Hard Drive Replacement for PC

After you install all your programs and install all the updates, the backup could be anywhere from 25 to 40 GB

Why do you still have 2 Samsung`s listed, you only need 1.

I`d get 120 GB Samsung and a 2 TB WD

That`s $170 and tax, gas, tolls etc :)

All those links are just for you to look at.

Just google it, it should bring up all it`s information, or check it out at

Western Digital US Online Store - Special Offers

Again, I do not recommend the Samsung SSDs right now because of some issues they have been having lately. There have been issues with the latest firmware bricking some of the latest 850 Pros. The EVOs have been having problems with slowdowns over time that Samsung has been having a problem getting a handle on. There are ways to deal with both of those problems but it's something a person new to SSDs should not have to deal with.

The Crucial MX100 is a solid drive that has been getting excellent user reviews and costs a bit less than the Sammys. The user reviews for the Sammys have been dropping a bit lately. The Sammy's are a bit faster then the Crucials but, in really life usage, you will not notice the difference between them and you will still be blown away with how much faster a SSD is over a HDD when booting up the computer and opening up many programs.

128GB is plenty of room to install Win 7 and programs on unless you are a gamer. Serious games are basically humongous programs that require more room than most other programs. I'm not a gamer so I don't have that issue. My SSD boot drive on my desktop machine has Win 7 and over 100 programs, some of them quite large, and takes up only 65GB. Most people won't need nearly as much room for their installations. The trick is to keep all your data on the HDD and off the SSD.

Best Buy is usually more expensive than NewEgg and their online selection, as often as not, includes Marketplace vendor offerings that may or may not be reliable. I do not recommend using Best Buy if ordering online. I've found just using their website is a bit frustrating.

What size HDD you get for inside your computer depends on how much room for data you will need, both now and for the next three or four years. If there is no way you will ever need any more than 1TB of storage space, there is no real need to get anything bigger. With one TB, you have a choice of getting a 1 TB Blue or a 1TB Black (keep in mind the Blues have only a two year warranty while the Blacks have a five year warranty). If you need or want 2TB, then you will need to get a Black since the Blues don't come any bigger than 1TB.

For backups, two external drives, like the ones I listed, will probably be more convenient for you. If you can afford better quality, using two Greens in an external enclosure will be adequate. You can use the better Blues or Blacks but, for backup drives that will run only a few minutes each day, that is really overkill. I use Greens for my backups and haven't regretted it. Of the 13 I have had (I still have 12 in use), only one has failed (one of the early Greens that had an excessive head parking issue; the ones made since then have had that problem fixed) and one started showing signs of impending failure, even though it still seemed to be running fine (WD replaced it under warranty anyway).

The WD RE drives are enterprise drives that are designed for use in big, commercial servers. They don't get any better reviews than the Blacks when used for non-commercial use and are really overkill for your use. Even though my machines run 24/7, I still don't use them.

I`m recommending 850 EVO, I have one and it`s rockin good.

I have a Crucial M550 256 GB, only 90% Health straight out of the box.

The BX100 and M550 are so new, they have received only a handful of reviews which, so far, have been good. However, I prefer to buy and recommend products with an established track record, hence my recommendation for the MX100. If buying a MX100 from NewEgg, one can buy an additional two years of warranty for something like $12 to get a total of five years of warranty.

The problems that are still plaguing the 840 EVOs, despite a fix recently issued by Samsung, took quite a while before they started turning up. It's simply too soon to know if the 850 EVOs will have the same problems or not. Many of the 850Pros have been getting bricked lately. Frankly, the rash of Samsung problems, from SSDs to smart TVs, that have been rearing their ugly heads recently has damaged my confidence in their products (my opinion of their tech help has been in the toilet for quite some time after the experiences I had with them concerning my printer).

When using WD ext HDDs like the My Book Essentials they use (or used to use) built in hardware encryption. A really dumb idea so if the flimsy connector or interface electronics fails you cannot simple remove the sata HDD and recover your data. I'd go for a Docking station and a plain sata drive. I'm using a USB 3 Docking station(s) and WD Green 2TB WD20EZRX for backups - good bang for the $.

In very dirty environments you need to think of a way to keep all your PC gear away from dust etc.

I find the Samsung SSDs have flimsy data/power connectors that can easily snap with a docking station eject mechanism and Samsung will not RMA it. At least make it clear in your warranty conditions Samsung that you don't cover docking station use. You should be fine using them with a normal internal sata connection. I have 1 Crucial and 3 (& no more!) Samsung SSDs.