Secure Erase vs Format

[idjlee96]

Hey,
So I have been looking for a while on the best way to go about reinstalling Windows 7 on my SSD.
Take in mind, that I built my system two weeks ago, and I was playing around with some stuff.
I want to completely reinstall Windows 7 and start over as now I know what tweaks I want to implement.

Is there a reason why I should Secure Erase the SSD?
(Its a Crucial 64GB C300 btw)

I've heard of how SE returns the drive to factory fresh and returns the performance to what it was when it was first bought.
Thing is, I've only had it for 2 weeks now. And since I am still going to be using it, there is no need for me to securely erase the data.
Just wondering, whether formatting a SSD regularly may cause negative impacts on the SSD.

Thanks

 

[compulsivebuilder]

Formatting an SSD is a really bad idea. It marks all the blocks as used, and thus interferes with the wear-levelling. Don't do it. When you define a partition on an SSD, make sure you choose "quick format".

One good reason to use Secure Erase is to undo the damage that a regular format does

 

[idjlee96]

So for my case, I should just quick format the ssd?

 

[idjlee96]

Just a quick bump. Im sure someone can answer my question.

 

[sminlal]

Windows is aware of SSDs (as long as they're not connected as part of a RAID volume) and it issues TRIM commands as appropriate. If you use the Windows 7 install disk to delete all of the partitions and recreate a new partition for the OS, Windows 7 will issue the TRIM commands necessary to let the controller know that all of the blocks in the drive have been freed. That's effectively the same as doing a Secure Erase.

 

[idjlee96]

Best answer selected by idjlee96.