The best SSD for my laptop (Don't know it's SATA version)?

[orl2008]

Hi there everybody,
A seller recommended me the Samsung 840 500GB.
My laptop model is HP Pavilion dv6-3120EJ.
I don't know which SATA version does it have, so I want to take your advice guys before choosing a ssd.

Also, he said the difference won't be noticeable when working (maybe only when running benchmark tests), what do you think?

Thanks in advance,
orl2008.

 

[cin19]

The laptop has at least the SATAII ports. The seller is right, you can't notice the difference between the SATAII and SATAIII in real world usage.

And you maybe need the 250GB SSD, because the OS (win7 orwin8) use about 20gb + some programs that will fill up less than 50GB, and if you store the other files like photo/ video to other external hard drives.

 

[RetiredChief]

Concur, a 256 gig should be fine for a laptop.
Have 2 laptops and two desktops and in all of them my Windows 7 + Programs takes 3 -> 40 gigs. Not a gamer so that does not include any games.

My typical recommendations:
first choice - Samsung 840 pro, Crucial M4, or Samsung 830 (Note the last two are probably around the same price as the 840 (non Pro).
Next, Samsung 840, Plextor M5
Followed by, SSDs that use the SF22xx controller that use Toggle or Synchronous NAND.
Last But Not least, Low end drives like the Agility III that use Asynhronous NAND.

PS have to agree with cin19, drives shouch as the Agillity III will NOT perform any better on SATA III than they do on SAT II REF, a review on the drive, and my own eval as I have 2 of them. For the Upper tier SATA III, While they will show a BIG diff runing benchmarks there is much less real world performance gain. Reason is the Sequencial performance will saterate a SATA II port: However this is the Least important matrix for an OS + Program drive.

 

[mad-max79]

The 840 is a good SSD, if you that much space just go and buy it.

 

[spawnkiller]

Crucial M4 seems to be the more compatible (never seen one that doesn't recognize on SATA2 machine and i've been using it on 5 machine so far (2 laptops) after a failure to recognize drive with an OCZ Vertex3)

 

[orl2008]

Concur, a 256 gig should be fine for a laptop.
Have 2 laptops and two desktops and in all of them my Windows 7 + Programs takes 3 -> 40 gigs. Not a gamer so that does not include any games.

My typical recommendations:
first choice - Samsung 840 pro, Crucial M4, or Samsung 830 (Note the last two are probably around the same price as the 840 (non Pro).
Next, Samsung 840, Plextor M5
Followed by, SSDs that use the SF22xx controller that use Toggle or Synchronous NAND.
Last But Not least, Low end drives like the Agility III that use Asynhronous NAND.

PS have to agree with cin19, drives shouch as the Agillity III will NOT perform any better on SATA III than they do on SAT II REF, a review on the drive, and my own eval as I have 2 of them. For the Upper tier SATA III, While they will show a BIG diff runing benchmarks there is much less real world performance gain. Reason is the Sequencial performance will saterate a SATA II port: However this is the Least important matrix for an OS + Program drive.

Why does the Samsung 830 comes before the Samsung 840 non-pro in your list?
Shouldn't they switch?

 

[RetiredChief]

Proven Reliability over a longer time period. 840 has not been out that long and is the first to use 3-bits per cell - need to see how that plays out in reliability.
2nd Higher performance, at least in bench marks.
I normally pick the M4 for laptops and 830's for Desktops, Hovever now pefer the 840 Pro for laptops. However the 840 Pro is on the high side for cost.

Alot boils down to cost, both my 256 gig M4 and samsung 830 were $180 on sale.
The 840 Non pro would be exceptable at a lower cost than 180.

Good review of 840:
http://www.anandtech.com/show/6337/samsung-ssd-840-250gb-review

Again in real life usage there is NOT going to be a significant performance difference.