Looking for some opinons and help for upgrading.

[cody14w]

Hi, so recently my 1TB HDD that i have mostly everything on appears to be dieing so im considering upgrading it to a SSD to run my OS and Games off of then putting everything else onto my other 1TB HDD, Problem is i dont have that great of knowledge of computer hardware so i'm quite stumped as to what size SSD would be best and which SSD would be compatible with my current computer specs.

My 1TB HD that is going bad is a WD 64Mb SATA 3 HD, Would upgrading it to SSD be worth it? or should i just wait until i get my 1TB HD replaced from RMA?
If it would be a good upgrade could someone recommend a compatible, Reliable, and easy to install SSD thats under $300.
I'm guessing all the W7 OS stuff + Updates/Drivers will take about 20-40gb then would like atleast 60-100gb for some apps and games to run off it.

This is the SSD i was looking at buying http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233268
but im afraid having to update the firmware might end up baffling me and ill end up screwing up the whole SSD.



My current specs are
ASUS P6X58D Premium Motherboard Intel X58
Powercolor 5870 Rad GPU
Intel i7 930
3x i7 DDR3 Corsair 2GB Ram

Also when i install a new HDD/SSD do i need put it into a computer with the OS already installed then partition and format then install the OS onto it?

 

[rolli59]

SSD is the single most performance increase (load times) you can do at the present. It is installed just like any other drive you plug it in the same as a HDD and make sure you select ACHI mode for it in BIOS before installing windows. It is recommended if installing it into a computer that already has windows on another drive to unplug the other windows drive!

 

[cody14w]

Was considering purchasing this one, is it good? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227727

 

[rolli59]

Yes it is for the price!

 

[dish_moose]

Just so you know - most x58 mobos do not have a true SATAIII controllers - would be better off using the Intel SATAII ports.
-Bruce

 

[geofelt]

Today, Intel 520 series or 320 series and Samsung 830 series are considered to be the most reliable and trouble free SSD's.

Your size estimates are about right, so a 120gb ssd should be fine. With your budget, 160-180gb would fit, and perhaps you could push for 240gb. The market is very competitive, and Intel has been forced to reduce their prices to compete. The 520 series has a 5 year warranyt vs the normal 3 year for the others.

 

[cody14w]

Just so you know - most x58 mobos do not have a true SATAIII controllers - would be better off using the Intel SATAII ports.
-Bruce

Would my mobo be able to run it without gimping its self? says it has True SATA 6Gb/s Support .

 

[geofelt]

A SSD is 50x faster in random i/o vs the fastest hard drives. That is what the OS mostly does, and is the main reason to buy a SSD. It makes everything feel quicker.

A SSD will be 2-3x faster than a good hard drive in sequential operations, like loading apps.
If the motherboard supports 6gb sata, then the newest SSD's will be at the upper end of the range, otherwise, closer to 2x. Regardless, the SSD is a performance winner.

With a X58 I would not worry one bit.

 

[cody14w]

Alright, this should be the last thing, after i physically installed the SSD into the computer do i just need to boot into BIOS and set to ACHI then insert my Windows 7 disc and im done?

 

[rolli59]

Pretty much, just make sure you have your other OS drive unplugged while installing windows.

 

[cody14w]

Pretty much, just make sure you have your other OS drive unplugged while installing windows.

Kk oh one more thing is there any system drivers or anything i need to put on a USB? besides like the video card drivers?

 

[rolli59]

Yes all system hardware drivers will go on the windows disk!