Want to upgrade my NP9150 to SSD. Suggestions?

I've had the NP9150 in my signature since last July, and I absolutely love it! Now that I have some more money to play around with, I'd like to upgrade to a SSD.

Can someone please provide me with some suggestions for a SSD that will work best? I currently have an optical drive in the machine, and I'd like to keep it there, so I'm limited to having a SSD as the main drive (so I'm thinking I'd like to get at least 250 GB of space, if not more). I know that Intel, Crucial, and Samsung all are solid choices for a SSD. I don't want to spend more than $350-$400 on this upgrade, but do want to get the most reliable brand (Intel?) with the most storage possible.

Also, will it be relatively easy to migrate all of my programs (my installed games, saved game files, Microsoft Office, etc) to a SSD?

Thanks for any advice!

 

my crucial m4 512gb ssd is brill. 12 seconds to boot and be ready to use. the samsung 830 is faster and the 840 pro even faster. the samsung has better read/write speeds but tbh compared to my previous western digital black theres no comparison and any ssd will be very noticeable in speed.
prices have dropped compared to when i bought last year so just go for what you can afford.
for a 15" i defo think its worth a 512gb drive.

 

Thanks for the advice man. Yes, I'm shooting for 512GB, but I feel like even 256GB may be enough. I wonder if I can buy through XoticPC?

Also, while we're at it...what is the best Anti-Virus for this machine? My other one just ran out and need to get a new one.

 

send one of the reps a pm on here and they will be able to advise but it would be cheaper buying from an external source. dont know wheres best in the states but i hear a lot about best buy.

ive been using avast pro for 3 years now and have only had 2 false positives.

but a lot of people swear by the free versions.

read up on them here > Computer Security Forum, Antivirus but prepare to get even more confused as everyone has their faves.

 

I would recommend a Samsung 830. I have a 128GB and it's pretty much all I need. It's plenty fast and the power draw decrease over a HDD is nice too.

Then again, SSD capacity isn't really an issue for me since I got the optical disk exchanged for a HDD caddy and a 750GB HDD for all of my steam games and music.

 

Keep in mind you have a mSATA slot in there too so you can use that and the HDD. Its ideal to replace the HDD totally and put a SSD in there but you do have that option.
I do like the Intel 520 series but all the others mentioned are good SSD's too.
For antivirus, like MrDJ mentioned, I also use Avast but the free version.

We dont normally sell drives individually, sorry .

 

Thanks. Yeah I'm thinking 256GB should be enough for me, so will probably just go with that. I've heard great things about the Samsung 830.

Thinking of getting this one:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Crucial...rive/3766497.p?id=1218431542868&skuId=3766497

How hard is it to migrate everything from my HDD to the new SSD?

 

Its best to do a clean install onto the SSD. If you're going to clone make sure you find one that says it made for HDD to SSD cloning.

 

Also, make sure the SSD is aligned. Some/many users rush into imaging the drive and then they have problems.

SSD migration guide

256 GB might be enough, but I suggest assessing how much space you think you'll use. You probably won't be able to calculate it down to the last byte, but a guesstimate based off the storage space required by the programs you are planning on installing (check their system requirements) will definitely help you to determine the right capacity. (Note that I say this in part because I just got off the phone with a customer that has a 256 GB Crucial M4, and he is somewhat taken aback by how quickly he's used the majority of the space).

 

Also remember it's not a good idea to totally fill an SSD.

 

id recommend a 512gb ssd any day of the week! especially now that theyve become so affordable

samsung 840 pro / ocz vector / plextor m5 pro would be my premium choices if i was out looking for an ssd right now

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

 

Don't forget the M5 will launch soon with some very low prices per GB and very good performance to boot.

 

Thanks a lot guys! Guess I have more research to do

 

Under $600 for 960GB (that's including the hit for over provisioning) suggests around $300 for the 480GB version.

 

My girlfriend just picked up the 500 gig Samsung 840 and her np9150 now does everything instantly. It's knife in the ribs to come back to my np9150 special edition because of hdd slowness. I plan on doing the same as she did soon. Cost per gig is just too good

Sent from my SPH-L900 using Tapatalk 2

 

gf with a 9150 and an ssd self-upgrade, i like!

