I've decided to get an SSD - What do I need to know?

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grady

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Apr 1, 2013
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So, I've decided that my Hard drive, although a WD Caviar black is naturally the slowest component of my computer by far. So I've decided to invest in an SSD -

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-250GB-Basic-Solid-State/dp/B00E391OX6/ref=pd_bxgy_computers_img_z

So, to make it simple I'll just list a few of the questions I have - Thanks in advance!

Do I need anything other than the SATA Cable and 2.5" tray hardware wise?
Is this a reliable SSD?
I've heard that having windows defrag on automatic is bad for SSDs - Is this true?
I also read this "Make sure the BIOS is set to ACHI before installing " What does this mean and how do I do it?
What are some practices I should adopt/avoid?

Apologies for the word-load but that's about it.
 
Solution
laviniuc
Do I need anything other than the SATA Cable and 2.5" tray hardware wise?
- nope, that's all you need ... ow, a sata power connector but 99% of psu-s have plenty
Is this a reliable SSD?
- yep, as long as you follow the recommendations to enable ahci, disable defrag and monitor host writes to make sure there's nothing out of the ordinary going on
I've heard that having windows defrag on automatic is bad for SSDs - Is this true?
- that's correct, unlike hdd-s defragment is useless (doesnt improve speed) and just generates host writes which eventually wear out a ssd. windows 7 and above knows to automatically disable it when it sees you have installed a ssd.
I also read this "Make sure the BIOS is set to ACHI before installing " What does...
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laviniuc

laviniuc

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Nov 29, 2013
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Do I need anything other than the SATA Cable and 2.5" tray hardware wise?
- nope, that's all you need ... ow, a sata power connector but 99% of psu-s have plenty
Is this a reliable SSD?
- yep, as long as you follow the recommendations to enable ahci, disable defrag and monitor host writes to make sure there's nothing out of the ordinary going on
I've heard that having windows defrag on automatic is bad for SSDs - Is this true?
- that's correct, unlike hdd-s defragment is useless (doesnt improve speed) and just generates host writes which eventually wear out a ssd. windows 7 and above knows to automatically disable it when it sees you have installed a ssd.
I also read this "Make sure the BIOS is set to ACHI before installing " What does this mean and how do I do it?
- under bios, sata controller there should be a operation mode (ide, ahci, sata should be the options) it depends on your exact bios/motherboard model - the reason for "before installing" is that if you change it on an installed windows it's a bit more tricky to do.
What are some practices I should adopt/avoid?
- for samsungs it's easy to just go into samsung magician and auto apply all recommended os improvements. also enable rapid mode is speeds up the ssd a bit. enforce 10% over provisioning and keep as much empty additional space on the ssd as you can - so clean up temporary files from time to time. never fill it up completely. use a single partition on it.

do a clean windows install if possible, unplug the wd black, plug the ssd, install windows once done - plug the wd back and copy over / reinstall what you need, keep the hdd as large files storage (movies, music, etc stuff that's quick enough to run off a hdd)

if you are not on a strict budget a 840pro is a faster/more reliable drive. either of them is way faster compared to any hdd out there.
 
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grady

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Apr 1, 2013
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I will have a look into the pro, I only plan to keep my operating system on the SSD, Itunes (With the music elsewhere) And a select few games I am currently playing most. I will move old ones back to the HDD as I stop using them etc. I got everything I wanted answered in half an our - So thanks again!
 
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