Can an SSD make this much difference?

[Pew]

They make a massive difference. I've put SSDs into our old Dell Latitude E6400s just to see the difference vs a 500GB WD Black HDD. If the laptop didn't look like it was 11 years old then you'd never be able to tell the difference for normal daily tasks. It was faster than a brand new HP Elitebook that came with a HDD. SSDs extended the life of our old i7-2600 desktops that ran CAD programs (replaced them this month because we're moving to all-laptops.)

Originally Posted by diyjake

What is a good / reliable SSD drive to get? I have read that Kingston brand seems to crash / fail.

I use Samsung for my M.2 SSD and Crucial for my normal SATA SSDs at home. At work I use Crucial MX500s since they're OPAL compliant for encryption. Pretty much any name brand is good. There's small differences here and there but if you're not a tech-junkie then it won't matter.

 

[JeffKeryk]

Solid State Drive is the single biggest speed improvement you can make. Perhaps consider a new notebook? They have come a long way. Depending on what you use it for, $500 buys a lotta machine. Especially in a Chromebook.

 

[bubbatime]

Im an idiot when it comes to computers and I was able to clone my hard drive with the provided software, and then install an SSD into my Dell computer. It runs WAY faster and is like a new computer.

 

[Danno]

My motherboard failed on a new work Lenovo E580 with an SSD. Had to sub into an older spinny Lenovo. That was painful.... Yes, SSDs make a huge difference. Samsung is my go to brand.

 

[diyjake]

Originally Posted by bubbatime

Im an idiot when it comes to computers and I was able to clone my hard drive with the provided software, and then install an SSD into my Dell computer. It runs WAY faster and is like a new computer.

What brand did you go with? Did you use a docking station to clone it or how did you connect it to the computer while cloning?

 

[JohnG]

I made the upgrade on two computers, both using Samsung 860 EVO SSD's, made a HUGE difference on both of them. One was a laptop, and the other a desktop unit. Samsung offers a free data migration program that was very simple to use, but it only works with Windows. Linux users are SOL. Just need a cheap adapter cable to make it work. I used an external case and my old HD stays in that as a backup/portable storage. On my Linux machine I used the "stick of chewing gum" style hard drive, and MAN that thing RIPS!

 

[Bottom_Feeder]

Originally Posted by diyjake

What is a good / reliable SSD drive to get? I have read that Kingston brand seems to crash / fail.

No more than any other name brand. Kingston is solid. But so is Samsung, Crucial, etc.

 

[benjy]

windows 10 is ok BUT it opens + closes pages at random even without hovering + i have yet to get a fix for that!! just move the curser over things + they open if they "feel" like it!!!! give me windows SEVEN any day!!! i have non SSD computers + for their low price they serve me good enough, so depends what you do + as usual $$$$$. $250 for a basic HP a wallys, if it dies get another as repairs are $$$$ + DIY is easier on bigger thicker laptops

 

[Hall]

Originally Posted by Skippy722

You could clone the drive, but then you need a way to connect the SSD to your computer for cloning before installing it.

Originally Posted by diyjake

Originally Posted by bubbatime

Im an idiot when it comes to computers and I was able to clone my hard drive with the provided software, and then install an SSD into my Dell computer. It runs WAY faster and is like a new computer.

Did you use a docking station to clone it or how did you connect it to the computer while cloning?

I would strongly suggest against "cloning" the drive if at all possible. A fresh install of Windows alone can make your computer feel faster and if you clone it, you're just bringing years and years worth of garbage (not your data, i.e. documents, pictures, etc) to the new, speedy drive.

 

[diyjake]

Originally Posted by hallstevenson

Originally Posted by Skippy722

You could clone the drive, but then you need a way to connect the SSD to your computer for cloning before installing it.

Originally Posted by diyjake

Originally Posted by bubbatime

Im an idiot when it comes to computers and I was able to clone my hard drive with the provided software, and then install an SSD into my Dell computer. It runs WAY faster and is like a new computer.

Did you use a docking station to clone it or how did you connect it to the computer while cloning?

I would strongly suggest against "cloning" the drive if at all possible. A fresh install of Windows alone can make your computer feel faster and if you clone it, you're just bringing years and years worth of garbage (not your data, i.e. documents, pictures, etc) to the new, speedy drive.

Sorry for the stupid questions but I am years behind on all of this computer stuff. If I am buy a new SSD, how would I do a fresh windows 10 install? I am assuming I wouldn't have to buy Windows OS again? I will probably have to download and install drivers as well?

 

[Hall]

Yeah, as I was typing my response, that's why I added "if at all possible". You can download Windows 10 from Microsoft. No issues there. You own a valid license for Windows 10 although it's linked to that machine but in this case, that's not a problem. Only problem might be if you can apply your current license to the fresh install. Don't rule it out, you might be able to. Reading this, it makes it sound like Microsoft will already have a digital license linked to your machine. A unique ID is probably stored in the BIOS of the computer which remains and has nothing to do with the old hard drive and when you reinstall Windows, it queries this ID #, says there's a valid digital license, and you're good to go. Do some research though. Worst case, you can buy a digital license pretty cheap and they're legitimate. I paid $40 for one to use with a dual-boot system. It's fully activated too. Don't worry about drivers. This isn't Windows 98 ! When is the last time you downloaded and installed a driver ?