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

 

I agree with jaybee, that's pretty awesome that your gf not only has a 9150, but upgraded on her own!

Is there a huge different between the Samsung 840 and the Samsung 840 Pro? Newegg has the 500GB 840 at $370, which to me seems like a pretty good price. The 840 Pro is $520. I really don't want to spend more than like $375 on this upgrade because I also may want to add more/faster RAM.

This is the one I'm very close to pulling the trigger on. Let me know what you guys think. I feel like it will be more than enough (speed/storage), and it's got excellent reviews.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147187

 

well basically u wont even notice the difference between a mainstream and a high perf. ssd in every day applications, except maybe when ure doing heavy server workloads or transferring huge amounts of data on a regular basis. in the end, reliability is key and concerning that u cant go wrong with samsung go ahead and pull the trigger on that 500gb 840, im sure u wont regret it

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

 

Thanks man! Is there any difference between that one (MZ-7TD500KW) and the MZ-7TD500BW? Just want to be sure. I'm pretty sure I want the Samsung 840 500GB, now I'm just trying to get the best price possible.

Is anyone aware of some upcoming sales that I should wait for? I don't need to make this purchase right away, but definitely want a SSD.

 

not much of a difference there, the KW is just the desktop upgrade kit including a 2.5" to 3.5" adapter

 

Thanks! Will the BW allow me to migrate everything from my HDD to the SSD fairly easily (Microsoft Office, installed games, saved game files, etc)? Just want to make absolutely sure before I buy I still have yet to use my upgrade to Windows 8. I"ll keep Windows 7 for now, but eventually want to move to Windows 8.

 

there are special migration tools out there that provide the specific functionality u need when migrating from a mechanical to a solid state drive. but i for one always recommend a fresh system install in order to get the best performance out of ur new ssd

 

Gotcha...I will probably do it that way for Windows 7 64bit at the very least. And for the few games I currently have installed. And then eventually use my $20 upgrade to Windows 8.

Is there a way for me to at least transfer over all of my saved game files? Or would I need to purchase an external storage device for that purpose.

 

as long as u know where those save game files are stored, u can just take out ur current hdd, install ur ssd, fresh install the OS and drivers onto the ssd, followed by the games, then connect ur current hdd externally (via usb for example) and copy over the save game files manually either that or do a backup of all the files u need onto a usb stick before swapping out drives

 

Thank you jaybee! I'm a newb at this, so that's why I'm asking all these questions. Just want to make to sure I don't have to buy anything extra in order to transfer my other files over (after everything else that I'm going to fresh install).

Really apprecaite your help!

 

I'm actually going to look into the 830 or the 840 Pro. I've read some reviews, and it seems the lifespan of the 840 is questionable, and you get more a noticeable speed boost with an 830 or 840 Pro. I'm annoyed that I'll have to spend more, but I like to do these kind of purchases right the first time around

 

sure, both of them brilliant choices indeed

 

Since your storage drive is used all the time I would not skimp on it to be honest.

 

well going for an 840 instead of an 840 pro isnt exactly skimping

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

 

But it's not just throwing your money away, you get a more durable, higher performing drive.

 

Ok, so I'm deciding between the 830 and 840 Pro (512GB).

I think I can get the 830 for $375 and the 840 Pro for like $450. The only thing I don't like abou the 830 is that it only has a 3 year warranty.

What would you guys do? I'm having a very hard time deciding. I honestly think it will take me quite a while to use 512GB (even after factoring in Windows 7, having to keep part of the SSD empty, etc), but if I ever got a new laptop, I could always transfer my SSD to that, so I want the most durable drive possible.

 

if u can afford both then just go for the 840 pro but its not like u can make a bad decision here with these two premium drives

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

 

I have both 830 and 840 pro (840 pro is in my desktop, both are 256gb) and I really don't see any difference in speed. However, I'm not usually dealing with large files so I haven't paid too much attention on the write speeds (on which the 840 pro is faster). 830 has been proven to be very reliable, but I don't think there has been any problems with the 840 pro thus far.

