Samsung evo ssd vs hitachi hdd

[fangster]

I am thinking about buying this laptop for gaming and basic schoolwork.

http://www.amazon.com/K501LX-EB71-15-6-Inch-GeForce-Graphics-Windows/dp/B00YR6BMS2/ref=zg_bs_565108_13

There is an extra hard drive bay. I am stuck between buying a hitachi 7200rpm 500gb hdd ($56) and Samsung evo 250gb ssd ($90).
What are the pros and cons?

I am looking for speed, reliability, and durability.

Thank you for your help!

 

[mudpuppet]

If speed is your big thing, then I would suggest SSDs. HDDs are generally cheaper and larger in capacity, however SSDs will run laps around them. Boot time reduction is the biggest thing you'll probably notice. The biggest complaint where I work from the laptop users is how long it takes for them to open things and boot up. We're slowly in the process of buying new laptops with SSDs and getting SSDs to swap out on the older HDD models. If you can get by on the 250GB, then that's the way I would go.

EDIT: Sorry I misread that it came with an SSD already. I personally still like SSDs. If you need the extra storage, then the HDD would be fine, otherwise might as well enjoy the speed of the SSD.

 

[fangster]

If speed is your big thing, then I would suggest SSDs. HDDs are generally cheaper and larger in capacity, however SSDs will run laps around them. Boot time reduction is the biggest thing you'll probably notice. The biggest complaint where I work from the laptop users is how long it takes for them to open things and boot up. We're slowly in the process of buying new laptops with SSDs and getting SSDs to swap out on the older HDD models. If you can get by on the 250GB, then that's the way I would go.

EDIT: Sorry I misread that it came with an SSD already. I personally still like SSDs. If you need the extra storage, then the HDD would be fine, otherwise might as well enjoy the speed of the SSD.

How many years will I get out of only using ssd in my laptop?

 

[mudpuppet]

I would say its more dependent on how much you write to it and then rewrite. Honestly, I think it really just depends on the luck of the draw. I had a 64GB ssd a few years back that lasted me about 2.5 years, and I had an HDD before that which only lasted 1.5 years. I've known people who've been using the same SSD for the last 3-4 years and are still going strong. They are newer so you can't say they will last you 10 years easily, but I would imagine a few years under normal use.