240GB Sandisk Extreme SDSSDX-240G-G25 SATA III Toggle MLC SSD @170 in-store @Microcenter

Stay away from SanDisk SSDs until they update their firmware to properly implement TRIM.

Quote from overclock : Stay away from SanDisk SSDs until they update their firmware to properly implement TRIM.

Overblown issue. not a show-stopper. most SSDs with decent BGC will recover blocks with little noticeable delay. it's an annoyance more than a reliability issue

In stock anywhere?

Quote from overclock : Stay away from SanDisk SSDs until they update their firmware to properly implement TRIM.

I agree Sandisk has handled this situation far worse than others who use the Sandforce 2281 Controller. They ignore support request if you mention TRIM in the body of the request and have been silent on their own Forums. There have been FTC Consumer Protection Complaints, BBB Complaints and there is an impending Class Action Suite.
I would stay clear of any Sandisk Product due to the way they are handling this matter.
Not a Customer Service Oriented Company in any way shape or form.
Buy from Companies that support their Customers & Products not Companies that ignore known problems with the products they sell.

Quote from sr71 : Overblown issue. not a show-stopper. most SSDs with decent BGC will recover blocks with little noticeable delay. it's an annoyance more than a reliability issue

Maybe overblown but the plain and simple fact is that SanDisk is advertising these drives as supporting TRIM. But TRIM isn't supported so it is false advertising. These drives are just rebrands. Kingston, SanDisk, and many more use the exact same innards but those other companies are updating their firmware. And all they are doing is putting their name on SandForce's firmware. Yep, another company does the work and all SanDisk would have to do is put their name in the code. But SanDisk doesn't even do that. This is a pitiful situation that SanDisk has put its customers in. IMHO this is not overblown one bit. It shows how SanDisk really feels about its customers.

Quote from overclock : Maybe overblown but the plain and simple fact is that SanDisk is advertising these drives as supporting TRIM. But TRIM isn't supported so it is false advertising. These drives are just rebrands. Kingston, SanDisk, and many more use the exact same innards but those other companies are updating their firmware. And all they are doing is putting their name on SandForce's firmware. Yep, another company does the work and all SanDisk would have to do is put their name in the code. But SanDisk doesn't even do that. This is a pitiful situation that SanDisk has put its customers in. IMHO this is not overblown one bit. It shows how SanDisk really feels about its customers.

First there are plenty of OSes where TRIM isn't avail and BGC works just fine on those systems too, secondly the 240GB ARE reportedly shipping with newer firmware.

Quote from sr71 : First there are plenty of OSes where TRIM isn't avail and BGC works just fine on those systems too, secondly the 240GB ARE reportedly shipping with newer firmware.

Whatever. Still false advertising. No matter how you try to spin it. Do you work for SanDisk or something?

Quote from overclock : Whatever. Still false advertising. No matter how you try to spin it. Do you work for SanDisk or something?

No I have one and it performs fine as it does for many folks. Just that alarmist rants by folks like you who read more than they comprehend bugs me. Trim may not be fully functional but it's not completely broken and it doesn't cripple the drive.

Fact is also each vendor has different specs, the Sandisk is not a Mushkin or Kingston. It uses different NAND so any firmware release is not a one size fits all. 5.03 firmware is different from 5.01 and 5.04 is a fix for 5.01 The latest and greatest firmware may work, may create new headaches - if it fixed everything and was completely proven you'd think they'd have a special interest in releasing it. And if you patched and bricked your drive you'd complain they released it too soon.

Quote from sr 71 : First there are plenty of OSes where TRIM isn't avail and BGC works just fine on those systems too, secondly the 240GB ARE reportedly shipping with newer firmware.

How can they ship with Firmware that does not yet exist??
I have spoken with Sandisk a number of times and they do not have new Firmware or a release date???? R201 is the latest and that came out in April.
Do you work for SanDisk or something????

Quote from lucill22 : How can they ship with Firmware that does not yet exist?? I have spoken with Sandisk a number of times and they do not have new Firmware or a release date???? R201 is the latest and that came out in April. Do you work for SanDisk or something????

Was the last response not clear? or is your reading comprehension score that low? I've just said No! They haven't released firmware, but they ARE shipping new drives with updated firmware as many of the reviewers have reported - two very different matters. I own drives by Sandisk, Crucial, Plextor, Kingston, OCZ and even a very old Imation - only the OCZs have given me any problems, 3 RMAs and counting.