 

[Bottom_Feeder]

Windows 7 and 8 keys still work with installing the equivalent versions of Windows 10 (Home vs Pro, 32bit vs 64bit) and will attach that activated license to that hardware from now on. It's a sweet system.

 

[Kawiguy454]

I see recommendations for additional memory ...complete waste of money unless youre running out of memory, Windows 7 works fine in 4gb. Win10 is the hog. Buying more memory when you have enough is like buying a 55 gallon drum to put 1/2 quart of oil in it ...you only need a 1 quart container. Along with the SSD also remember that the HP Bloatware and other TSR programs or reraltime antivirus apps will slow down a PC considerably. remove the bloate apps also.

 

[Bottom_Feeder]

A clean install of Windows 7 and a clean install of Windows 10 will both use similar amounts of system memory, and 10 will make better use of it.

 

[mez]

Originally Posted by Sierra048

How hard is it to replace a regular hard drive with a SSD drive as a non-techie? Both of our laptops are pushing eight years old. They work fine but are just so slow now. How do you get the info off of the old drive onto the SSD?

It depends on laptop brand. My wife's Dell 7 year old laptop, a few screws and done. My HP was far more difficult. Tons of screws, Keyboard and other parts need to be removed or disconnected. I bought an inexpensive 240GB SDD ( like $30 ) and used a free OS clone software. What a difference it made. I was ready to throw both out and replace with new laptops. I will never buy a PC without a SSD.

 

[Pew]

Originally Posted by diyjake

I will probably have to download and install drivers as well?

Windows 10 does a great job at detecting and installing the drivers for everything except some more specialized ones, like say the latest for a GeForce 2080 GPU. No more needing to download the drivers onto a CD or USB before installing the OS.

Originally Posted by hallstevenson

Reading this, it makes it sound like Microsoft will already have a digital license linked to your machine. A unique ID is probably stored in the BIOS of the computer which remains and has nothing to do with the old hard drive and when you reinstall Windows, it queries this ID #, says there's a valid digital license, and you're good to go. Do some research though. Worst case, you can buy a digital license pretty cheap and they're legitimate. I paid $40 for one to use with a dual-boot system. It's fully activated too.

The HP laptops that the OP has doesn't contain the key in the BIOS. But he can just use the Win7 key on the sticker at the bottom of the laptop after the Win10 installation thankfully.

 

[14Accent]

Thanks everyone, you've all confirmed what I suspected. It's been so long since I upgraded the 8730 to an SSD that I forgot just how much of an improvement it can make. I'll probably keep an eye on the Micro Center flyer in case anything comes up. I'm pretty sure I used their house brand the last time and it's been flawless ever since. Regarding memory, I didn't realize that the 8440p had DDR3. It's so cheap! My 8730w uses DDR2-800 and it's crazy expensive now because it's old. That's why I've left it at 4gb. I doubt I need any more than that, though, because it runs just fine for my needs.

 

[LDM]

SSD definitely makes a huge difference. I even have one in an old laptop that I use to do tuning on my OBD1 cars. Its so old it still uses XP and has an IDE interface. I mostly made the switch so I didn't have to worry about the hard drives failing from the rough use but it did speed up the PC as well. Not that the IDE interface can really take full advantage of the speed but something is better than nothing.

 

[SpitFire6]

Originally Posted by hallstevenson

Originally Posted by Skippy722

You could clone the drive, but then you need a way to connect the SSD to your computer for cloning before installing it.

Originally Posted by diyjake

Originally Posted by bubbatime

Im an idiot when it comes to computers and I was able to clone my hard drive with the provided software, and then install an SSD into my Dell computer. It runs WAY faster and is like a new computer.

Did you use a docking station to clone it or how did you connect it to the computer while cloning?

I would strongly suggest against "cloning" the drive if at all possible. A fresh install of Windows alone can make your computer feel faster and if you clone it, you're just bringing years and years worth of garbage (not your data, i.e. documents, pictures, etc) to the new, speedy drive.

If you love reinstalling software all over again. If you love searching for drivers again for your MB, GPU, Sound & chipset; DO not use clone SW. Do a fresh install to male it super fast as you have only an OS and no applications I use Casper or LSoft for cloning. Cheers, Iain.

 

[bunnspecial]

As a real world example, even though this is OS X macOS and not Windows, here's something I've run into recently: My first Mac was a late 2011 13" MacBook Pro. This is a good, but basic computer with a 2.5ghz dual core i5 CPU. This is now strictly a back-up computer for me, having been replaced for a lot of uses by a 2012 15" MacBook Pro, but none the less I did put an SSD(Samsung Evo 860) in it a while back and it's pleasantly useable. Just this past week, I acquired a computer I've been trying to find for a while-a 2011 17" MacBook Pro. The 2011 15" and 17" models are a bit of a mixed bag, as the discrete GPU will eventually fail, but none the less this was the only generation with a quad core 17"(the 17 wasn't refreshed in 2012). I'm waiting for an SSD-also an Evo 860-to get here. Running the same OS as my 13" of the same age, the 17" should on paper be faster as it has a 2.2ghz quad i7. None the less, it's uncomfortable to use, and it will remain that way until I get an SSD in it. I'm sold on SSDs.