Solved Thoughts on a solid state drive?

[Max Pen]

Are they worth getting? Don't they break faster then the classic drive? Also they cost alot to get the same storage capacity as a normal drive?

 

[pbcopter]

SSD drives don't break faster than mechanical drives, in fact, since there are no mechanical parts, they should be more reliable.
They do cost more than mechanical drives but the prices have come down since they were first introduced.

Are they worth it? I personally think they are for the operating system and programs. They increase the performance of the computer.

I use mechanical drives for storing data.

 

[ignatzatsonic]

For most people in most circumstances, an SSD is probably the biggest performance increase you can make for under $100.

You can still keep your spinning drive for all of your data, assuming your PC has the internal space for 2 drives. It should. Put Windows and most or all applications on the SSD, and your data on the spinning drive.

An 80 or 120 GB SSD is large enough for most users. Cost for that is well under $100 for good brands---Samsung, Crucial, Intel.

SSDs often come with software to facilitate moving Windows from the spinning drive to the SSD, but you can certainly use other third-party applications for that purpose--or do a clean install if you prefer.

Faster boot times, faster application opening, lower noise, lower electricity usage, less heat, and a generally "snappier" system. Reliability probably greater as well.

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

SSDs are still too expensive for mass data storage and, unless moving massive amounts of data at once, very little performance gain will be realized. However, when used for the OS and programs only, the performance gain is phenomenal, with the greatest improvement being in the speed up of boot times and program loading. As ignatzsonic stated, an SSD is the single best upgrade one can make to a computer (increasing RAM in a computer without enough in the first place is the next best). While good SSDs large enough for a boot drive (a drive with just the OS and programs on it) can be had for under $100, I recommend shelling out a bit more for a 128GB Samsung 840 Pro. With the 850 Pro coming out later this month, the prices on the 840 Pro should plummet so watch for sales.

Now, on a laptop with room for only one drive that doesn't get heavy use, a larger SSD is needed. For that, I would suggest one of the 840 EVOs. Their performance is pretty much as good as the Pros but cost less. While theoretical write life of the EVOs is less than that of the Pros, tests have shown the EVOs will probably outlive any machine they get put into.

 

[King Arthur]

Unless you specifically need an SSD for its inherent characteristics (lack of moving parts, resistant to physical shock, fast access times, etc.) owing to its design compared to HDDs, SSDs are still largely a luxury item. HDDs are still king when it comes to "bytes per buck".

I've also used computers with SSDs and they aren't nearly as fast as most people make them out to be. Yes, SSDs allow for blazing boot times and whatnot, but unless you require such performances for things such as professional requirements (eg: video recording) an HDD will serve most average users perfectly fine.

I will say though that with laptops, SSDs have more argument in becoming a neccesity rather than a luxury. Most laptops are handled roughly and a HDD is weak to physical shock and stress due to its design, something that SSDs are almost impervious to.

 

[Layback Bear]

How much money you are willing to spend is not my concern. It's your money.
To me a quality brand name ssd is a wise buy.
I would not own a PC with out a ssd.
Once you use one you will want more.
The two brands I use without any problems are Intel and Samsung.

Two things you must do with a ssd.
1. Make sure defrag is tunned off
2. Use it and enjoy.

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Unless you specifically need an SSD for its inherent characteristics (lack of moving parts, resistant to physical shock, fast access times, etc.) owing to its design compared to HDDs, SSDs are still largely a luxury item. HDDs are still king when it comes to "bytes per buck".

I've also used computers with SSDs and they aren't nearly as fast as most people make them out to be. Yes, SSDs allow for blazing boot times and whatnot, but unless you require such performances for things such as professional requirements (eg: video recording) an HDD will serve most average users perfectly fine.

I will say though that with laptops, SSDs have more argument in becoming a neccesity rather than a luxury. Most laptops are handled roughly and a HDD is weak to physical shock and stress due to its design, something that SSDs are almost impervious to.

You must be using some pretty crappy SSDs, then, or they weren't set up properly because that definitely hasn't been my experience. My desktop computer runs 24/7 and I reboot only once a week or so and I still wouldn't have a computer without an SSD. Besides faster boot times, programs start faster and, if programs have to access modules frequently, they do so faster.

I agree that mass data storage is best done on HDDs. SSDs are still too expensive for data storage and would be noticeably faster only when moving massive amounts of data at once (which most of us do not).

I also agree that SSDs in laptops are becoming more a necessity than a luxury but not for the reasons you gave. I've yet to have a HDD fail in a laptop due to rough handling. However, I won't have one without an SSD for the reasons I gave above. The speedup in boot and program loading times is even more dramatic most of the time because most laptops use 5400rpm drives to conserve battery power and those are slower than the 7200rpm drives usually used in desktops. Laptop battery life also improves significantly when HDDs are replaced with SSDs.

