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Things u should know before u buy a SSD

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joker08

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I want to install a SSD on my computer because the startup is surprisingly slow. I thought it's going to be easy, but there is so many things to consider , it's overwhelming.
Till now what I understand is
1. I need to get some sort of a bracket so that the SSD fits in my computer 3.5 Inc harddrive space.
2. I have Asus b60m plus gaming board so it will support SATA 6.0

There are so many different types of SSD harddrives I am scared that if I buy one it might not work with my computer. There was a SSD on sale in the classified section and reason for sale was " no motherboard drivers" ?? I dint know harddrives needed special drivers I was just just checking compatibility till now.

So what things should first timers know and should lookout for when buying a new SSD.

Sent from my Redmi Note 3 using Tapatalk
 
I want to install a SSD on my computer because the startup is surprisingly slow. I thought it's going to be easy, but there is so many things to consider , it's overwhelming.
Till now what I understand is
1. I need to get some sort of a bracket so that the SSD fits in my computer 3.5 Inc harddrive space.
2. I have Asus b60m plus gaming board so it will support SATA 6.0

There are so many different types of SSD harddrives I am scared that if I buy one it might not work with my computer. There was a SSD on sale in the classified section and reason for sale was " no motherboard drivers" ?? I dint know harddrives needed special drivers I was just just checking compatibility till now.

So what things should first timers know and should lookout for when buying a new SSD.

Sent from my Redmi Note 3 using Tapatalk

Basically any SSD will be significantly better than a mechanical HDD when it comes to performance.

From my knowledge there are 2 mainstream connectors that SSD’s use to connect to the motherboard.

- SATA
- M.2

The SATA SSD will be the 2.5” ones and the installation process is the same as installing a mechanical drive, sata power cable and sata data cable. These go up to 6Gb/s speeds

M.2 SSD’s can only be installed on motherboards with M.2 ports. You get two variants, NVMe and M.2 SATA. Basically NVMe is the top of the range when it comes to speed, they’re much faster than SATA SSD’s, but the difference is not as significant as the difference between any SSD and a HDD.

M.2 SATA SSD’s also connect via the M.2 port on the motherboards that support them, but these are limited to the 6Gb/s transfer speeds.

You will notice a price difference between all three variants. Either option you choose will be good. In regards to the software, most vendors have software for monitoring, it will still work without this software installed in most cases, I honestly never bothered installing anything unless it was absolutely necessary and my PC had been running for years and stable.
 
Get the cheapest SATA or M.2 SSD drive you can afford preferably 240 -500Gb.
Speed differences between SSD's is largely irrelevant to the large majority of users..

The key as mentioned above is the difference in speed between a HDD and SSD.
Don't worry about NVMe drives, Yes they are faster but not that perceptible to majority of users.
They tend to run hotter as well which can be a problem .
I presume you got a ASUS B360M Plus Gaming ( Not B60 ) board which supports all formats . SATA , M.2 ( Both SATA and NVMe ).

I recommend you get one that has a decent warranty. Also if you buy second hand there are ways to check the SSD's condition and life span.
Nothing wrong with buying used SSD's just get all the info on the drive to make an informed buy.

Feel free to PM me if you have any questions or if you need advice on one you come across . It really is not that tricky so don't worry , be happy :)

PS : Might not answer tonight but during the day I will respond.
 
I got a samsung evo coz of the 5year warranty ans a wd black coz od the 4 year warranty. I like warranties on my drives lol

Ssd have great vaue. M2 is new for fastest speed but at a premium..

Not many people need m2 drives but ita your cash

Sent from my LG-H990 using Tapatalk
 
If this is your board - TUF B360-PLUS GAMING | Motherboards | ASUS USA

But a Samsung 970 or 960 Evo 250GB , or 500GB if you want. Any quality SSD (M.2 or SATA) will work with your PC.

