Installing ssds is it worth it for speed only

[lcyber]

My hard drive is about two years old and isn't that big but despite scanning and reinstalling it still clicks for ages on booting up,is it worth having an ssds fitted. I only need the smallest there is ,is it worth the effort for sped of operation

[Digerati]

My hard drive is about two years old and isn't that big but despite scanning and reinstalling it still clicks for ages on booting up,is it worth having an ssds fitted. I only need the smallest there is ,is it worth the effort for sped of operation

That depends on your expectations and wants - and your budget.

But for sure, even the slowest SSD offers MUCH BETTER performance than even the fastest HD. Your boot times in particular will be greatly reduced. But note once fully booted up, performance depends more on what you are doing, and how often your running programs need to access the drives.

Surfing the Internet, for example, is not affected by drive performance (once your browser opens).

A possible compromise is a hybrid drive. A hybrid drive uses a small SSD as a high speed buffer compared to the traditional RAM type memory used in standard HD buffers.

That said, clicking hard drives are not good as it indicates the R/W heads are banging against the end-stops searching for the boot sector. You need to backup any data you don't want lost immediately.

Then I recommend you run Error Checking on the drive from the drive's Properties > Tools menu. If the clicking persists, your drive is likely failing.

[lcyber]

Hi Digerati
Thanks for your reply,just two points I can't see error check in properties> tools in my c drive,is there some other term used maybe? Secondly is a hybrid drive straightforward to fit and would it affect my external hard drive

[lcyber]

Just tried to error check the external drive but it says"cant check while the disk is in use,it shouldn't be in use as nothing is seen to be running in it as shown on ctrl alt and del.(Task manager)If I disconnect it from the screen I can't check it, can I Howcan I check it

[Digerati]

You may need to boot into Safe Mode to run Error Checking. But are you sure it did not give you the option to run Error Checking upon next boot? This is typical, and you should select that option, then reboot and let it run. It will take some time and may appear as though it is hung-up. Just wait and let it finish.

Yes, installing a hybrid drive is just the same as installing a regular drive - same cables and same mounting.

It has nothing to do with your external drive. But adding any new drive may affect your drive letters. So you need to watch for that.

[lcyber]

I read somewhere that I need to clone my old hard drive, installing it first before transferring all the data on it.I don't mind losing what's on it as I have backed up what I need to an external drive,my only concern is how do I boot up if the new sshddrive I buy will be blank I imagine.Is it simpler to simply remove the old hard drive and then connect the new sshd and then reload whatever I need once I find out how to boot up.I have the windows disk to reinstall the windows 7

[Digerati]

my only concern is how do I boot up if the new sshddrive I buy will be blank

How do brand new computers boot up when Windows has NEVER been installed?

Remember, the drives (holding the OS) are not touched until WAY into the boot process - well past BIOS POST (power on self-test). So installing a blank SSD is the same as installing any blank drive.

Most, if not all, SSDs come with software to help users migrate to the SSD. But I prefer a fresh install using my Windows installation DVD.

[lcyber]

I only have a repair disc so am I right in thinking this won't help me to instal windows on a new hard drive?

[Digerati]

It should - it depends on how the repair disk was made. But certainly, one of the primary reasons for repair/recovery disks is in the event of a drive failure and a new drive is installed.

[renegade600]

I personally do not see a need for a ssd because the only real benefit is a faster boot. other than that, it is just a very expensive drive.

You can create a clone of your current install using a utility such as clonezilla if you have an external drive the same size or larger than than the drive your os is on.

http://clonezilla.org/

[Digerati]

personally do not see a need for a ssd because the only real benefit is a faster boot.

Not true at all! Apps open faster. Data files pop open and save instantly. File transfers are near instantaneous. If you have low amounts of RAM, the Page File on the SSD significantly improves performance (this includes Internet surfing - though to a lessor extent).

