SSD? So What's That Then?

Keith W

Keith W

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There has been a lot of talk about solid state drives at the moment so I have a few questions... as you do

So are these really worth it and is there a noticeable speed/performance increase?

Hoe easy are these things to install?

Is it best to install a fresh copy of the OS on a new SSD?

Anything else one should know or is important to know about installing a SSD?

What about the OS, programs and docs already on my current hard drive? Do I just reformat that after installing a SSD?

Do I take my current HD our first before trying to install a SSD with new OS?

Lots and lots of questions I know and I am sure I will have more :lol:

I guess what I am after is a n00bs guide to SSD and how to install them etc.

Any help of assistance will be greatly appreciated.

Take care,

Keith
 
What I have:

60gb ssd for OS (Win7) and programs.

2 x 2TB drives for data; one automatically backed up to the other.

1 x 1TB drive which had the original OS installed; if the SSD fails, I change boot priority and am up and going in minutes.


Keith W said:
So are these really worth it
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- only you can decide this. For me, it was worth it.
and is there a noticeable speed/performance increase?
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- yes, especially when loading the OS - my PC boots up in less than 30 seconds with Win7.

Hoe easy are these things to install?
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In a desktop or laptop? I've put one in both and it was very easy.

Is it best to install a fresh copy of the OS on a new SSD?
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I would say vital.

Anything else one should know or is important to know about installing a SSD?
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Probably but I can't think!

What about the OS, programs and docs already on my current hard drive? Do I just reformat that after installing a SSD?
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I left mine there and reset the disk as a backup drive.

Do I take my current HD our first before trying to install a SSD with new OS?
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I disconnected mine, just to be sure I didn't format it by accident.

There is some good discussion here.
 
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^^^^
agree with all of that. I have a 120gb one in my laptop I've upgraded ram in the past for supposed speed boosts and never felt the effect. Hard drives are the weak link on modern PC's I wouldn't buy another one without an SSD seems silly spending lots of money on top spec stuff and then wacking a spinning disk in.

Look up some guides on optimising windows for SSD silly things like 10% space for Recycle bin, and indexing can be turned off to improve speed and keep the disk clear for the things you want to put on it.
 
Make sure you use Win7 for your OS then, once installed, run Windows Experience Index.

That kind of sets up the SSD so it doesn't need defragged and other things.

An SSD makes starting up programmes enormously quicker.
 
And changing the SATA mode to AHCI from IDE in the bios is usually recommended too.
 
TBH other than noise & quicker initial loading of programs I didn't notice much difference at all when I changed from conventional HD to SSD :shrug:
 
have to agree, programs load much faster. boot times however are marginally better, i believe there is a physical limit as to how fast windows can load. if youre already coming from a decent mechanical drive you probably wont see much improvement there.

if youre doing a lot of disk access then yes theyre worth it, otherwise processor and memory would be better.
 
Keith W said:
There has been a lot of talk about solid state drives at the moment so I have a few questions... as you do

So are these really worth it and is there a noticeable speed/performance increase?
Click to expand...

Not only is the boot up much faster, the whole PC performance is much more responsive especially in opening programs. The SSD deals with very small files way faster than a standard hard drive and this is where I think most of the speed gain is applied.

Keith W said:
Hoe easy are these things to install?
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As easy as any other drive however there are a few settings you might want to set like changing the drive type in the BIOS from IDE to AHCI and you may need to enable that in W7 too. there are a few threads on the web if you look around on what to do. Enabling TRIM is one of the important things. Don't ever defrag an SSD :)

Keith W said:
Is it best to install a fresh copy of the OS on a new SSD?
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I would also say yes you shoul if you can do a clean install.

Keith W said:
Anything else one should know or is important to know about installing a SSD?[./quote]
Other than setting the registry in W7 to the right option (which may already be done automatically), just sit back and enjoy the speed!

Keith W said:
What about the OS, programs and docs already on my current hard drive? Do I just reformat that after installing a SSD?

Keith W said:
Do I take my current HD our first before trying to install a SSD with new OS?
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You really don't need to but what you do need to do is change the BOOT SEQUENCE in your bios to CD/DVD and boot from that and select the SSD to install your W7 on that. Once installed reset the Boot Sequence so that the SSD is the first boot disk.

