Noob Questions for the R3

So I am trying to read and understand as many threads as I can. Now I thought I was computer savy, but after reading what some of yall know, I feel like I am so far behind.

So I just have few basic questions that maybe someone will be kind enough to toss some answers to.

1) Why do people wipe and reinstall everything? Arent they brand new, what benefit does this give you? Are there things on the machines you need to get rid of or want gone? I see so many people doing it, and I have no clue as to why.

2)The SSD that comes from Dell is a sata II, and there are now sata III SSD and HDD, and sata III is supposed to be faster or handle more data, so how would a new sata III HDD or SSD compare to the SSD sata II? Is it that noticeable a difference?

3)Would anyone recommend an external portable hdd, that can use the usb 3.0 for storing stuff like videos and photos? with the usb 3.0 wouldnt the transfer rate be pretty good? And you wouldnt need to try to get another hard drive in the machine and it would allow you to move the HDD around to various machines?

 

People wipe and re-install because from a fresh install you can customize EVERYTHING, its hard to go back on what Dell did and re-install.. Also they sometimes have all kinds of crap running in the background that you don't want or need. Reformatting and reinstalling gives complete control of how the OS runs.

Both SATA II and III are going to be ridiculously fast compared to HDD. Go with whatever you can afford.

#3 is personal choice, it would allow you to move your files to different machines.

 

Doesn't the R3 have two HDD slots? If so, just run the typical SSD primary, and a 750GB in the secondary. The R2 can barely fit a 1TB drive, but I think I read that the R3 won't take the 12.5mm drive.

 

Yes the R3 has 2 HDD slots 2.5 only.

 

1. It is to remove bloatware, crap that OEMs put in the harddrive for you to use. Things like antivirus, webcam programs, internet browsers and stuff like that. You also get to customize which drivers and utilities you want if you do format the drive and reinstall windows.

2. The SATA 2/3 is complicated. SATA 2 is 3 gbps and can hold up to 300 MB/s. New SSDs today like Vertex 3, Intel 510, Crucial C300/400 have reads and writes from 300-500 MB/s and to get up to this you will need SATA 3. Problem is that most of them cannot sustain these speeds so they are just theoretically on the paper capable of going so high. Many of the new SSDs today fall below SATA 2 speeds, and therefor the SATA 3 ports are just sitting there without being properly saturated.
I may be called out on this, but from what i have read it is mostly Intel drives that sustain and follow the specifications on the paper. I don`t know about the 510 series though. The new G3s from Intel will reach speeds up to 250 MB/s and will therefor be SATA 2.

3. I am sorry. I have not much experience in the HDD department. USB 3.0 (5 mbps) are much faster than USB 2.0, but SATA 3 (6mbps) is even faster. Shure, an external HDD is neat because you can like you said move it around anyway you like. I use my SSD to run programs, OS and games while i have an external HDD to fill up with movies, music etc.

My 2 cents

 

Thanks for all the answers guys.

 

Would it make sense therefore, for one to buy an eSATA external drive vs. a USB3.0 external drive?

 

But the only problem is, Not every computer has an eSATA port. Unlike the 3.0, Even if the other computers don't have the 3.0 port it would work on a normal 2.0.

 

eSATA and USB 3.0 are just about equal in terms of speed. USB 3.0 is faster at reading while eSATA is faster at writing. USB 3.0 can provide power to the drive while eSATA doesnt.
It really doesn`t matter what you choose because no external HDDs can reach the speeds that USB/eSATA supports anyway. USB 2.0 interface was a bottleneck, but now it is the HDDs that have become that.

 

You can get a USB 3 to eSATA interface for $15 here: FRYS.com | BYTECC

Ira

 

i would say buying a usb 3.0 is a better bet as like said not every comp has esata and you can plug in anywhere even if it is usb2.0 i just picked up a 1.0 tb western digital

this is the one i bought nice and small
Western Digital - My Passport Essential SE 1TB External USB 3.0/2.0 Portable Hard Drive - Black - WDBACX0010BBK-NESN

 

got few questions of my own....

i just returned my m11xr2 (hinge issues) now im plannng to get the r3.

first, ive been reading a about the r3 lately and came across the BSOD issues on AMD.
so with this on mind, would it be wiser to consider to get the nvidia card than the AMD?

second, if i just got the nvidia and not a 3D screen, can i update my screen to 3d on the future if i decided to?

thanks....

 

I think upgrading would be difficult. And, Its practical to get the 3d bundle if you get the gtx 460. You pinoy?

 

yeah... pinoy here.... u pinoy too?
i see on ur signature u got an AMD card, are u getting these BSOD issues?

 

Yeah. Unfortunately, I haven't received my r3 yet.