I have a SSD/OS question

Well I am thinking of buying a SSD for my GF's Dell Inspiron 15R/5010.
It has been giving here lots of problems with freezing up on here and I am assuming its due to the harddrive. Alot of people say these have come bad from the factory in the 15R's.
Well my first question is what should I look into for a SSD?
Brand? Kind? lol

Next question is if I upgrade to a SSD do I have to buy a new Operating system or can I some how swap the operating system from the HDD to SSD?

Thanks for all the help guys!

 

You should avoid anything with a Sandforce controller in them (OCZ, etc.) due to horrid reliability, which basically leaves you with Crucial, Intel, and Samsung to consider. Of those, you should probably look at SATAII drives; even though they are slower than SATAIII, they are still much faster than even 15k RPM hard drives, let alone 5400RPM and 7200RPM drives.

There was a deal in the NBR Notebook and Tech Bargains subforum where the Intel 320 160GB SSD was selling for $144 after MIR, though I'm not sure if it's active anymore.

 

An SSD with an Intel controller is probably best. Intel makes SSDs.

As for the OS what you do is copy the HDD image to the SSD with a program provided that it fits. You may need to free up space on the HDD.

Some of the programs that let you do this are:

DriveImage XML (free)
Acronis True Image

Here is a tutorial that may help.

I've used Seagate Disc Wizard (another free program) to clone a HDD. Not 100% it will work with SSDs or a non-segate drive, maybe someone else can confirm.

 

I used ABR to back up and restore my Win7Pro key and downloaded a Win7Pro ISO online (legal copy) LINK

 

Thanks for all the info!

What size of SSD do get?

2.5"? 3.5"?

I am assuming 2.5" but I am just double checking.

 

If you are not looking to buy a new laptop in the future, then sticking to a Sata 2 SSD is not a problem. The Samsung 470(9.5mm) is another excellent choice. They are extremely reliable and come bundled with software that help you migrate to the new drive from the old. They are also being sold at lower prices to make way for the new Samsung 830(7mm) which is a Sata 3 drive.

The Crucial M4(9.5mm)is not a bad alternative. It has no issues when used with Sata 2.

All these are 2.5 inchers.

 

I don't believe that anyone even makes 3.5" SSDs anyway.

I forgot that Intel bundles an Intel-branded copy of Acronis with each SSD. I'm sure Crucial and Samsung have similar software packages that come with their drives.

 

There are a few SSDs in cradles to fit a 3.5" form factor for desktops, but the only ones I know of are OCZ.

The new Corsair Performance Pro series use Marvell controllers - I would consider those along with Intel, Samsung and Crucial.

 

I'm pretty sure some include a 3.5" bracket/adapter. All it is a piece that goes on so it slides into a 3.5" bay. If the SSD doesn't include one they are very cheap on eBay. Also one more note, there are SSDs in a 1.8" size, don't get one. You'll need a 2.5" and you can find a bracket/adapter easier.

My advice get an Intel and purchase the bracket/adapter separately if it doesn't include one. Don't buy an OCZ brand just to get one.

 

Why would he need a 3.5" bracket? This is going into a laptop, not a desktop. Laptops only go up to 2.5".