Keith W said:
Lots and lots of questions I know and I am sure I will have more :lol:
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Someone will know the answers :)

Keith W said:
I guess what I am after is a n00bs guide to SSD and how to install them etc.

Any help of assistance will be greatly appreciated.

Take care,

Keith
Click to expand...

I required that too a few months ago but it was pretty painless.
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mrgubby said:
TBH other than noise & quicker initial loading of programs I didn't notice much difference at all when I changed from conventional HD to SSD :shrug:
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Have you got it set up right? things like Photoshop used to take about 15 seconds+ to start up on mine - Now CS5 with a few plugins takes about 4 seconds to load up!
 
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neil_g said:
have to agree, programs load much faster.
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I think whether this matters is down to how you use your PC. Mine is on 24/7 and I boot PS/LR once every 2 or 3 weeks as they just are left in the background. I don't often "use" my SDD - the HDD gets used constantly though.

neil_g said:
if youre doing a lot of disk access then yes theyre worth it, otherwise processor and memory would be better.
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Most people use an SSD as a boot drive, with their data on a different drive. In that scenario, most of the disk accesses will be to a mechanical drive - surely....
 
arad85 said:
I think whether this matters is down to how you use your PC. Mine is on 24/7 and I boot PS/LR once every 2 or 3 weeks as they just are left in the background. I don't often "use" my SDD - the HDD gets used constantly though.

Most people use an SSD as a boot drive, with their data on a different drive. In that scenario, most of the disk accesses will be to a mechanical drive - surely....
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so youre agreeing with me that SSD is good if youre accessing data regularly from it? and that when you do load programs they are quicker to open? :shrug:
 
arad85 said:
I think whether this matters is down to how you use your PC. Mine is on 24/7 and I boot PS/LR once every 2 or 3 weeks as they just are left in the background. I don't often "use" my SDD - the HDD gets used constantly though.

Most people use an SSD as a boot drive, with their data on a different drive. In that scenario, most of the disk accesses will be to a mechanical drive - surely....
Click to expand...

Although the data is on another drive my programs and windows are on a single drive making the system much more responsive - You're right that in running the programs are not significantly faster but as you say this does depend how you use it.

For me it is still a significant upgrade. From switching the machine on to the point of being ready for use is very quick - but like you if you don't boot much then the gain is much less.
 
mrgubby said:
TBH other than noise & quicker initial loading of programs I didn't notice much difference at all when I changed from conventional HD to SSD :shrug:
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EOS_JD said:
Have you got it set up right? things like Photoshop used to take about 15 seconds+ to start up on mine - Now CS5 with a few plugins takes about 4 seconds to load up!
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Did you notice the bit in bold ;)
 
mrgubby said:
Did you notice the bit in bold ;)
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Sorry Brian IO read it as quick initial loading (as in Boot times which are also significantly better)!

Apogolies :bonk:
 
EOS_JD said:
Sorry Brian IO read it as quick initial loading (as in Boot times which are also significantly better)!

Apogolies :bonk:
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:lol:


My main watercooled box never gets turned off, I just sleep it so initial boots don't happen......

But when I do a cold boot the BIOS takes longer to load than Windows 7 :clap:
 
Yes Brian I'm the same. Bios loading all my hard drives takes longer than windows does to load!

I sleep it sometinmes too - should do that more often!
 
neil_g said:
so youre agreeing with me that SSD is good if youre accessing data regularly from it? and that when you do load programs they are quicker to open? :shrug:
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Yes, I'm agreeing with you - just saying that it depends how you use the machine will determine the value of it to you :)

No need to get all paranoid on me now ;) :p
 
EOS_JD said:
Although the data is on another drive my programs and windows are on a single drive making the system much more responsive - You're right that in running the programs are not significantly faster but as you say this does depend how you use it.

For me it is still a significant upgrade. From switching the machine on to the point of being ready for use is very quick - but like you if you don't boot much then the gain is much less.
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Must agree it has made a huge difference to my machine.

