Solved Point of getting an SSD?

[UnknownReverent]

I see how fast it is, but do most people only get it for the OS only, or the OS and a select few applications? I was debating on getting one just to install my OS on. Is it worth it if that's all I'm going to install on it?

 

[Zepher]

you only getting a 30GB SSD?

 

[UnknownReverent]

Thinking more about a 60gb. 30 would be kind of small since Windows expands after indexing and what not.

 

[seavixen32]

The price of SSDs is coming down and I don't see the sense in buying a small SSD, and then installing your programs on a spinner. All you're doing is increasing the operating system performance, but then creating a bottleneck with your applications on the slower drive.

I'd have thought it better to invest in an SSD big enough for the operating sytems and your applications, and then use your old spinner for data storage.

 

[UnknownReverent]

Then I guess it doesn't really matter until I can actually afford one. I wouldn't be able to afford a bigger one than 60gb for a little while.

 

[seavixen32]

Given the choice, I would wait until you can afford the bigger drive.

I noticed on another thread just now that a user is having problems installing Windows Updates because his 40Gb SSD is full, so he's now faced with moving his applications onto another drive or buying a bigger SSD for Windows plus his programs.

 

[UnknownReverent]

In that case, what brand on hard drive would you recommend? I think my Seagate is going out and it's lasted a while, but I've seen a lot of bad things said about Seagate.

 

[seavixen32]

I've no experience of SSDs at all. I would imagine that Google is as good a place as any to get opinions on new drives, be they SSDs or HDDs.

As for a spinner, you get good and bad with any manufacturer. Some manufacturer's offer a 5-year warranty, the trouble is though, hard drives can fail without warning at any time.

Whatever new drive you do buy you'll still need a good backup strategy, preferably to an external hard drive.

 

[UnknownReverent]

The only reason I'm considering a new hard drive is because the one that I got clicked a few times. I removed the SATA and power cable, plugged it back in, and it hasn't done it since. I tested it with SeaTools and got a few errors. Those were fixed and now it's passing all the tests. The chkdsk was also fine, but I'm not sure if I should get a new hard drive or not. I have my data already backed up on my external.

 

[seavixen32]

If you are in any doubt as to the reliability of your hard drive, buying a replacement and transferring your system to it may be the best way forward.

At least you've had some prior warning. In many cases you don't when a drive fails unexpectedly.

Really, only you can make the decision, but I know what I'd do.

 

[UnknownReverent]

The only problem is finding a hard drive that I like. The brand, rpm, and price is a big factor right now.

 

[essenbe]

I ran an OS and programs on a 64GB SSD for a year, wasily. Just move all user folders to a spinner. You would be very sueprised how many programs you can put on 64GB. It's easy to do and is well worth it. I realise some people have quite large programs, but if necessary, they can be installed on a spinner.

 

[UnknownReverent]

All of the stuff I have at the moment, not including games, is well under 40gb. That's including being fully updated.

 

[DavidE]

The only problem is finding a hard drive that I like. The brand, rpm, and price is a big factor right now.

If you post "what you like" along with where you will (and won't) buy from, someone may see a sale/good deal and let you know.

 

[UnknownReverent]

Well the current hard drive I have is a 640gb Seagate. I haven't heard good things about them lately. I just want something similar to that size and 7200RPM.

 

[BarryBGB]

I think at the bare minimum, a 60G will do. I myself would not use anything lower that 120G.

Once you go SSD, you never will go back.
I got my first one a little over a year ago, a Crucial C300 256G SataIII. My read/write scores tripled. The Win7 WEI went to the max 7.9 on the disk data transfer rate. Everything else was at or below 7.5 then.

My company uses hundreds of HyperX 480G drives from Kingston and there is a sale at Newegg for a 120G at $129 after rebate. That is a great price.
Newegg.com - Kingston HyperX 3K SH103S3B/120G 2.5" 120GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) (Upgrade Bundle Kit)

Even after a year or more on my crucial, it is still only half full.

Never run a SSD more than 75% capacity. You need the space for Trim and Garbage Collection.
When you are ready for a SSD, make sure you read all the information about how to use it before you install it.
There are things like, no defrag, no indexing, alignment, etc.

 

[seavixen32]

Well the current hard drive I have is a 640gb Seagate. I haven't heard good things about them lately. I just want something similar to that size and 7200RPM.

Just a thought. Have you considered contacting Seagate to see if they can exchange the drive under warranty?

 

[UnknownReverent]

I think at the bare minimum, a 60G will do. I myself would not use anything lower that 120G.

Once you go SSD, you never will go back.
I got my first one a little over a year ago, a Crucial C300 256G SataIII. My read/write scores tripled. The Win7 WEI went to the max 7.9 on the disk data transfer rate. Everything else was at or below 7.5 then.

My company uses hundreds of HyperX 480G drives from Kingston and there is a sale at Newegg for a 120G at $129 after rebate. That is a great price.
Newegg.com - Kingston HyperX 3K SH103S3B/120G 2.5" 120GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) (Upgrade Bundle Kit)

Even after a year or more on my crucial, it is still only half full.

Never run a SSD more than 75% capacity. You need the space for Trim and Garbage Collection.
When you are ready for a SSD, make sure you read all the information about how to use it before you install it.
There are things like, no defrag, no indexing, alignment, etc.

Do you have a place saved that I could read up on this?

 

[UnknownReverent]

Just a thought. Have you considered contacting Seagate to see if they can exchange the drive under warranty?

I've had it well over 3 or 4 years. I bought it from a Fry's near me. There is no warranty left.

 

[BarryBGB]

Do you have a place saved that I could read up on this?[/QUOTE]


Sure. Here are a few:

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/149969-ssd-install-transfer-operating-system.html
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/70822-ssd-tweaks-optimizations-windows-7-a.html
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/113967-ssd-alignment.html
http://www.overclock.net/t/700470/tutorials-real-world-windows-7-ssd-tweaks-and-optimization
Sean's Windows 7 Install & Optimization Guide for SSDs & HDDs

There are many more out there.
A very important one is the alignment. I have a program that does the alignment for me even if there is data on it. It used to be free but now Paragon charges for it.
I also use the program on my spinners and has increased their read/write speeds.

I could use the program diskpart that comes with Windows but I guess I am getting lazy.

I also never let Windows create my partitions either. It always wants to make a 100MB second one that just takes up a drive letter, and makes it confusing when I want to image the drive. I simply partition it first, then install Windows.