Frankly, you are one of about two or three people I've seen who have been disappointed with SSDs. The vast majority of people report that, having had a SSD, they will never be without one again.

 

[badger906]

I would never build a pc for myself again without an SSD!

dont listen to the negative folk! the difference is night and day!!

as soon as you boot it up for the first time youll think youve got 64gb ram and a $700 processor upgrade!

im such a convert im looking at completely ditching mechanical drives and even using an SSD for my mass storage!

the price of a 240gb drive these days is under half if what I paid for my original 80gb version 4 years ago.

its a well worthy investment, and not one you would regret. just use it and enjoy!

 

[Computer0304]

Unless you have the bare minimums for running Windows 7 anyway, you should benefit at least a noticable increase in performance from upgrading to a SSD unless you do not use software that uses the storage often.

 

[whs]

I own 7 SSDs - the oldest from 2008. One broke after more than 2 years of use. It was replaced by the manufacturer within 24 hours. Today's SSDs are more reliable than any HDD. They now have reliable controllers and any SSD should last longer than you care to keep it.

I would not want to live without SSDs. Repalcing the HDD with a SSD is always the first action I take with a new laptop. For desktops I just add a small SSD (60GB) for the OS.

Yes they are more expensive on a per GB basis than HDDs. But prices have come down considerably. My first 60GB OCZ cost as much as a 512GB SSD today.

 

[kbrady1979]

SSD's from a reputable manufacturer are blazing fast, and reliable as the day is long. According to some torture tests that have been done, some will write several thousand terabytes of information before they just go bad.........several thousand terabytes, or several petabytes. Let that sink in. Your hard drives will likely go bad before a good SSD will.

 

[essenbe]

This is an extremely long thread, but it is what Kbrady was talking about. SSDs are more reliable than mechanical hard drives, and will typically last much longer. SSD Write Endurance 25nm Vs 34nm - Page 56

 

[King Arthur]

You must be using some pretty crappy SSDs, then, or they weren't set up properly because that definitely hasn't been my experience. My desktop computer runs 24/7 and I reboot only once a week or so and I still wouldn't have a computer without an SSD. Besides faster boot times, programs start faster and, if programs have to access modules frequently, they do so faster.

The SSDs used in the computers in question are Intel SSDs and as far as I am aware have been setup properly, the operating system on them are Windows 7. Indeed, there is a noticable boost in boot and execution times (among others) compared to HDD systems, but the performance difference is honestly not worthy of saying "wow I cannot live without SSDs" under average computer use situations.

 

[Layback Bear]

King Arthur I'm sorry you have had a bad experience with your ssd.
As you can see reading this thread the rest of us have nothing but good to say about ssd's.

Price is relative to ones desires and ability to pay.

Here is example of two Intel 120 gb ssd I have bought and still use.

March 2011 $286.00
June 2014 $100.00

Bought both from the same local dealer.

 

[lffoar]

Go for it Max. I'm no computer wiz but I've found the difference in speed is night and day. I researched a lot before settling on the Samsung 840 Pro and picked up a 256gb for $165 Australian. A WD 1tb black at the same time cost me $90 but I'm glad I went for the SSD as the primary drive. I've got Windows 7 O/S, Microsoft office, all the necessary antivirus and malware programs plus various other programs to cover everything I want to do. Total space taken up on the SSD is only just 70gb so I still have around 170gb to play with and still have the WD spinner for storage and any rarely used programs. Best decision I've made since I left home to get a newspaper in 1975 and never went back!
Pros: faster, quieter, more reliable
Cons: A bit more cost but well worth it.

 

[kbrady1979]

Storage is still the slowest piece of hardware in your computer. Slower than the CPU, Graphics card and RAM. A hard drive is exponentially slower than an SSD and an SSD is still slower than the other components. For the foreseeable future, that's the way it's gonna be.........storage is gonna be the bottleneck in any system. That being said, there is no area in which an SSD doesn't outperform a HDD by a substantial amount......sequential read/write, Random 4k's and access times. It's been said above in this thread, but I will stress this point......there is absolutely no piece of hardware you can buy that will be more significant an upgrade than an SSD. So by adding an SSD into your system, you are boosting the slowest component up a substantial amount, and getting it closer in terms of raw speed to your other components.

Once you get an SSD, you will never settle for less.

