Another update, and this one isn't so hot. And it has to do with the OCZ Vertex SSD's.
After about 24 hrs of use with the SSD, I noticed that performance dropped considerably, and then the system hanged. On rebooting, I get a 'missing operating system' message. The partition dropped completely. So I'm reinstalling, and half-way thru installation, I get more errors and the install hangs and blue screens. Again, all data on the drive is gone - partition, everything.
Went thru 5 reinstalls with various errors and hangs, but in every instance either the partition dropped, or there were several missing/corrupt files.
Turns out I'm not alone, at all. Pretty much every OCZ Vertex user that has the latest firmware (1199) has experienced the same issue. Has to do with the controller on the drive not really marking clusters as erased or empty when they really should be. So it doesnt matter if you fill up the drive and then wipe it completely, the controller still shows those clusters as in use. Conflicts arise, and when to try to put more data on the already 'full' drive, the controller gets confused, your OS crashes, and then the partition will likely disappear. The only way to reset the drive so it reports all clusters as empty is to either flash the firmware, or use a utility called HDDerase (versions 3.1 or 4.0).
There's a new firmware coming out in the next couple days to fix that issue. Or I could go back to the original firmware (0112) for stability but would be sacrificing speed and responsiveness.
Gonna hold out for the new firmware and see what people say about it first. So right now, I am finalizing Jenn's laptop right now. Shoudl get started on mine (finally) tonight
So, any of ya wanting to try out these drives, be aware of the issues with firmware 1199.