Going by my experience and. Newegg reviews they're very reliable in spite of any TRIM issues. Of course I'm not filling my drive with huge dummy files every 30 secs to see if I can break TRIM

Quote from sr71 : Was the last response not clear? or is your reading comprehension score that low? I've just said No! They haven't released firmware, but they ARE shipping new drives with updated firmware as many of the reviewers have reported - two very different matters. I own drives by Sandisk, Crucial, Plextor, Kingston, OCZ and even a very old Imation - only the OCZs have given me any problems, 3 RMAs and counting. Going by my experience and. Newegg reviews they're very reliable in spite of any TRIM issues. Of course I'm not filling my drive with huge dummy files every 30 secs to see if I can break TRIM

Excuse my ignorance but please point me to any evidence of Sandisk shipping Drives with Firmware newer than R201????

Quote from lucill22 : Excuse my ignorance but please point me to any evidence of Sandisk shipping Drives with Firmware newer than R201????

http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/...index.html

Quote from sr71 : http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/...index.html

Please read the Article.
Tweaktown received a specially flashed Drive!!!!
THERE IS NO NEW FIRMWARE FROM SANDISK!!!!!

Today we're re-testing the SanDisk Extreme 240GB SSD with the new 5.0.3 firmware that fixes TRIM and keeps the drive running at extreme speeds. Like many Team SandForce manufacturers, SanDisk is not releasing 5.0.3 to the general public. A very small issue was found in 5.0.3, but 5.0.4 will fix the issue and we have confirmation that 5.0.4 will be ready for your flashing pleasure in less than a monthRead more at http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/...zrKFz2M.99

Email Exchange with Chris Ramseyer Tweaktown Tester

Hi Chris,

First off, great job on your article of the TRIM bug affecting Sandforce based Solid State Drives.

It was with anticipation I read your followup article on new 5.03 based firmware which sounds like it solves TRIM issues with Sandisk drives; unfortunately Sandisk does not seem able to release this to their actual users. The Sandisk forums (http://forums.sandisk.com/t5/SanD...ExtremeSSD) has many stories of people asking Sandisk support when an updated firmware will be released and not receiving a reply.

Since you appear to have access to Sandisk support channels in a way mere consumers do not, would you have any pull in helping users determine when they will receive any kind of official support from Sandisk in this matter? I like my drive and it enjoy its speed, but I am concerned I have an orphaned product which will grow continuously slower while Sandisk looks the other way either leaving the SSD business altogether, or Sandisk ignores us, discontinues this model and replaces it with something that actually works and ignores affected users.

Thank you in advance. I had not read Tweaktown before your article on Sandforce controller TRIM issues, I must say I am an avid reader now.


Subject: RE: Question RE: SanDisk Extreme Firmware
From: Chris Ramseyer <redacted@unknown.com>
Sent: Sep 27, 2012 4:02 PM
To: redacted@unknown.com

Hello,

Thanks for reaching out. I can assure you that with SanDisk owning a NAND fab they won’t be leaving the SSD business anytime soon.

I haven’t spoken with my contacts at SanDisk about the issue since the 5.0.3 drive arrived but I can tell you that SanDisk is going over the firmware closely. As you may of read, 5.0.3 came and it had a small issue with the WHQL certification. 5.0.4 fixed that issue and manufactures have it in testing now. I didn’t find anything wrong with either 503 or 504 but that WHQL cert is a big deal for companies selling to the major OEMs (Dell, HP and so on). Actually, I take that back, the high queue depth random read speeds are down especially on the 120GB drives but it isn’t a big deal because regular users aren’t going to see a queue depth of 32 too often.

It’s my understanding that 5.0.5 is set to release to manufactures the first week of October. I’ve heard it only adds support for more flash types but I’ve also heard it’s a performance increase release. I’ve got reports for both so hopefully both are accurate. SanDisk is a company that doesn’t want to deal with monthly releases so I’d say they are waiting for 5.0.5 to come in, then go through validation.

[COLOR="Red"]I would send you the FW if I had it but SanDisk’s legal team made them flash a drive and send it to me. [/COLOR]They are being very tight with the FW for sure. Hopefully they get it all worked out with 5.0.5 and get it to you guys. I’ve seen the thread in the SanDisk forums and check in on it from time to time. Hang in there and I’ll apply a little pressure tonight and try to get SanDisk to help their enthusiast users out with a “beta” release that covers them with the lawyers.

Best Regards,



Chris Ramseyer
Storage Product and PSU Editor

Tweak Town Pty Ltd

As I mentioned in an earlier post Sandisk has some legal issues to deal with, that is why Lawyers are involved with the Firmware issue.
They are the target of a Class Action Law Suite!