The Notebook Review forums were hosted by TechTarget, who shut down them down on January 31, 2022. This static read-only archive was pulled by NBR forum users between January 20 and January 31, 2022, in an effort to make sure that the valuable technical information that had been posted on the forums is preserved. For current discussions, many NBR forum users moved over to NotebookTalk.net after the shutdown.
Problems? See this thread at archive.org.

    M17x harddrive dilemma

    Discussion in 'Hardware Components and Aftermarket Upgrades' started by houstoned, Jul 7, 2009.

  1. houstoned

    houstoned Yoga Pants Connoisseur.

    Reputations:
    2,852
    Messages:
    2,224
    Likes Received:
    388
    Trophy Points:
    101
    hey guys,
    i'm gonna be orderin my M17x within the next few months. i just had a quick question about which harddrive was better for my intended use. i have no experience with SSD's, but i have read that they do load games and applications alot faster than the traditional HDD. that is great, but i don't really game much anymore like i used to. i watch movies and shows more often than i game. i read that SSD's were not as good for things like watchin movies. could anyone help me clear up the confusion.

    another question was what kind of SSD are the M17x's using and if they were any good? thanks a bunch. :)
     
    houstoned, Jul 7, 2009
    #1
  2. Commander Wolf

    Commander Wolf can i haz broadwell?

    Reputations:
    2,962
    Messages:
    8,231
    Likes Received:
    63
    Trophy Points:
    216
    Most likely a Samsung second-gen MLC drive (Also known as Corsair P256, OCZ Summit, among others) like everything else Dell is shipping with a 256GB SSD. It's not the best drive out there (I'd still say that's the X25-M), but it's among the better drives you can get these days. At the $400 Dell charges, it's not that bad of a value either (Newegg wants $660 for the same drive).
     
    Commander Wolf, Jul 7, 2009
    #2
  3. Phil

    Phil Retired

    Reputations:
    4,415
    Messages:
    17,036
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    455
    SSDs are fine for watching movies.
     
    Phil, Jul 7, 2009
    #3
  4. Commander Wolf

    Commander Wolf can i haz broadwell?

    Reputations:
    2,962
    Messages:
    8,231
    Likes Received:
    63
    Trophy Points:
    216
    While this doesn't hold true for all SSDs (particularly some early and/or really cheap stuff), most high-end SSDs these days will be better than a conventional HDD at everything.
     
    Commander Wolf, Jul 7, 2009
    #4
  5. Phil

    Phil Retired

    Reputations:
    4,415
    Messages:
    17,036
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    455
    They won't be better at price per GB though ;)
     
    Phil, Jul 7, 2009
    #5
  6. Commander Wolf

    Commander Wolf can i haz broadwell?

    Reputations:
    2,962
    Messages:
    8,231
    Likes Received:
    63
    Trophy Points:
    216
    Pshaw, you know what I mean :rolleyes:

    Very true nonetheless, though.
     
    Commander Wolf, Jul 7, 2009
    #6
  7. Tortnotes

    Tortnotes Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    6
    Messages:
    16
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    5
    For watching movies, you probably wouldn't notice a difference between SSD and HDD. IMO the best solution for a notebook with two hard drive bays is an SSD for OS/programs and a nice big HDD for movies and things like that.
    It's not that SSDs aren't as good for watching movies and the like, it's that they're overkill, and not as spacious + much more expensive.
     
    Tortnotes, Jul 7, 2009
    #7
  8. houstoned

    houstoned Yoga Pants Connoisseur.

    Reputations:
    2,852
    Messages:
    2,224
    Likes Received:
    388
    Trophy Points:
    101
    thanks for the quick responses guys. i guess i'm gonna take a dip into the SSD world with my M17x then. :D i don't really need big space. i never knew how ppl could use up a 1TB drive, or 320GB for that matter. biggest HDD i've had was, i'd say 250GB, and i can't even fill that up. :p can't wait and +reps for u guys.

    my M17x config:
    [​IMG]
     
    houstoned, Jul 7, 2009
    #8