut it,but if you can afford go for the samsung.

The kingston is probably the weakest sata III 6gb/s 120gb drive on market probably right now but that doesnt make it useless.

[hojnikb]

If price difference is 60% now, and it was like 10-15% why do you think it is like that??

 

Older V300 are great, until you do firmware upgrade. New now is not worth buying.

 

Where did you get the idea, that firmware upgrade hurts V300 ?

[hojnikb]

Just stay away from V300. Very slow flash and flawed controller coupled with shady moves on kingston side its really not worth it.

Just get m500, mx100 or something from adata...

[Rubenis]

Where did you get the idea, that firmware upgrade hurts V300 ?

Just Google it.

[Rubenis]

Ive bought mine 2 months ago with latest firmware installed thats not even avaible on their website for update and its been flawless and performance as expected and its 3 times better read/write than my old 60gb Vertex2.

Its not close to Samsung evo 840 but you wont even notice the difference, from a vertex2 to a v300 yes but between v300 and evo is minimal,you will only see much better benchmark but day to day use and loading BF4 for instance there wont be any.

For instance my OS boots faster by 2-3 sec than vertex2, but battlefield 4 doesnt load any faster on v300 vs vertex2.

 

For OP if you want cheap decent SSD v300 might cut it,but if you can afford go for the samsung.

The kingston is probably the weakest sata III 6gb/s 120gb drive on market probably right now but that doesnt make it useless.

Ok, you can risk. Ido not want to take my chances with SSD that is risky and might or might not work as good as it should.

 

Intel is safest bet, Samsung is very close to that. Kingston is a lot more risk.

[hojnikb]

Just Google it.

Well, you're wrong there buddy or you're just lacking basic reading skills.

 

While newer firmware and crappy versions do relate (they had to issue a new firmware for async flash to be compatabile) this new firmware has no effect on older toshiba toggle nand drives.

[hojnikb]

Ok, you can risk. Ido not want to take my chances with SSD that is risky and might or might not work as good as it should.

 

Intel is safest bet, Samsung is very close to that. Kingston is a lot more risk.

 

Sandforce based intels are just as crappy as everything else. While 730 series is good, its not really aimed at typical users.

[Rubenis]

Well, you're wrong there buddy or you're just lacking basic reading skills.

 

While newer firmware and crappy versions do relate (they had to issue a new firmware for async flash to be compatabile) this new firmware has no effect on older toshiba toggle nand drives.

As far as I read, all problems started with firmware update, that made V300 SSDs run really slow.

 

The fact, that Kingston chanded NAND before that is irrelevant fro me or some others. As far as I understand now, there are two types of NAND in these V300, old ones work ok with all firmware, new ones working ok just with some of the latest firmware, with some it is lagging.

 

 

Sandforce based intels are just as crappy as everything else. While 730 series is good, its not really aimed at typical users.

Intel redisigned all controller and that is one of the best on this planet. All of Intels 33X, 5XX, 7XX series run great. Yuo have something against Sandforce, but that is your problem.

[hojnikb]

As far as I read, all problems started with firmware update, that made V300 SSDs run really slow.

 

The fact, that Kingston chanded NAND before that is irrelevant fro me or some others. As far as I understand now, there are two types of NAND in these V300, old ones work ok with all firmware, new ones working ok just with some of the latest firmware, with some it is lagging.

 

 

Intel redisigned all controller and that is one of the best on this planet. All of Intels 33X, 5XX, 7XX series run great. Yuo have something against Sandforce, but that is your problem.

 

You didn't read very well. The only slow running v300 are the ones with async flash. Firmware updates don't play a role here, since its not the issue with firmware, but with crappy flash used in newer revision.

 

Firmware is just a side effect needed to include support for newer flash. People think, when they bough v300 recently, that is the firmware (since it ships with newer version) issue, but its really not.

 

 

And no, intel didn't redesign shit. Their sandforce line (3xx, 5xx) is all stock sandforce (even firmware is mostly stock) while 72x is new, but based on their enterprise controller.

[Rubenis]

And no, intel didn't redesign shit. Their sandforce line (3xx, 5xx) is all stock sandforce (even firmware is mostly stock) while 72x is new, but based on their enterprise controller.

From 520/330 SSD Intel has made its own firware for Sandforce based controllers.

 

And Intel has great reviews all over the internet, so why do you think that wold happen. And Intel, company that has not "redesign shit", is mad, because they are giving 5 year warranty for Sandforce based SSDs. They are mad.

[connorpiper]

If you want cheap ADATA SX900. Without speed loss. 

[hojnikb]

From 520/330 SSD Intel has made its own firware for Sandforce based controllers.

 

And Intel has great reviews all over the internet, so why do you think that wold happen. And Intel, company that has not "redesign shit", is mad, because they are giving 5 year warranty for Sandforce based SSDs. They are mad.

 

They didn't make their own firmware at all (as they don't have access to source code) but sandforce tweaked their firmware a little. It's been widely disscussed, that the whole custom firmware was a total marketing bullshit.

 

As far as warranty goes; that really doesn't have anything to do with the issues these controllers STILL have (i know because i own one and i STILL get BSODs -- intel quality my ass).

[Rubenis]

They didn't make their own firmware at all (as they don't have access to source code) but sandforce tweaked their firmware a little. It's been widely disscussed, that the whole custom firmware was a total marketing bullshit.

 

As far as warranty goes; that really doesn't have anything to do with the issues these controllers STILL have (i know because i own one and i STILL get BSODs -- intel quality my ass).

Well, if I would not installed about 15 Intel Sandforce SSDs, I would say you are right. But since I have done that during 2 year period and all of them ar running great, I would say you are a bit unhappy.

 

If you have one SSD with bad controller under warranty and you do not RMA that, I do not know how to call you so that is not rude.

 

I is visible, that you are against Intel no matter what others says.

[hojnikb]

Well, if I would not installed about 15 Intel Sandforce SSDs, I would say you are right. But since I have done that during 2 year period and all of them ar running great, I would say you are a bit unhappy.

 

If you have one SSD with bad controller under warranty and you do not RMA that, I do not know how to call you so that is not rude.

 

I is visible, that you are against Intel no matter what others says.

 

It was already replaced and issues still persist (BSODs). It really a design flaw of the controller (i've explained this in my other posts) and has nothing to do with intel. They just happen to use that controller, because they stopped caring much about consumer line, once profits started to drop (when more people came into game). Thats why we still don't see a custom controller for their consumer line. Because it costs money to develop a controller and firmware and intel doesn't want to spend money on something, that they cant sell with 500%+ markup. Prosumer and enterprise drives obviously get a custom controller and firmware, since there are much larger profit margins.

 

tl;dr

consumer intel drives are shit (just like everything else with sandforce) value for the money.

[Vacsol]

I was lucky enough to get one on sale in December for $65 before they switched to slower NAND.

 

It's my first SSD, so I can't really compare my experience with it to anything else. I would probably go with an EVO next time though.