Which SSD Should I Get For My Laptop?

Posted by Greg Laden on October 5, 2011
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This is important if you are considering that choice:

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Comments

  1. #1 MadScientist
    October 5, 2011

    Drives with “Single Layer Cell” technology – they are far more reliable than “Multi Layer Cell” devices, although they cost more than the computer. I’ve built the Intel X25E into instruments but still keep a hot spare to swap over in case the drive fails. Thanks to firmware shuffling stuff around, many people have been happily using MLC devices in their laptops for over 2 years with few problems, so it tends to be paranoid people like me who use SLC.

    As for speed – well, many crappy SSDs use the same technology as the “SD” USB gizmos – they are both slow and crappy, but cheap to produce so folks making ‘em really rake in the dough and hurt the sales of people selling the genuine stuff.

  2. #2 sailor
    October 5, 2011

    If it is a drive to back a lot up on, why ssd? a regular hard drive is very compact and easy and way cheaper. If it is for important not such bulky stuff you must keep with you, well those 8 or 16 gig usb drives make a great keyring. I once forgot one and it went in my trouser pockets through the laundry – washer and dryer. It fell out of the pocket in the drier. Not not only did it still work, no data was lost.

  3. #3 Mu
    October 5, 2011

    AnandTech had a very recent review here
    http://www.anandtech.com/show/4863/the-samsung-ssd-830-review
    might want to take a look at the competitors.
    Or subscribe to Newegg’s deal email, they typically have some decent price breaks which might allow you to go bigger or faster than you would otherwise.

  4. #4 Greg Laden
    October 5, 2011

    Mad: Hmmmm.. it wouldn’t have to cost much to cost more than my laptop… but anyway, I’m not sure if I want to spend a lot for this. For the laptop, all data will be fully redundant and the system is very easy to reinstall. I was assuming that reputability and longevity were not expected for an SSD.

    Regarding speed, the whole point of getting an SSD is the speed.

  5. #5 Maciej
    October 5, 2011

    Thanks for post. The most important is, for what you will be use this laptop. If for the Microsoft Word/ Excel, you don’t need fireworks :)

  6. #6 Greg Laden
    October 5, 2011

    Sailor, the idea is to use it as a system drive, and to hold data that is always backed up in the cloud.

    Wait, hold on a sec. Are you telling me that you are not supposed to but USB drives in the washing machine? Seriously?

  7. #7 Greg Laden
    October 5, 2011

    Excel? What’s that? We have an Excel Stadium in Saint Paul, I think.

  8. #8 Left_Wing_Fox
    October 6, 2011

    Have you considered OWC’s Mercury 6G drives?

    http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/SSD/OWC/Mercury_6G/

  9. #9 Left_Wing_Fox
    October 6, 2011

    Ah, they also have the Aura models for laptops and ultraportables.

    I’m considering one of these in my next computer.

  10. #10 Greg Laden
    October 6, 2011

    Holy crap. Looking at those specs, I wonder if swapping memory on one of these babies is almost as good as putting in RAM, bang-for-buck wise.

    Not as compensation for enemic ram, but if you have 2 gigs and are running Linux (nice and efficient) a swap file on this kind of drive would have an impact, perhaps.