Buy an SSD now or wait for a sale?

[nsxviper]

I am in the middle of upgrading my computer with a new mobo and cpu and I would like to know if I should get an SSD now so I don't have to deal with the hassle of reinstalling my computer twice. I'm considering getting either the Intel 330 180GB or Samsung 840 (Non-Pro) 256GB. I was going to make the purchase of the Samsung 840 when the prices were at $149.99 on Amazon when suddenly it jumped to $179.99. The Intel 330 has been hovering around $157.00-$162.00. I've read that about 6-8 months ago Intel had a nice rebate for those purchased the Intel 330. Do you think that rebate will come back again?

I'm on a budget here and I don't want to spend more than $150 on an SSD. A 128GB SSD may not seem enough for me but I may consider it. The only game I would probably install is Guild Wars 2. The rest I can install on my storage drives.

 

[Happy Lemming]

Install to a 120 or 240 GB hard drive partition now, then it is trivial to clone to an SSD when you get one. Use free software from hard drive manufacturer's website, usually a simple version of Acronis True Image Home.

 

[computernewb]

the samsung 840 pro 256gb has been jumping back and forth between $250 and around $200 for the last week. I grabbed it when it was $199. Then it jumped to $239. Then it went back down to $209 and now its up to $249. All within a couple of days. Just keep an eye out on newegg. The prices seem to fluctuate a lot there. Sometimes even in a day.

 

[JohnnyLucky]

Last weekend Newegg had the Samsung 840 Pro 256GB ssd on sale for $199.00 and free shiping. They sold out very quickly. It took me a while to decide whether to get one and I missed out. Sale prices for computer parts are typically on a 6 week cycle. There may be special promotions too. Right now 80 to 85 cents per GB is considered to be a good price.

Logic Buy is a good place to check daily deals at participating online vendors. Here's the link to the drive page:

http://www.logicbuy.com/categorydeals/computers/hard-drives-ssd

You have to be patient and check daily. Something that is listed first thing in the morning may be sold out within a few hours.

 

[envy14tpe]

I vote for buying a SSD now cuz later will be a headache. I know this from experience. I built my rig without a ssd, but two months later Intel had the 330 120gb on sale for $100 and I bought one. I had to reinstall everything. It took a lot of time and time is money. I don't regret buying the ssd but wish I would have paid a little more in the first place and initially built the rig around it.

Also, 120gb is plenty. I have OS, programs, and two games on the ssd. Yet I have 20gb free. So, 180gb is probably more than enough, assuming you have another HDD. And given how cheap HDDs are today you gotta have one.

 

[JackNaylorPE]

It's a crapshoot. Sales are based upon .... well sales. If stuff is sitting on shelves to long, you will see a sale. As for difficulty later on if you add one, it's a piece of cake if you prepare properly.....certainly not an ounce more work than what I'd do if buying at the same time.

When buying both at the same time, my build procedure is:

1. Connect the HD to SATA 1 and install windows to a partition the same size as the SSD.
2. Set DVD letter to Z:\ and install all hardware drivers.
3. Run Windows update the 17 times it needs to update everything.
4. Shut down and disconnect the HD data cable / Install the SSD to SATA 0.
5. Repeat steps 2 and 3 for the SSD install.
6. Relabel the Windows partition on the HD (say X:\)
7. Create partitions for Games / Programs / Data .... whatever on the HD.
8. Install Programs / Games / Data as desired

At this point you can reboot, go into the BIOS and repeat step 6 and 8 for the Windows install on the HD but it'd not necessary at this time. However with this done, if ya SSD goes south, you can always just boot to the Windows install on the HD and have full and immediate access to all ya stuff.

Another option is to buy a hybrid SSD / HD. I have multiple machines on my SoHo network and I challenge anyone to tell me which has the SSD & HD and which has the hybrid SSD / HD w/o a stopwatch or benchmarking program. Boot time with the THG Tier 1 SSD's is 15.6 seconds ..... boot time to the hybrid is just 1 second slower as you can see in the review below:

http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=806&Itemid=60&limit=1&limitstart=7

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148837

 

[nsxviper]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I have a 250GB hard drive that I can use for a fresh install of Windows 7. I'll treat it like an SSD and make sure to not install every game and program out there. I'll wait till their prices drop or if a rebate ever comes up.

 

[nsxviper]

Best answer selected by nsxviper.