SSDs are up to 100 times faster than HDs,
SSDs are much more durable with no moving parts,
SSD life expectancy is significantly longer,
SSDs consume significantly less power and generate significantly less heat.
SSDs weigh much less (important for portable devices),
SSDs don't make any noise, nor do they send motor vibrations though the case.

Bottom line, EVERYTHING is faster with an SSD. From a productivity standpoint, you can get more work done in the same amount of time with an SSD. And in a work environment, time is money.

See SSD vs HDD (note the presenter in the second video is confused about his right and our right).

Yes, they still cost more, but prices are plummeting. The only reason I see to get a HD today is for mass storage of backups and media files like songs and movies.

@renegade600 - NO DOUBT you will see things differently once you migrate to SSDs. If you already are using an SSD for your boot and applications drive and don't see the advantages, then something else is wrong.

[lcyber]

At the risk of getting out of my depth here ,is t worth getting SSHD (hybrid) as speed is what I am after as opposed to storage

[smurfy]

SSDs are up to 100 times faster than HDs,
SSDs are much more durable with no moving parts,
SSD life expectancy is significantly longer,
SSDs consume significantly less power and generate significantly less heat.
SSDs weigh much less (important for portable devices),
SSDs don't make any noise, nor do they send motor vibrations though the case.

Can I get an amen to that.
And add that they are more resistant to physical "drop shock" while running - so are perfect for portable (notebook) devices.

I have SSD in my desktop and 2 work laptops. There is no going back.

I have a couple of big games installed to the SSD. The load speed reduction is very noticeable compared to loading from an HDD.

lcyber, if you want speed, then a reasonably sized SSD for boot and some apps with a HDD for other apps and file storage (my current desktop set-up) should do fine. I haven't tested hybrid drives to give you advice whether they would suit your purpose.

[Digerati]

Amen!

At the risk of getting out of my depth here ,is t worth getting SSHD (hybrid) as speed is what I am after as opposed to storage

Hybrid drives are faster than regular drives and only a tiny bit more expensive. But they are still no match for SSDs. It is only the 64Mb buffer that is the SSD part. A faster buffer is significant, but not as much as a full SSD.

A 240 - 256Gb SSD will easily hold your OS and all your apps, and allow your PF room to operate in at full speed. For example, my Samsung 840 Pro 256Gb SSD holds W8.1, Office 2007 Professional (with Outlook), all my security apps, alternative browsers, and other installed programs. And I still have over 100Gb of free space.

Like smurfy, I will never go back to spinners on my primary systems - except for mass storage and backups (at least until SSD prices drop further).

I think it is important to look at long term costs when building/upgrading a computer. Yeah, you will spend more upfront going with SSDs - but when you spread that across the 36 - 60 months you can expect your computer to serve you, were talking pennies per day. But if you then consider the savings in operating costs in terms of the power to run the SSDs, AND in compensating for the less heat being generated and pumped into your room for the facility AC to deal with, the costs easily balance out or even favor the SSD. And again, from a business/increased productivity angle, SSDs might be considered good investments in that area too.

And thinking of SSDs as good investments is a safe way to look at SSDs IMO - just as investing in a quality, efficient 80 PLUS certified power supply typically pays off in the end too - compared to shaving building costs by going with a generic, inefficient, budget PSU.

***

To be sure, I was skeptical of the SSD performance claims too. I mean once your OS and program is loaded into RAM, drive performance factors step out the way, right? Well, not really. Windows, browsers, and other apps are constantly opening, reading, writing files (including temp files) to the disk and this affects overall performance of your system, not just boot times.

I was a solid convert after I built my first all SSD system. The 10 - 15 second boot times are awesome but it did not take long to realize that is just the icing on the cake.

[lcyber]

I just read somewhere that a mounting kit is needed to convert 2.5"which is what they all seem to be into 3.5",are there any other adapters or factors I should take into account.I read some need 12v others need only 5v how do I know which one to buy for a standard desktop? I also need to know if I have a SATA port,how do I tell if I have one? there are apparently SATA 1 2 and 3