SSD in Laptop...

[MrBaker89]

Hey guys,

 

My partner has a dell i3 inspiron laptop now this little thing is a soldier and has kept going for quite a while but recently everytime we boot up it shows an imminent "HDD failure" yet the thing boots up fine...

 

Im looking to get her a new hardrive, do I put in an SSD/SSHD/HDD?

 

Can I use an SSD in the laptop or is there anything special I need to know or do?

[Firearm2112]

You can use an SSD in the laptop. You just have to reinstall windows

[Thorium19]

You can use an SSD in the laptop, you'll just have to port everything over, probably by using some software which is sometimes bundled with it, or by using an external drive to save all the data to, then transferring it to the SSD once it's installed. At least they're the ways I know to do it, but there are others who are more knowledgeable than me in this area. You will need to reinstall windows most likely however. A good SSD to choose would be the crucial MX100, which is a really cheap but fast drive. You can get the 128gb model for £52, the 256gb model for £75, or the 512gb model for £150.

[little_shiet]

Hey guys,

 

My partner has a dell i3 inspiron laptop now this little thing is a soldier and has kept going for quite a while but recently everytime we boot up it shows an imminent "HDD failure" yet the thing boots up fine...

 

Im looking to get her a new hardrive, do I put in an SSD/SSHD/HDD?

 

Can I use an SSD in the laptop or is there anything special I need to know or do?

It depends, if you can afford it. If you can go for it! Nothing is better than nice lovely SSD ;-) 

Also some brands sell "Upgrade kit" where you have SSD, and external case for your HDD, cable and software that helps you copy it, but for best performance I recommend you to reinstall fresh system on it. And don't be scared of it, it's easy to change.

[adhisakti]

As long as the BIOS/UEFI support AHCI, you good to go. I'm using SSD on my old Core2Duo laptop and it works great including TRIM command, but the transfer speed capped at SATA2 3Gbps.

[hojnikb]

As long as the BIOS/UEFI support AHCI, you good to go. I'm using SSD on my old Core2Duo laptop and it works great including TRIM command, but the transfer speed capped at SATA2 3Gbps.

AHCI is NOT a requirement for TRIM.

[Speedbird]

Yes, you can, but you might want to have a look inside first to see what form factor you need. 9.5mm is fine most of the time, but you might need a 7mm one.

[adhisakti]

AHCI is NOT a requirement for TRIM.

 

CMIIW, so this statement is false?

 

 

During the installation process, you want to ensure your SATA controller is set to AHCI mode in the motherboard's BIOS or UEFI. AHCI is needed for native TRIM support in Windows 7, which helps maintain performance over time.

 

Source : http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/ssd-performance-tweak,2911-2.html

[MrBaker89]

CMIIW, so this statement is false?

 

 

Source : http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/ssd-performance-tweak,2911-2.html

 

This is all sounding rather complex.... I know an SSD will fit in the laptop, can I not plonk one in and install windows?

[hojnikb]

CMIIW, so this statement is false?

 

 

Source : http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/ssd-performance-tweak,2911-2.html

 

Thats false. AHCI was never needed for TRIM.

[AlwaysFSX]

This is all sounding rather complex.... I know an SSD will fit in the laptop, can I not plonk one in and install windows?

Pretty much yeah, you can..