Help on selecting a SSD please anyone?

Hi guys,

I would like to buy a SSD but i'm not particulary sure what one i should be getting and if it will be a big improvement or not.

I can't spend any more than £100 unless i wait til pay day.

I've had a look at a Sata II 60gb one from OCZ but i'd like some opinions before i go ahead and purchase any.

What are your thoughts?

My current rig:

Operating System
MS Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit SP1
CPU
AMD Phenom II X6 1090T
AMD Phenom II X6 1090T
Thuban 45nm Technology
RAM
4.0GB Dual-Channel DDR3 @ 669MHz (9-9-9-20)
Motherboard
ASUSTeK Computer INC. M4N68T-M-LE-V2 (AM3) 37 °C
Graphics
1080D (1920x1080@60Hz)
AMD Radeon HD 6800 Series
Hard Drives
488GB Western Digital WDC WD50 00AADS-00S9B SCSI Disk Device (ATA)
Optical Drives
Optiarc DVD RW AD-7240S SCSI CdRom Device
Audio
VIA High Definition Audio

 

It really depends on what capacity SSD drive you want.

SSD drives, on their own are still expensive.

I've purchased a Seagate hybrid drive (part SSD, and conventional 500 gig drive)

Here's a few links:

Seagate Momentus XT Review
http://www.storagereview.com/seagate_momentus_xt_review

Momentus® XT Solid State Hybrid Drives
http://www.seagate.com/www/en-us/products/laptops/laptop-hdd

Seagate's Momentus XT Reviewed, Finally a Good Hybrid HDD
http://www.anandtech.com/show/3734/s...ood-hybrid-hdd

http://forums.majorgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=222813 #10

If you still want a SSD (only), I'd suggest a Google search on SSD drive and check out the prices.

Hope this helps. Remember if you buy a total SSD, don't defrag it as it is not required and can actually shorten the life of an SSD.

Why is defragmenting bad for ssds?
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/246462-32-defragmenting-ssds

http://www.google.com/search?q=defrag+ssd+drive&hl=en&num=10&lr=&ft=i&cr=&safe=images&tbs=

http://forums.majorgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=233188

Bazza

 

Thanks, ye i want it mainly for running Rift on it. So just for games really. I will probs just buy one when i next get paid.

 

When choosing a SSD, two things to consider:

* There can be major speed differences between brands and even models within the same brand. SSDs are rated by their input and output speeds. If you are going to buy one, I'd get one with the fastest speed rating possible (even if it means saving up over two paydays).

* Although the current SSD offerings are overall more reliable than the first ones that hit the market a few years ago, there are still a few brands/models that have unacceptable failure rates. Before buying, do your homework by reading the user reviews on sites such as Newegg.com (USA), Amazon.com (USA), and the major online retailers in the UK. If a model you're considering is a dud, the best time to find out is before you spend money on it.

Hope this helps.

 

Intel drives, followed by Kingston and Crucial, tend to have fewest compatibility problems and low return rates.

Corsair and OCZ seem to have most compatibility problems and higher return rates.

This of course, is based on historical data, the latest models from all makers are an unknown quantity.

The first thing to do after buying a new SSD is to update the firmware on it, if you do this after using the SSD, you might lose all data and need to re-install.

 

Agreed - all good points. Intel is the gold standard in SSDs - its only drawback is a much higher price versus competitive brands.

One more thought: If installing it in a desktop (not notebook) PC, buy only as much SSD storage as you need for your operating system (Windows), programs (MS-Office, Photoshop, etc.) and games. If you configure the default "save" settings for Word, Outlook, photos, music downloads, etc. to your traditional 7200 RPM hard drive on a desktop PC, a 30-60GB SSD should give you plenty of space to work with. Also, see if the drive comes with a 3.5" to 2.5" internal drive bay mounting adapter. If not, you'll have to purchase one.