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    NP8662 with SSD

    Discussion in 'Hardware Components and Aftermarket Upgrades' started by CuriousN, Mar 18, 2009.

  1. CuriousN

    CuriousN Notebook Evangelist

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    Is sager np8662 worth getting with SSD?
    How much will it boost performance in gaming? What about battery life and weight?
    How big of an issue is the limited write capability of SSD? Its something like 100000 writes? How many years is that for a typical user?
    Are there any other disadvantages?
     
    CuriousN, Mar 18, 2009
    #1
  2. K-TRON

    K-TRON Hi, I'm Jimmy Diesel ^_^

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    The SSD will result in faster load times, but it will not do much for gaming. Gaming is bottlenecked by the graphics card, so to get better gaming performance, you should upgrade your graphics card. The SSD will result in faster loading times for games, Vista, and everything else.
    Try and get a Samsung/Mtron or Intel SSD, so you avoid the terrible Jmicron controller. This controller results in stuttering, which will become very annoying. Their are supposedly software fixes, but the performance will still be much lower than a drive which has a SAMSUNG controller in it. M-TRON, samsung and Intel use the Samsung controllers.

    A cheap SSD may only last 3-5 years, but a good SLC drive should easily last 7-10 years

    K-TRON
     
    K-TRON, Mar 18, 2009
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  3. CuriousN

    CuriousN Notebook Evangelist

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    it seems like the difference in time it takes to boot/read between ssd and hdd is about 2 times?
    what is the difference between 5400 and 7200 rpm hard drives?
     
    CuriousN, Mar 18, 2009
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  4. idiotpilot

    idiotpilot Notebook Evangelist

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    It's the speed rate of the hard drive. A faster rpm means data will be written and read faster, but it will also produce more heat because of it.
     
    idiotpilot, Mar 18, 2009
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  5. K-TRON

    K-TRON Hi, I'm Jimmy Diesel ^_^

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    7200rpm drives have lower seek times than 5400rpm drives, so they are inherently faster. However SSD's have much lower seek times than mechanical drives. However they are usually limited by a low bandwidth. A cheap SSD may load files much slower than a mechanical harddrive, but a good SSD will be much faster than a mechanical drive.
    What SSD are you looking at. Their is a great range in performance among SSD's. Alot of them perform terrible, but alot of them also perform exceptionally well.

    K-TRON
     
    K-TRON, Mar 18, 2009
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  6. CuriousN

    CuriousN Notebook Evangelist

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    Here are the hard drive options from xoticpc/sagernotebook

    ~ 250GB 5400RPM (Serial-ATA II 300 - 8MB Cache)
    ~ 320GB 5400RPM (Serial-ATA II 300 - 8MB Cache) ( + 25 )
    ~ 250GB 7200RPM (Serial-ATA II 300) ( + 25 )
    ~ 320GB 7200RPM (Serial-ATA II 300 - 16MB Cache) ( + 45 )
    ~ 500GB 5400RPM (Serial-ATA II 300 - 8MB Cache) ( + 70 )
    ~ 80GB Intel X25-M Solid State Drive (SSD Serial-ATA II) ( + 425 )
    ~ 160GB Intel X25-M Solid State Drive (SSD Serial-ATA II) ( + 790 )

    SSD is pretty expensive here, so I am considering buying an aftermarket SSD
     
    CuriousN, Mar 18, 2009
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  7. K-TRON

    K-TRON Hi, I'm Jimmy Diesel ^_^

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    The option I would go with is the cheapest one.
    I say this because you can buy a 320gb 7200rpm drive for $70 today from zipzoomfly with a $20 rebate, and get it for $50. So you get basically two harddrives for the price xotic wants for just one 320gb 7200rpm drive.

    The Intel SSD's are good, among the best.
    Buying the SSD separately is the better idea, since I have seen the X25-M for about $100 less on newegg for the 80gb model. I saw a 80gb go on hardforum for around $280 the other day, so you may want to check their.
    The SSD will be the faster of the drives.

    If I was you, go for the cheapest drive offered.
    Then either buy a 7200rpm drive aftermarket or an aftermarket SSD. Than use the drive which came with your system to help pay for the new drive/SSD

    I would strive for the X-25 if you are a serious gamer or a need for speed kinda guy

    K-TRON
     
    K-TRON, Mar 18, 2009
    #7