New SSD - Which one? (for laptop)

[Guest]

I need a SSD for my laptop (Lenovo T500). It doesn't have sata3, but I was thinking of getting a sata3 disc, so when I get a new laptop I can use the same disc.

These are what I have lined up.

Which one would you recommend? Or do you have any other suggestions?


Corsair SSD Performance 3 Series 256GB
Sata 3.0 - CSSD-P3256GB2-BRKT

Corsair SSD Force Series 3 240GB
Sata 3.0 - CSSD-F240GB3-BK

Kingston HyperX SSD 240GB
Sata 3.0 - SH100S3/240G

Intel SSD 510 Series 250GB
Sata 3.0 - SSDSC2MH250A2K5

OCZ Vertex 3 240 GB
Sata 3.0 - VTX3-25SAT3-240G




Thanks in advance!

 

[Guest]

Also add to the list :

Crucial m4 SSD 256GB
Sata 3.0 - CT256M4SSD2

 

[JohnnyLucky]

What will you be doing with your laptop? Sometimes ssd selection depends on usage.

 

[Guest]

I mainly use it for email and surfing (business related). But I also do a lot of Photoshop, Indesign etc.. And watch movies

The reason I want a SSD is because my laptop is such a lot on the move (even when it's on - moving from one room to another, office to office etc.), so I am afraid that my HDD will collapse soon ..

And off course the speed, no sound, not getting hot etc. also plays a role.

So mainly business / design (semi pro - not like working on 50 projects at the time)

NO gaming

 

[JohnnyLucky]

Intel 510 would be a good choice. So far there haven't been any issues or problems. In terms of synthetic benchmarks the 510 is not a speed demon but in real world applications it can definitely hold it's own.

An ssd will not improve web surfing. You're are at the mercy of your Internet Service Provider. I'm stuck with Cox Cable. Performance is inconsistent.

An ssd will not improve email. Human reading and typing skills are the bottleneck.

An ssd will not improve movie watching. A hard disk drive is sufficient for watching movies.

An ssd will improve Adobe Photoshop and other image editing software performance. In addition to load times, you can expect some improvement in batch processing, rendering processes, and file conversions. I've got CS5 and although I am retired I still do some semi-professional work on a part time basis.

An ssd will not improve anything that requires a lot of human typing and mousing. For example, I create PHP scripts, web pages, databases, and documents. All of it is dependent on my own research, typing, and mousing skills. That fastest ssd in the world will not help me.

It may sound like a lot of negative comments but it isn't. The bottom line is ssd performance depends on usage.

 

[Guest]

Thanks for your reply!

I know it will not improve any of those things I mentioned, I type fast enough as it is
It was just to give you an idea of what I need.
I don't need a speed monster .. I need something reliable.. I can't risk getting my disc wiped because the controller is freaky.. I need it to run and do it's job, and not fail.

I want SSD since my laptop is so much on the move (so no moving parts is nice), and I am afraid that my current disc will die soon.. + no sound, not getting hot is a big plus.

I am under the impression that Marvell controllers are reliable(?).. and Sandforce are having a lot of issues..

So I guess it's the Intel 510 or Crucial m4?

Intel 510 it is then?

Price is not a big factor .. the disc needs to be 200-300GB and work

 

[JohnnyLucky]

The Intel 510 and the Crucial m4 both use a slightly different Marvell controller that is an improved version of the original 9174 controller.

In terms of reliability Intel 510 is the way to go. Intel also has a very user friendly utility that will help maintain the ssd in good operating condition.

 

[Guest]

Intel it is!

Thanks.

Can I clone my current disc, or is a clean install recommended? I am running W7 Pro

Are all these "SSD Tweaks" I read about necessary? (maybe the Intel app will take care of that?)


Thanks again

 

[JohnnyLucky]

Yes, you can clone your current hard disk drive. However, the preferred method is a clean install.

The Intel SSD ToolKit will help optimize performance. A lot of the performance tweaks you may have read about are no longer considered necessary. In fact, it now appears that some of the performance tweaks may actually have a negative affect.

Here's an up to date article written by tecmo and published by Tom's Hardware:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/ssd-performance-tweak,2911.html

 

[Guest]

Thanks a lot for your help.

I will try a clone, and see how it works. If not I will take the plunge and reinstall all of my apps.

Ordering now!

 

[eivind]

I have now cloned the ssd and done everything on this list :

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/ssd-performance-tweak,2911.html

1.Disable System Restore
2.Disable drive indexing
3.Disable the page file
4.Disable Hibernation
5.Disable prefetching in the registry
6.Disable Windows' write caching
7.Disable the SuperFetch and Windows Search services
8.Disable ClearPageFileAtShutdown and LargeSystemCache
9.Adjust power settings


Afterwards I activated Windows Search service, since search was disabled in outlook.

I am now experiencing some problems with the performance of my laptop.. It can "freeze" for a minute, and then start working again .. It happens quite a lot .. I have also had 1 blue screen ..


Should I enable some of the stuff again? Maybe the paging file?


Thanks a lot in advance!