I switch on my PC, router etc. when I want to use them, probably at least twice a day.
 
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my laptop is only 13' so only one drive bay . I wouldn't do anything other than a clean install and id probably only to it on a win7 machine its very clever with SSD's you don't have to do anything really. Loved XP but you need to move on people!

If your bios takes longer to post than your boot that's impressive. Role on Win8 and it's new bios system that should take even less time.
 
pablo_paul said:
my laptop is only 13' so only one drive bay . I wouldn't do anything other than a clean install and id probably only to it on a win7 machine its very clever with SSD's you don't have to do anything really. Loved XP but you need to move on people!

If your bios takes longer to post than your boot that's impressive. Role on Win8 and it's new bios system that should take even less time.
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the BIOS has to run through all my connected drives - My 6 connected to each of the SATA ports and the switched on externals

My BIOS probably takes longer than most people's :)
 
I have been reading that windows XP does not handle ssd that well, so if you are still running that then its worth upgrading to Win7.

I would install the OS with only the optical drive and the SSD connected that way you cant format the wrong drive.
 
Chabsy said:
I have been reading that windows XP does not handle ssd that well, so if you are still running that then its worth upgrading to Win7.

I would install the OS with only the optical drive and the SSD connected that way you cant format the wrong drive.
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It should be fairly obvious what drive is being used :)
 
xp wasn't designed to support SSD so does not support all the optimisation that automatically happens in win7. I loved xp but it really is time to move on if your still running it. It was launched in 2001.
 
Keith W said:
So is this a good spec/price then?

Clicky
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Prices are still coming down but that is the cheapest 128Gb drive I've seen and OCZ are fairly well thought of.
 
that's a really good price it's brand new on the market it uses a slightly cheaper memory than most of the current crop that's reflected in the price.
 
Well I took the plunge and have just ordered a SSD for my set up.

I will be putting win7 on it so it should set up easy enough with minimal fuss.
 
Do a few searches on google for the way to set up the SSD as there's a couple of registry tweaks that can make it better. Can't remember them now though sorry!
 
just need to run the windows rating index, it does the necessary changes to system settings.

just need to disable hibernate and delete the hiberfil.sys manually. and set the bios to AHCI.
 
With the regards to the very original post, using an ssd is like putting a 500 HP engine into a Citroën saxo. Things get faster.. a lot faster.
 
neil_g said:
just need to run the windows rating index, it does the necessary changes to system settings.

just need to disable hibernate and delete the hiberfil.sys manually. and set the bios to AHCI.
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Also don't "index" that particular drive as that apparently degrades performance. Doesn't need it anywayit's so fast.
 
pablo_paul said:
xp wasn't designed to support SSD so does not support all the optimisation that automatically happens in win7. I loved xp but it really is time to move on if your still running it. It was launched in 2001.
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someone needs to tell my employer - we currently buy W7 ready machines and then install them with XP because all the customised software we use for finance, accounts, order numbers etc won't run on anything newer

(and we are a big national organisation)
 
big soft moose said:
someone needs to tell my employer - we currently buy W7 ready machines and then install them with XP because all the customised software we use for finance, accounts, order numbers etc won't run on anything newer

(and we are a big national organisation)
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And they don't run in compatibility mode ?????
 
Steve82 said:
Windows 7 will set it up automatically but there are a few tweaks to make. This is a decent guide:

http://www.tweaktown.com/articles/3116/tweaktown_s_solid_state_drive_optimization_guide/index.html
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This advice is two years old - which is pre-history as far as SSDs are concerned. Almost everything it suggests is done automatically by Win7. Like neil_g says - just run Windows performance index, so the system knows it has an SSD, and then forget about it.

Indexing your SSD will increase performance, albeit slightly. It will reduce the lifespan of your drive from around 20 years to around 19 years, 11 months and two weeks.
 
hollis_f said:
Indexing your SSD will increase performance, albeit slightly. It will reduce the lifespan of your drive from around 20 years to around 19 years, 11 months and two weeks.
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If only I could force this quote to the top of any combination of Google searches involving SSD and optimisation. I can't vouch for the actual figures quoted but as ballparks go that's pretty much :clap:
 
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