Swapping HDD to SSD in my Y580 Help

Well, the thing is it has been a while since I went into a laptop. I didn't know SSD existed until a few months ago.
I was wondering how to get the Windows OS onto a SamSung 830 128GB(plenty of space) SSD I have sitting in front of me. Not sure how I would go about it from scratch.


I read that there is a easy software that will migrate HDD data to the new SSD without any problems and instructions. Although, the comments on migrating with this software differed.


I have a Y580, I wan to use the Samsung 830 as my primary and only drive. I hope not to run into any problems/surprises. I heard that SSDs get slower over time as well as have a limited amount times they can be written on I also heard many brands are unreliable(OTZ). When it comes to Sata ad mSata I am a bit confused. I just simply put want an SSD where my HDD is with my current data on my HDDD transferred to the SSD. I have a 320GB Toshiba External Drive I have with a windows CD image and BackUps/Mirror etc on. All backed up on that external drive.


I read some guides, but I couldn't find any guides for using the SSD as my main only storage device for files, applications and the OS. I want to do it myself, save myself time money and learn. Thanks for any help guys!


My Y580:
6GB DDR3 1600mhz
Toshiba 5400RPM 750GB HDD
Intel i7 3610QM
NVIDIA GeForce® GTX 660M 2GB graphics

 

The Y580 supports mSATA SSDs, which are small SSDs that plug into a miniPCI slot on the motherboard. The benefit of this setup is it allows you to keep the hard drive in the main bay for storage where speed is not as important. It's very unlikely you'd hit the write limits on a SSD even if you used it every day for the next five years. You can burn off a copy of the recovery discs from your Y580 and use those to re-install the OS. There's a download link in the Windows forum where you can download a Windows disc for a clean install if you prefer that route.

 

oh that's great, I was going to switch to SSD as my main boot/storage drive and sell the HDD for cheap. Main reason so it runs cooler/faster. Msata sounds ok maybe i'll try that.

Can as SSD safely be used as the main and only boot/storage drive without destroying itself?
I've asked everywhere, and still have not got a solid answer.

 

SSD is very safe and secure. The write limits have been more than exaggerated on the internet. Using your drive everyday for five-ten years you will be ok. Drive failures are more frequent in HDD due to moving parts.

Also, if you are looking for cooler, you might want to steer away from Samsung 830. It is an awesome drive, but under load its heat surprasses most HDD. Just so you know Crucial or Intel are both good brands and reliable.

You can use an SSD or mSata SSD as your main/only drive and be very safe. Enjoy the speeds!

Sent from my EVO using Tapatalk 2

 

Wow thanks allot! Some people have been telling me with a guarantee the drive will fail within a month if it's my only main boot/storage drive.

I am a bit worried still as i have not read anyone using as there main drive but ill just backup the data on my external drive.
The samsung 830 price is cheap which is what got me. All i need 128gb thats it.

 

My N50 would disagree with them, it's been running on a SSD only for over 2 and a half month and the lifespan indicator is still at 100% in CrystalDiskInfo. The guys at extremesystems.org would probably get the torches and pitchforks to against whoever said that: SSD Write Endurance 25nm Vs 34nm

 

Awesome!!!
So the crucial m4 and intel ssd run cooler and reliable?
Do you guys know what a deal would be for one of those 128gb ssd csn be found?

Now i just need a guide to install it as my main drive.

 

M4 128GB; Newegg.com - Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD2 2.5" 128GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) Amazon.com: Crucial 128 GB m4 2.5-Inch Solid State Drive SATA 6Gb/s CT128M4SSD2: Electronics
With data transfer kit should you want to clone your current drive: Newegg.com - Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD2CCA 2.5" 128GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) with Transfer Kit

M4 256GB In case you decide 128GB isn't enough: Newegg.com - Crucial M4 CT256M4SSD2CCA 2.5" 256GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) with Transfer Kit

 

Is it ever enough? That's not even enough for my basic operation program which are 205GB. That mean I will just make it under the 256GB mark with head room.

 

Well, at least we're starting to see 512GB SSDs go down in price (slowly): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148527

 

The crucial M4 had quite a bit bad reviews. The 256GB is out of my budget I am hoping the price goes down faster.
Ebay has a Intel Solid-State Drive 330 Series 120GB - 2.5" for 95 shipped new, good deal?

 

EDIT: I think Intel is the most reliable SSD make? I hope it can last fro years with no trouble.

 

Absolutely, I've been using an Intel mSATA SSD in my X220 for over a year with no issues.

Failure rates for all SSDs are very low. While Intel does have the lowest failure rates, if you buy one, any brand, the most likely outcome is it'll be blazingly fast and you'll never have a problem with it.

 

I have had my M4 512GB as a boot Drive for over a year now. Although I had a 'media read failure' error at bootup the other day, after a firmware upgrade and a boot sector fix, it was fine.

