For a new PC that I plan to build I want to use a large SSD, and the Samsung 830 512GB is one
of the few that doesn't use Sandforce controllers (although the 830's price is kind of steep).
My original choice was Crucial M4 512GB, but the M4 is strangely still unavailable in Bucharest.

I am unsure how hot the Samsung 830 gets under load, since I saw power draw reported as 5W!
For comparison, the M4 draws only about 3W under heavy load, Corsair PerformancePro also about 5W.
I am also unsure about the TRIM performance restore on the 830 (I read the Sandforces lose ~25%).
So if someone has indepth / personal knowledge of the Samsung 830, please clarify these for me.

Really?!? You are concerned over 2 watts. There are better things to worry about.

TRIM (5th paragraph):

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/2011/0 ... b-review/5

Don't worry about TRIM performance restore, it's very good in Samsung 830 and Corsair Performance Pro, especially the latter, and the former has a better software supplied called Magician.

Thank you for the answers. I'm not worried about 2W more on the PSU, but 2W more on a 2.5" drive may matter.
I suppose that if you have the 830 and live in Dubai, then I shouldn't worry about drive temps in Romania.

Not relating to the 830, is your Asus Sabertooth Z77 motherboard noise-free? I am seeing a 40 mm fan on it, isn't it noisy?

By looking at Anandtech review, it's not constant 5W, but peek. For some reason 512GB version was drawing way more than 256GB at idle.
Anyway my point is that idle power draw is around normal 2.5 HDD - I wouldn't worry about it too much.

Regarding Sabertooth - I haven't tested it, but 40mm fans tend to be noisy. Guru3D review said that there are 2 50mm fans (I don't know if it's a typo or not), and that mobo works fine without them. If so, you could just not install them or try running one or both at really minimum RPM. In most cases I prefer to use fans over running passive, as you need some airflow, and there are quite a few fans that you won't hear even at night, and they'll provide way more airflow compared to running passive.
Build quality also looks ok, so there shouldn't be too much squeaky / buzzy noises, but I can't guarantee that. I bet there should be more reliable opinions in other parts of SPCR forums.

Temperature won't be a problem. My Samsung 830 is 29 C when idling and went to 35 C when running CrystalMark for a short time and quickly came back to 29 C when it stopped. 5W is nothing. Even if it used more power it would mean nothing in normal desktop usage as most of the time SSD is doing nothing. According to specs Samsung 830 can be used in temperature range of 0C - 60C (32F - 140F). There is plenty of headroom.

Don't worry. Samsung 830 is a fast and reliable drive.

I haven't used the fans. If you are concerned about noise, I would avoid them. Removing the thermal armor is also a good idea since all it does is raise temperatures without the fans.