[Upgrade] SSD and Asus Mobo - Help and suggestions please! :)

[Jpeppa]

Hey all,

So I took some advise from a former post (Thanks Wolf!) and I am going to purchase a SSD for my OS and games/applications. Here's my next obstacle...

I am a noob when it comes to SSD/HDD's. I'd like some opinions on which SSD to purchase, and how to effectively set it up with my current system. So far I'm looking at the following SSD's:

http://www.frys.com/product/6887646?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG
http://www.frys.com/product/6659624?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG
http://www.frys.com/product/7200783?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

Here is my current setup:
Mobo - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131641
Case - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811517004
HDD - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136514

Please let me know if I'm missing any pertinent information. Also, I am currently starting my studies for A+ etc. so this is will be incredibly helpful to me and much appreciated. Unfortunately this current subject is a bit overwhelming at the moment.

P.S. I browsed around a bit and read some forums where they had set up a RAID configuration... this may be a bit beyond me at the moment but if this is something I should consider for my targeted objective, please let me know and I will research it heavily. I am just not sure if this is something that is needed or not.

Thank you all in advanced!

 

[malbluff]

Wouldn't same I'm hugely enthusiastic about any of those SSd's. Generally Samsung 830, or Crucial M4 are regarded as the best for performance/reliability, although not the cheapest.
Raid can be good, but you need to research both advantages and disadvantages. I seem to recall a very good article, explaning all the different versions of raid, and their pros and cons, on PC & Tech Authority. If you can find that, it's informative, and reasonably understandable.

 

[Jpeppa]

Thank you! I'll look it up!

And yes, but I don't have a ton of money to spend on my drive, especially since I'm only looking for one that's about 120gigs. I will take a look around for those though at a decent price.

I've also never had two hard drives so setting one up will be new to me, although I'm pretty sure once I actually look into it I'll probably know more than I think I do right now.

 

[Jpeppa]

Ears are still open for suggestion/advise, just sayin'

 

[cin19]

Like malbluff said take the good performance/reliable SSD like samsung 830, M4, intel.

If only choice from the three you list, I pick the Patriot 120GB Pyro SE, if you let me pick other I will recommend get the intel 330 http://www.frys.com/product/7056021?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

And you need to know you have the X58 MB, you will not get the full performance from the SSD. Because the MB use the Marvell SATA III and intel SATA II ports, the marvell is slower SATA III act like the SATAII. If you install the SSD, I will recommend connect the SSD into the intel SATA II to get better performance.

 

[Billy777]

You might consider one of these:
http://www.tomshardware.com/news/SanDisk-ReadyCache-ExpressCache-NAND-SSD,17386.html

Its a hybrid solution that let's you keep your mechanical drives and gives you the rapid response of an SSD. Only $50 bucks.

 

[Jpeppa]

I'm not sure how I passed over that intel! That's in my price range and thank you for the insight about the SATA, much appreciated!

 

[Billy777]

Installed my SanDisk ReadyCache this afternoon. Works as advertised. Win7 loads in 5 seconds. Photoshop went from 12.5 seconds to 2.7 seconds. MS Office things open so fast I can't press the stopwatch button that fast.

Get one.

 

[Jpeppa]

Thanks Billy, this sounds like the most cost effective solution! Much appreciated everyone!

 

[Jpeppa]

Best answer selected by Jpeppa.