Personally I would have gotten a 830, but they were out of stock everywhere, so I was "forced" to buy a 840 pro .

 

Thanks guys. Right now, I've got the 840 Pro for $445, and the 830 for $375 (both are brand new). I'm trying to get the 830 down to $350-$360. If I can get the 830 price down some more, I think I'll just do that. For me, the 830 at 512GB is more than enough. I'm already a little annoyed I have to spend this kind of money, and from what I can see, the 830 is just as reliable as the 840 Pro, and for gaming, I won't notice the speed difference that much.

 

well if u wanna save more money u can always just go with a crucial m4 not as fast as the samsungs but reliable as heck and proven through and through. besides, u wont really notice the speed differences at all unless doing benchmarks

basically, its a difference like night and day when u switch from an hdd to an ssd, but once ure in solid state land there arent any concernible real-life differences in speed anymore with the exception of the above stated examples.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

 

I thought about the M4, and while it's generally considered very good, I did see more so-so reviews for it compared with others. The 830 gets universally great reviews...so I think the 830 is the best fit between speed/reliability and price. The 840 Pro is just too much

 

found ur sweet spot then, good stuff

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

 

I actually changed my mind and got the 256GB 840 Pro for $210. I honestly think 256GB is more than enough for me. Since I got my gaming laptop last summer, I've only played like 2 games. The only things I have installed are Windows 7, Microsoft Office 2010, Dragon Age: Origins and The Witcher 2. And I still haven't finished either game (just don't have the time to game like I used to).

I honestly think I will be fine with 256GB. I don't want to pay for extra space that I'm not going to use. Plus, I keep all of my photos and music on my iMac, so I'll never waste additional space with things like that.

 

I bought a 840 pro yesterday... I remove my main hdd and put the ssd... how can I set it up to ahci.... I want to set it to ahci before doing a clean install ..

 

Nice! How many GB did you get on your 840 Pro? Is that your only disc drive?

I originally didn't want to have to switch out the optical disc drive, but I think that's what I may do down the line. I think I'm currently only using like 80GB of space (Windows 7, DA: Origins Ultimate Edition, and The Witcher 2 Enhanced Edition), so the 256GB by itself should be enough for a good while. Later on, if I need more space, I'll just put the 500GB 7200 RPM HDD in the optical bay.

 

check ur bios for that, it should have an option for ide/ahci drive controller states.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

 

My Samsung 840 Pro 256GB is on its way, but in the mean time, I'd like to make sure I know what I'm doing in advance.

I know everyone is saying to do a clean install of Windows and my games, so that's fine. However, I have a lot of files and mods. What is the best way to transfer them over without having to copy them over one-by-one and then just installing them where they need to go? For the most part, I know where everything is, but I'd hate to have to do this manually...

 

A useful thread:

Sean's SSD Buyers Guide & Information Thread

 

Thanks man! Hopefully this will give me the easiest way to migrate everything over. I want to do a clean install of Windows 7 and my games, but am hoping I can find an easy way to move all my files/mods over without having to replace everything.

 

It is annoying that there is not just a default location for saves, would make life so much easier some times.

 

I'm actually returning the 256GB 840 Pro. I snagged a new/sealed 830 512GB for $350, which I think was a very good deal. Yeah, it's not as fast as the 840 Pro, but the 830 is fast and has proven to be very reliable, and I'm getting the 512GB of space that I originally was hoping for. When I realized the extra money I'd have to spend for the HDD caddy and external disc drive if I wanted to swap out the optical drive, it brough the cost of the 256GB up more closer a 512GB SSD. Now I just have to return the 256GB one for a refund lol

The only thing is I'm dreading migrating all my saved gave files/mods over after doing a fresh install of Windows 7 and my games..uh, that's gonna blow.

 

cmon, it cant be that bad i usually plan for 1-2 days whenever i do a fresh install of my system. it just takes that long to find all the newest drivers, reinstall all (updated) tools, programs and games and configure the system the way i want it.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2