 

[Britton30]

Go for it Max. I'm no computer wiz but I've found the difference in speed is night and day. I researched a lot before settling on the Samsung 840 Pro and picked up a 256gb for $165 Australian. A WD 1tb black at the same time cost me $90 but I'm glad I went for the SSD as the primary drive. I've got Windows 7 O/S, Microsoft office, all the necessary antivirus and malware programs plus various other programs to cover everything I want to do. Total space taken up on the SSD is only just 70gb so I still have around 170gb to play with and still have the WD spinner for storage and any rarely used programs. Best decision I've made since I left home to get a newspaper in 1975 and never went back!
Pros: faster, quieter, more reliable
Cons: A bit more cost but well worth it.

Storage is still the slowest piece of hardware in your computer. Slower than the CPU, Graphics card and RAM. A hard drive is exponentially slower than an SSD and an SSD is still slower than the other components. For the foreseeable future, that's the way it's gonna be.........storage is gonna be the bottleneck in any system. That being said, there is no area in which an SSD doesn't outperform a HDD by a substantial amount......sequential read/write, Random 4k's and access times. It's been said above in this thread, but I will stress this point......there is absolutely no piece of hardware you can buy that will be more significant an upgrade than an SSD. So by adding an SSD into your system, you are boosting the slowest component up a substantial amount, and getting it closer in terms of raw speed to your other components.

Once you get an SSD, you will never settle for less.

 

[Indianatone]

I have 2 computers with SSD's and one SSD shipping to me as I type. My wife and I have a Toshiba 256 GB SSD boot drive in our main machines. I have a Kingston 120 GB one in a 2009 Dell T3400 Precision workstation which I think is SATA II. I put a Kingston 120 GB drive in an Asus Eepc and it made the netbook very responsive and usable. In all cases the computers are far faster than increasing the ram CPU speed or any other tweaks you can think of. The operating system boots in seconds and the programs start instantly. On the point of long term reliability there have been horror stories but they are generally more reliable and not susceptible to shock. They have no moving parts. I am saving up for another 256 GB SSD for my other main PC. An SSD is the best upgrade you can make for a PC without doubt.

The Kingston drive is here: Amazon.com: Kingston Digital 120GB SSDNow V300 SATA 3 2.5 (7mm height) with Adapter Solid State Drive 2.5-Inch SV300S37A/120G: Computers & Accessories

The Toshiba Amazon.com: Toshiba 256GB Q Series Pro PC Internal Solid State Drive (HDTS325XZSTA): Computers & Accessories

My aim is to put SSD boot drives in all my computers over the next year or so. 256 GB for the better machines and 120GB for the rest.
Get an SSD, you will not regret it.

 

[essenbe]

Storage is still the slowest piece of hardware in your computer. Slower than the CPU, Graphics card and RAM. A hard drive is exponentially slower than an SSD and an SSD is still slower than the other components. For the foreseeable future, that's the way it's gonna be.........storage is gonna be the bottleneck in any system. That being said, there is no area in which an SSD doesn't outperform a HDD by a substantial amount......sequential read/write, Random 4k's and access times. It's been said above in this thread, but I will stress this point......there is absolutely no piece of hardware you can buy that will be more significant an upgrade than an SSD. So by adding an SSD into your system, you are boosting the slowest component up a substantial amount, and getting it closer in terms of raw speed to your other components.

Once you get an SSD, you will never settle for less.

Just for an example, the access time (from the time you push the button until the hard drive starts opening the program) for the average Mechanical hard drive is 14-15ms, the access time for any decent SSD is 0.1ms.

 

[kbrady1979]

Storage is still the slowest piece of hardware in your computer. Slower than the CPU, Graphics card and RAM. A hard drive is exponentially slower than an SSD and an SSD is still slower than the other components. For the foreseeable future, that's the way it's gonna be.........storage is gonna be the bottleneck in any system. That being said, there is no area in which an SSD doesn't outperform a HDD by a substantial amount......sequential read/write, Random 4k's and access times. It's been said above in this thread, but I will stress this point......there is absolutely no piece of hardware you can buy that will be more significant an upgrade than an SSD. So by adding an SSD into your system, you are boosting the slowest component up a substantial amount, and getting it closer in terms of raw speed to your other components.

Once you get an SSD, you will never settle for less.

Just for an example, the access time (from the time you push the button until the hard drive starts opening the program) for the average Mechanical hard drive is 14-15ms, the access time for any decent SSD is 0.1ms.

Very true......and that is Real World performance that you can feel. Random 4K Reads/Writes are exponentially faster as well, which is what the OS consists of. Here is a snippet of my Samsung 830 SSD and a Seagate 7200 RPM 2TB HDD......note the difference in 4K scores.