Solid State Drive Installation

Hi

I bought a Sony Vaio Z a while ago - i planned all along to buy a SSD and put it in. I will do this in not too long - so i have a few questions:

1) Are they all standard size, ie will i be able to buy whatever SSD and plug it in? Or do i need to research this?

2) Will there possibly be any compatibility issues? Ie, will it start up and "work perfectly" the first time i start the comp after install?

3) Any recommendations on which drives are good? Don't need too much space (for example, 80 gb should be fine, less also fine)

4) if before i install it, i stick in a CD with an operating system (linux, windows 7 whatever), will i be able to install just like that? Thanks!

 

1) most are standard size, a.k.a. 2.5". there are others for special needs. just check it's a 2.5" (see later)

2) it should just work perfectly. but nothing is 100%, as always. but it should.

3) x25-m. you want 80gb, you get 80gb. + you get one of the best and most reliable drives out there. it's from intel, like most likely about everything of your laptop will be. to point 1) a side node. the x25-m is the 2.5". there is a x18-m, which is 1.8" for mini notebooks. this as an an example of how to find out which is standard, and which is special size.

4) you put in the disk, you put in the cd with your os, and you install. the only one that could be a hazzle is xp, if the laptop is on sata mode. but that is independent on the ssd, and the same with a hdd.

 

Don't you have to install the firmware as well, or drivers or something?

Also, make sure it's one of the models with TRIM support. Don't know what it is, and I don't know why it's better, but everyone is recommending them, so I thought I'd jump on the bandwagon.

 

no. you can update the firmware on it if it's old (like you can on any device, any hdd, any gpu, etc..), but you don't need to.

yeah, trim support is nice, but massively overrated. still get it for the "never have to care about anything" sort of thought.

so, in short, get the x25-m generation 2 (often labeled G2).

just search for 80gb ssd on your favourite store, and nothing else should pop up, anyways..

 

What is TRIM?

 

I'm new to the SSD scene, but the way SSDs are made, they have all these "cells" which data is stored on. When you delete something, the cell's information is erased, but it hasn't been returned into an "never-used state". So, if you attempt to write to that cell again, the controller has to take that cell, return it to the never-used state, and only then can you rewrite over it. That's why some SSDs take performance hits over time: they have to revert and then rewrite. What TRIM does is automatically revert all erased cells back to never-used status.

However, there are programs (wiper.exe is one I've heard about) that allows you to do this manually.


I have to bone up on this since I might hopefully have an SSD by week's end.

 

what is google?

in short: ssds should get informed if you delete a file, so they can delete it themselves, too, to free up some flash cells for further use. why exactly is unimportant right now. TRIM is that deletion-signal for your ssd.

if you don't trim, even stuff you deleted is still on the ssd, and the ssd thinks it's in use, till one day it gets overwritten by new data. with trim, it can clean up and prepare itself, making it always snappy and fast.

 

Oh, ok, now I get it.

 

For installation:
ONLY Indilinx based SSD requires you install OS under IDE mode.
the rest of them are fine with either IDE or ACHI.
it my $.02

 

Do lots of investigation if your buying the Intel G2s because many resellers (esp Newegg) have engaged in price gouging under the smokescreen of supply and demand. You can catch specials or "small more less reputable site with limited inventory and nice price" though with only a little work.

The 160 GB X-25 has faster write speeds than the 80GB, if that matters to you. For either one, look for "G2" in the model number

 

Most SSD's are 2.5 inch height ones and the best one on the market is the intel G2 SSD... like mentioned earlier.. it's new and in short demand and if u have windows 7 , it is a great SSD... and there's a great deal on the marketplace here... for a 160GB Intel G2 SSD... completely new and for $440... here's the link

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=444349

 

Ok, thanks guys. I sit in Hong Kong, hence my slow replies.

2.5" it is, also thought about the Intel, which is why i mentioned 80Gb (psychologists would prob had said i shouldnt do that to get an honest reply ). Might wait a bit with buying, as i will prob reinstall when my windows 7 beta runs out and would do shift to SSD then, but just wanted to see how smooth it would be.

Now all i need is to figure out how to replace the drive by myself funny!

 

Keep in mind that for most Sony Vaio, replacing the harddrive will void your warranty, since you have to completely disassemble the laptop to get to the harddrive. As long as you know this, good luck

 

Good thing i didn't buy a sony... i can easily replace the hard drive in my hp by removing a cover..

 

Yeah, I tried them out once, found out about this issue, and haven't bought from them ever since. Thinkpads are infinitely more customizable.

 

what size will a netbook have? also 2.5"?

 

Generally. My MSI U100 does, for sure.

 

Hehe, same with my Toshiba. I can remove both my hard drives in a matter of two minutes...

 

Just got my intel ssd x25-m 80gb today and just flash the firmware to the latest one. Just wondering could I split the partition into two. 35gb for the OS and 40 for data. Will there be a performance different if I split the drive or just leave it as one? I will be installing Windows 7 on it just wondering if I need to install intel turbo memory and matrix storage manager drivers on my notebook to help the performance of the drive. I have a dell xps 1530m. thanks

 

Just keep it together... in case u need more space for OS Service pack updates etc...