However, even though people say standard hard drives will fail more often due to moving parts, I haven't found that to be true either. You might also want to look into the Momentus XT Hybrid 8GB as well.

 

I'm pretty sure that honor goes to Samsung at the moment.

 

This is true but they run hotter and Intel has the highest reliability rating according to the other guys and from what I read.

I am nervous about using it but I am going to bight the bullet and get one as my main and only drive. I hope i don't have any problems.

 

You say the Crucial M4 has bad reviews, but so far i haven't seen bad press reviews, they fixed pretty much every issue i've seen happen with a firmware update and even the newegg ratings speak for themselves too. Could you link those reviews or tell me where you stumbled upon them, i'm curious.

Anyways, i doubt you'll have any problems unless you're unlucky and stumble upon a lemon, also be sure to keep a decent amount of free space on the drive.

 

Your nervousness is unfounded at the moment. The first generation of SSD had several problems. Now that we are at the third generation of SSD controllers, besides a few select drives (namely OCZ), all of them are highly reliable and exceptional in speed compared to the HDD.

Just get a crucial or Intel or Samsung, whichever you can afford. And never look back!
Ps. I have an OCZ drive as my main drive. Blazing fast and really spacious, 360gb. But a friend if mine has had to rma his OCZ drive two times. They eventually upgraded him to an OCZ octane (from the lower end Petrol). Now he is happy. But because he had to rma it twice, I can't recommend the company. My experiences however are swell. Take from this what you will

Sent from my EVO using Tapatalk 2

 

Get the SSD! The life span is typically measured in hours, which some are rated for 1,000,000+/-. Even if they do slow down with time, they will still be faster than your current HDD, use less power and reduce your heat.

 

Ok guys ok gusy!!! lol you win!
I was reading the reviews on newegg, tiger direct, and i think frys (customer reviews)
I am going to get the Intel, is there a point when it's so fast that you wont notice it it already sounds much faster then the HDDs. I mean the Intel runs cooler and has a lower fail rate so I want to get the 120GB and i think it comes with a transfer utility right? It's fast enough compared to the HDDs.

 

The transfer utility needs to be downloaded from Intel's website, but it's free so yeah it'll be an easy swap. I still recommend a clean install though.

 

It seems everyone recommends a clean install. What are the advatnages of a clean install? Thank you guys for outting up with my stubbornness!

You mentioned not fil it up all the way. How many gb should i keep free?

 

Windows should set everything as it should be for a SSD (no defrag/TRIM), but it won't hurt to check and best of all you get to choose what is on your computer without all the manufacturer's bloatware although Lenovo tends to have some useful stuff.

 

It's like renovation an old building: Rather than patching old plaster, everything will tend to work better when you "gut" out as much of the old stuff away that has been pieced together, repaired, and patched up over the years.

Your computer is similar in that as you add, delete, install, uninstall programs, drivers etc.... You get rid of all the accumulated register error and associated junk and start over with a clean, fresh slate.

 

Ok thanks guys! I CC Cleaner for that stuff. I am not OCD about most of that as long as it doesn't actually effect performance.
I got the Intel 520 120GB drive from BestBuy(I wanted it today) and it requires a USB to Sata connector I don't have one. Crap! I wanted to do it today too not a fan of surprises.
Any tips or tricks I should know let me know thanks guys! I'll get the USB-to-SATA cable tomorrow. Intel has a 5 year warranty so I am hoping I got one of the good ones.
Intels website confuses my brain.

 

Download any drivers and software you'll need before doing the clean install and put them on a flash drive. Oh and look for an Ideapad clean install guide on NBR, we have plenty of thinkpad guides, but i don't know if certain parts of those can be applied to other lenovo notebooks.

 

Which IS the point behind a clean install.

 

Got it! I don't have much time these days so the migration tool I wont mind. If I had the time I'd do a clean install though. I set time up today for it but I didn't realize i needed a USB - Sata cable. Everything's closed now and I have to wait until tomorrow

I remember on of you guys mentions not to fill it up all the way. How many GB should I leave free on my SSD?

 

If possible, try to keep around 20% free space available although you drive does have overprovisioning, so you could likely get away with 15% without taking that big of a performance hit. That is assuming average Joe style use, don't forget to give it some idle time once in a while so that TRIM can do it's work.

 

Some recommend 50% but that is kind of extreme. I say anything from 20-40% is safe to leave free. You can always make a partition that is 20-40% of the total size. This will ensure you will never touch that area unless you have to.

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I've read the too but that's seems like a lot of space to give up. And frankly, significantly lessens the value.

Anyway, I'd like to see the actual test results from where those determinations were made. Even better, the graph that shows the rate of diminishing return. I could live with 20%, but not a penny more.

 

I agree with you wholeheartedly on this one

I am not a heavier user when it comes to pure "file" storage. I constantly delete and clean out my downloads folder, etc. Any media I have is stored on a local server and so I never have too many movies and music on my laptop. For large files I just put them on my HDD in the optical bay. With my 360gb SSD, I have about 120gb used and that is probably the plateau. I do have an empty 20gb partition though for safe measure.

