What SSD to buy?

[cjbeech]

Hi everyone

I have a 2 year old Acer Aspire v3-571, that I use a lot. I'm looking to replace the hard drive with a SSD make it faster make it last longer, but I know very little about them.

I would only need around 256GBG, so what SSD would be best and how hard are they to install? (should I pay someone to install and configure it to make sure it's one properly or could I do this myself?)

Thanks

 

[Mattios]

Evo is a good one http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-2-5-Inch-Internal-MZ-75E250B-AM/dp/B00OAJ412U/

If you're willing to fresh install the OS (which you really should be) then installation is easy. You'll also need a SATA to USB adaptor in order to move your files over from the old drive.

 

[Boogieman_WD]

Hey there, cjbeech.

I'm not 100% sure, but I think that this model uses the SATA II interface so please mind that if this is the case, your SSD's performance would be bottlenecked by the older SATA revision (version). However you'd still benefit from having an SSD instead of an HDD in your laptop so go for it.
If you decide to migrate/clone your OS to the SSD instead of making a fresh install, you could take a look at this tutorial: http://lifehacker.com/5837543/how-to-migrate-to-a-solid-state-drive-without-reinstalling-windows

Hope that helps.
Boogieman_WD

 

[cjbeech]

Hey there, cjbeech.

I'm not 100% sure, but I think that this model uses the SATA II interface so please mind that if this is the case, your SSD's performance would be bottlenecked by the older SATA revision (version). However you'd still benefit from having an SSD instead of an HDD in your laptop so go for it.
If you decide to migrate/clone your OS to the SSD instead of making a fresh install, you could take a look at this tutorial: http://lifehacker.com/5837543/how-to-migrate-to-a-solid-state-drive-without-reinstalling-windows

Hope that helps.
Boogieman_WD

Thanks, I didn't think about what interface my laptop uses. Could yo recommend any good SATA II SSDs if this is the case?

 

[cjbeech]

Evo is a good one http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-2-5-Inch-Internal-MZ-75E250B-AM/dp/B00OAJ412U/

If you're willing to fresh install the OS (which you really should be) then installation is easy. You'll also need a SATA to USB adaptor in order to move your files over from the old drive.

Thanks for the reply, why is it better to fresh install the OS?

 

[Boogieman_WD]

Hey there, cjbeech.

I'm not 100% sure, but I think that this model uses the SATA II interface so please mind that if this is the case, your SSD's performance would be bottlenecked by the older SATA revision (version). However you'd still benefit from having an SSD instead of an HDD in your laptop so go for it.
If you decide to migrate/clone your OS to the SSD instead of making a fresh install, you could take a look at this tutorial: http://lifehacker.com/5837543/how-to-migrate-to-a-solid-state-drive-without-reinstalling-windows

Hope that helps.
Boogieman_WD

Thanks, I didn't think about what interface my laptop uses. Could yo recommend any good SATA II SSDs if this is the case?

I'm sorry, but as a Western Digital representative, I can't really recommend a specific brand. Although I'm sure the rest of the guys from the community would be more than helpful with that. Note that the SATA interface is backwards compatible (which means you can use a SATA III drive with a SATA II port and vice versa), so you don't need to get a SATA II SSD. Go with a decent SATA III SSD that fits your budget.

 

[Mattios]

Agree with Boogieman, get the one I recommended or any other SSD that you like the look of/has good reviews.

You should fresh install the OS or it will become confused because some programs will have been moved or are missing completely.

 

[cjbeech]

Hey there, cjbeech.

I'm not 100% sure, but I think that this model uses the SATA II interface so please mind that if this is the case, your SSD's performance would be bottlenecked by the older SATA revision (version). However you'd still benefit from having an SSD instead of an HDD in your laptop so go for it.
If you decide to migrate/clone your OS to the SSD instead of making a fresh install, you could take a look at this tutorial: http://lifehacker.com/5837543/how-to-migrate-to-a-solid-state-drive-without-reinstalling-windows

Hope that helps.
Boogieman_WD

Thanks, I didn't think about what interface my laptop uses. Could yo recommend any good SATA II SSDs if this is the case?

I'm sorry, but as a Western Digital representative, I can't really recommend a specific brand. Although I'm sure the rest of the guys from the community would be more than helpful with that. Note that the SATA interface is backwards compatible (which means you can use a SATA III drive with a SATA II port and vice versa), so you don't need to get a SATA II SSD. Go with a decent SATA III SSD that fits your budget.

OK thanks a lot!