Taking the plunge: Buying an SSD

For some time I was considering migrating from a hard drive disk (HDD) to a solid state drive (SSD) in my desktop computer. It had been just over a year since I had built my computer and felt as though it was time for a small but effective upgrade.

I had been reading and researching about  SSDs for some time. The main advantages are:

• Fast (Read and write times)
• No moving parts
• Quiet (in fact silent)
• Low power consumption
• Durable

However, the drawbacks are:

• Expensive (compared to HDDs)
• Limited lifespan (due to limited write/erase cycles)
• Smaller capacity available compared to HDDs

I had also read information about poor reliability in cheaper drives. Intel was said to be the most reliable drives and Crucial make very popular drives too. However, reliability of these drives seems to have increased dramatically in recent times and prices have also been dropping.

I read this article on CNET in which they talked about the SanDisk Extreme SSDs had dropped in price: $129 for a 120GB model, $249 for a 240GB model and $489 for a 480GB model (AUD). This price drop pushed me over the edge and despite SanDisk not being known for their SSDs, decided that because they are a reputable company and because the drive performed exceptionally in benchmark tests that I would buy one. I ordered a 120GB model with a SATA cable and a 2.5" to 3.5" adaptor (so I could mount it in my PC case) from Scorpion Technology Computers. I had not dealt with Scorp Tech before but the transaction went through without a hitch and the package was delivered to my door 22 hours (Yes, 22 hours) after I made the purchase. All credit to Scorp Tech, I highly recommend them.

The contents of my order from Scorpion Technology

The installation process took much longer than I thought it would. I believe the following is true for working with technology:

Take how long you think the job will take and double it. Now you're closer to how long it will actually take.

Read my next post for the process I went through to get the SSD installed and running.