I manage to get by with 15gb with my server needs for my website

I would also like to see performance difference with 10%-99% full SSD. A nice graph would be good to see. I had a 120gb Samsung SSD that had about 20gb free space left. Everyday performance was not affected as far as I could tell, and smart data reported the drive to have 98% life.

I'd be more than happy to make a comprehensive analysis if I had access to an extra SSD. Hehe.

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WOW, I had no idea you actually had to keep these free. I currently use 56GB. And I have the 120GB Intel 520 SSD. So keeping 24GB free is kinda odd to me. They should advertise the drive as 96GB SSD.

What do you mean by safe, what happens if I just so happen to fill it to 110GB?
At the point how would it compare to a HDD? Very interesting guys, I agree with you 100%.
It's my first SSD, learning still and you all have been great help!

What software should I use to monitor the life of my SSD?

 

I have intended to purchase an SSD right from the beginning but have always backed off; I'm that chicken. These have been expensive purchases and I don't need a $500 coaster. Anyway, I intend to bite the bullet by September. I have been using PerfectDisk 12 for all my HDD needs and my Hitachis have served me for nearly 4 years without a single hiccup.

The PerfictDisk 12 has a provision for SSD but I have no clue as to how well it preforms with SSDs. Maybe tilleroftheearth can tell you since, if I'm not mistaken, is the one whose recommendation led me to that software in the first place.

I will be going to the SSD threads regularly from now on. I suggest you do the same.

 

Well technically, the amount of free space you need to keep depends on your usage pattern. A SSD gets slow when you have no empty NAND: AnandTech - The SSD Anthology: Understanding SSDs and New Drives from OCZ. If you don't write a lot to disk, you can get away with less free space.

 

dude, i'm excited for you. you will be blown away. hardware upgrades over the last ~10-15 years basically allowed you to get back to "normal operating speeds," but when i booted from an ssd the first time--it's a marked and noticeable difference. booting, installation, and access is like a whole new game.
Sent from my PI39100 using Board Express

 

I am going to keep the Intel 520 SSD all the way to 95-100GB and the remaining 20 I'll leave empty. if I ever get there.
Even if it gets a little slow it would still blow a HDD away?
I am going to read that article you sent me and educate my brain lol.
I am installing today, I'l let you guys know how it goes. Thanks again!

 

"To install the product at least one Intel SSD device should be in your system."
I get that error. I have it plugged in with a USB to Sata cable only it's a single not dual usb cable.
What's wrong?

I don't see the SSD there with my Drive C. When I plugged it in it gave me the green light in the system tray.

What is aligning?

 

The migration software should see the drive once it's hooked to the computer, at least, that was the case for me when i migrated to my 160GB 320. It will not show up in computer if it isn't formatted though.

 

I ended up using a paid version of Acronis True Imager 2012 and cloned the drive to the SSD. All I do now is plug the SSD where my HDD was and it should boot up fine right?
Or should I have used the Intel Software?
I didn't format anything maybe this was why. I just used the Acronis maybe it auto formatted. I hope it's the best software for the SSD and aligned it.

 

The latest version of Acronis considers alignment and the good thing is that you now have a powerful backup tool as well.

 

My SSD using the software Acronis reported me only 99.5 GB of space after cloning while the utility before cloning reported 111.xx of space. I assume that's the safety buffer zone huh? Thing booted up incredibly fast and the Intel 520 has a 5 year warranty so I hope all goes well.

Do you know of any good SSD life monitor tools? Someone mentioned Smart Disk I Googled it and it seemed like there was a bunch of hits.

I really appreciate you guys taking the time to respond to me and I could not have done this without your help/time/effort (especially you tijo)into helping me and it is greatly appreciated.

I still got one person who thinks(he's completely sure) that it will fail in a month or so but I am not worried. 5 year warranty! WooHoo!

Does a Intel 520 SSD use more CPU then a HDD? It appears it does.

 

Download the Intel SSD toolbox and you're set: http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?agr=Y&DwnldID=18455.

CPU usage is the same regardless of the drive, Windows is probably reindexing stuff or doing some other background task due to the drive swap, your cpu usage will go back down to what is was before the swap soon enough.

 

Ok awesome.
Today I was about to send a Gmail email and the comp froze on firefox. ControlAltDelete didn't respond only my mouse moved around the screen, then the screen went black. So i pushed the button to turn off the comp and it came to life and went black again. Holded it down and rebooted and not it's fine again. Wonder where that came from. I ran a full registry cleaner yesterday choosing all options except wipe empty space clean.

 

If it's a single occurrence, don't think much of it, keep an eye out for more freezes though.

 

It froze again but only for about 20 seconds. I ran the Intel tool box and had it checked/optimized. We'll see. Thanks for all your help