SSD/HDD advice

I'm thinking of replacing the HDDs in both machines my wife and I have, but would like some input.

I just replaced her Macbook 1.1 (1st gen Intel Core Duo) with an Acer Aspire One 722 (AMD C-60). She doesn't really do much with her machine other than browse the web, watch video, and type a few documents. I've already upgraded it to 4GB of DDR3 (the SODIMM was what came in my laptop before I upgraded to 8GB with the paired G. Skill that was on sale at New Egg a while back). The current HDD in the netbook is a 5400 RPM 320GB drive, and I want to replace it with an SSD that's between 96GB and 128GB.

On the other hand, I have a ProBook 4430s that I use for not just the web, video, etc, but also for running VMs. It currently has 8GB of RAM, the factory 7200 RPM 320GB drive, and a Wintec FileMate 24GB ExpressCard SSD drive that houses ReadyBoost, my pagefile, and all my temp/cache files. I'm not sure if I'd be better off getting the Momentus XT in 500GB or a small SSD and moving the internal HDD to a caddy.

If I replace both HDDs, I'd have two 320GB drives to use for file storage, along with our current 1.5TB drive ("permanent" storage), an old 120GB laptop drive (going to use this to store backups of our system images), and an iOmega Go 320GB portable drive. I have a Thermaltake drive dock that I could put both laptop drives into and set up as RAID for media storage or something.

So I guess what I'm asking for is a recommendation of a decent sized, affordable SSD for the netbook (doesn't have to be blazing fast, as I'm basically turning the netbook into a cheap, knock-off 11.6 Macbook Air clone) and to know if the Momentus XT with the extra storage space is going to be better for my laptop than a small SSD and my 320GB drive in a caddy (remember, I'll be housing at least two VMs).

TIA!

 

As much as I like the XT, SSD+HDD combo generally beats it. Not sure about VMs though.

Affordable SSD for netbook: Kingston 96GB V+ 100.

 

I have to use 3 different VM's, they are 27 gigs all together. I am planning to buy an SSD in some weeks, I am 99% sure it will be a 128 GB Samsung 830. Insane speed, insane reliability. VM on SSD means blazing fast boot and load time.

I think a 128 GB SSD should be more than enough for a heavily packed Windows 7 install with some VM's, plus a decent amount of free space. Of course it always depends on the usage!

Just my 2 cents.

 

Thank you both for your replies, I appreciate the input

 

Yep!

For work, I'm running a Windows 7 VM (VMWare) on an external Intel 320 series 120gb in an Addonics eSatap enclosure. My work typically entails Vistual Studio 2010 and 2008 solutions and SQL Server. Oddly enough, the 2010 solution compiles faster inside the VM than it does on the host!

The host has a single platter 500gb short-stroked to about 150gb.

That is what the SSD did for my VM.

 

Yea. Anway, VM's work kinda strangely, my virtual XP boots and works like I have never seen this fast and responsive OS. Insane!

 

With the current sales and MIRs for the Intel 320 series SSDs, I'm thinking of heading out tomorrow to pick up at 120GB for the netbook and an 80GB to use as a system drive for my laptop. We're talking just under $300 before the MIR if I pick them up locally at Best Buy. Any reason why I shouldn't pull the trigger?

 

If I needed SSD's right now, I wouldn't hesitate to buy the Intel 320 Series (I have the 160GB versions) again. At those prices they're begging to be stolen, er, I mean purchased.

 

I decided to get two of the 80GB drives. My wife did fine with the 60 in her Macbook, and we have a 320 iOmega Go she can use as storage. I also have a class 4 16GB SD card and similarly clawed and sized micro thumb drive to use as a spanned or striped volume if she needs extra space. I have the 24GB expresscard drive on my HP.

Figure I can use the rebates plus whatever I can get from selling the Macbook to get a 128GB SSD for data storage/VMs.

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