mSATA & Too much information

I have an Alienware M14xR2 which has room for a mSATA SSD.

I wanted to buy a full size one to replace the HDD but that would mean buying a 512GB to also use for storage so ive decided to buy this

Mushkin Enhanced Atlas Series MKNSSDAT120GB-DX mSATA 120GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) RAM Experts

Next to my HDD.

I will be installing the OS and some games on the mSATA but can I install programs on the HDD aswell? Rather than just store music and files on it?


Problem is that nowadays the internet floods you with information each post conflicting the other, people say this is one of the best mSATA's out there yet the sandforce controller sucks and is unreliable? See what I mean?

Could anyone help me out? I'm going to use this all for uni, i'll be studying webdesign and mobile app services etc.

 

While I cannot say I'm 100% sure; I've read that mSATA was not designed to reach full SSD speed (this of course doesn't mean mSATA is slow, on the contrary they are very fast and I believe it can come close or match mainstream SSD "when used as stand-alone drive and NOT as cache drives").
And yes you can install anything you want on the HDD as it will appear like a different drive although programs will start slower from the HDD.
as for what type of mSATA or SSD to choose, I won't be able to answer you since I have no experience there but I can direct you to website that always help me make up my mind : Site A & Site B
Edit: to help you make a better decision here is a comparison between MLC & SLC types of SSD (which is the same for mSATA) HERE and another one HERE

 

How exactly is it not designed to reach full SSD speeds? mSATA is a connector much like miniDP or miniUSB. It has nothing to do with the SSD. The new Crucial M4 and Samsung 830 mSATA versions are identical in performance and reliability as their 2.5" counterparts. SSDs should contain the OS and programs to optimize their usage, but if you don't have enough capacity, you can install either on the HDD with your data. Sandforce is a good controller but they have had numerous issues since being released. Generally, for performance, NBR users will highly recommend Samsung and Crucial (Marvell controller) over Sandforce. For budget, I would definitely include MyDigitalSSD as a good option.

 

mSATA has historically been limited to SATAII speeds. at least thats what others have said on this forum; never used one personally.

 

SATA III cards and computers that offer the mSATA slots that support it are starting to hit the markets, though those cards are even pricier than their SATA II counterparts.

 

MSata SSD drives come in Sata II and Sata III versions. Sata II speeds are exactly that. Sata III speeds are exactly that. A lot of tablets such as mine have ONLY a mSata slot. Nothing else. That was the genesis of the mSata. Now many full size laptops incorporate a mSata slot, in addition to the main drive bay. If you want to keep your ODD in your laptop, using a mSata as your boot drive with a HDD is one way to get speed from your OS, and even some programs, if it is large enough, along with the storage ability from the HDD.

Many now use an external optical drive and replace the ODD with a caddy, placing the HDD there, and putting an SSD in the HDD bay. You can buy 2.5" SDDs in larger sizes and usually cheaper than you can mSata drives. So you can get speed and storage for less. Plus many of us no longer use the ODD for much anymore.

Now someone mentioned the computer and Sata II or Sata III ability. You can buy a Sata III drive, but maybe your laptop only has a Sata II bay. You won't get quite the same performance, because your speed will be capped at the Sata II speed, but you will be able to move the drive to your next laptop, which most likely will have Sata III capability. You also will most likely never notice the difference unless your either a power user or need to run a bunch of benchmarks.

As for MLC vs SLC SSDs, SLC SSDs are usually for servers, and are way more expensive. Your MLC SSD will most likely outlive your laptop.

You would be better off, if you do decide to buy a mSata SSD, getting the largest you can afford since like all SSD drives, larger usually means an increase in speed (writes and reads) and allows for more overhead room (Trim uses the over provisioning). There are programs that will make use of the added speed from the SSD, and yet after install or loading, a great many of your programs will not show any increase from the speed. Programs such as video or photo editing and CAD will show you speed differences. Most games won't after loading. I did a study a couple of years ago on here during a discussion about the merits of a SSD, and it showed using the SSD for my photo editing, vs a HDD, the SSD would pay for itself in months just in time saved.

Sorry for the TL;DR. Long day. I hope this helps.