No need for a bracket then :) also, even if you did not have a M.2 slot you dont need a bracket, just screw the SSD in with 2 screws on one side, theyre so light even 1 screw will keep it secure.

To clone, boot current PC, install Macrium Reflect , select Clone and let it clone to the new SSD. Simple as that.
 
As above - wd drives come with acronis software clone.

Its was pretty simple to clone.

Sent from my LG-H990 using Tapatalk
 
If you are not installing from scratch but cloning then your SSD needs to be larger than the amount of data on your current system drive.
 
As mentioned above, no need for a special bracket. My case happened to have a few 2.5" bays, but my friend leaves his unscrewed (no moving parts, so no problem). Otherwise there should be screw holes in the side of the ssd, and you can buy SSD adapter/mounting brackets. Just search any local online PC store for "SSD bracket". They're cheap.

There shouldn't be a need to concern yourself with drivers. The drive should just work with any relatively modern setup. You can always use Windows to scan, or search on the manufacturer website if needed.

M.2 ones can be faster, but are often twice the price or more. Performance from a SATA SSD will be vastly better than a HDD already. I wouldn't worry too much about about the brand of SSD. There are some premium lines, for example from Intel and Samsung, but cheaper ones from Western Digital, Mushkin, Crucial, etc. are still very good. Just compare the warranties and the sequential read and write speeds, and base your choice on those plus price. I bought a WD Green 240GB for a great price, new, and am very pleased with the performance.

I can definitely recommend the WD Acronis cloning software. It's the simplest I've ever used, and doesn't take long. I cloned my OS from my old HDD to my new SSD and it worked perfectly. I've been told at least one of the drives you're working with needs to be WD branded.

Enjoy the new speed! :)
 
If u gona game get atleast a 500gb. Games are rather big these days. Lol

Samsung makes realy good ssd with best warranties.

If u go with wb- get the blue ones





Sent from my LG-H990 using Tapatalk
 
I want to install a SSD on my computer because the startup is surprisingly slow. I thought it's going to be easy, but there is so many things to consider , it's overwhelming.
Till now what I understand is
1. I need to get some sort of a bracket so that the SSD fits in my computer 3.5 Inc harddrive space.
2. I have Asus b60m plus gaming board so it will support SATA 6.0

There are so many different types of SSD harddrives I am scared that if I buy one it might not work with my computer. There was a SSD on sale in the classified section and reason for sale was " no motherboard drivers" ?? I dint know harddrives needed special drivers I was just just checking compatibility till now.

So what things should first timers know and should lookout for when buying a new SSD.

Sent from my Redmi Note 3 using Tapatalk
SSD to HDD is day and night difference. You'll absolutely love the speed.

What computer case do you have as most of the time you'll likely screw the SSD down onto a drive bay or the case (SATA).

Look for a Samsung 850/860 Evo 250GB - 500GB (depending on how much you plan to put on the drive).

With just windows and basic programs I used up 120GB of 250GB but that leaves enough for the few games that need it (PUBG only really).

My recommendation is to rather go clean install (ensure all other drives are disconnected when formatting and reinstalling windows). This way you have a fresh install on your SSD and can setup your windows to store documents on your HDD and Downloads to the HDD.

Good luck and don't look back, find one and pursue it, absolutely worth the upgrade


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If u gona game get atleast a 500gb. Games are rather big these days. Lol

Samsung makes realy good ssd with best warranties.

If u go with wb- get the blue ones





Sent from my LG-H990 using Tapatalk
I have a existing 250gb c: partition for the OS and I install games in a different partition.
My plan was to get a 240 GB and move the OS to the SSD for faster start-up. Now since u mentioned, I think I should get a bigger SSD for faster loading games.

Sent from my Redmi Note 3 using Tapatalk
 
SSD to HDD is day and night difference. You'll absolutely love the speed.

What computer case do you have as most of the time you'll likely screw the SSD down onto a drive bay or the case (SATA).

Look for a Samsung 850/860 Evo 250GB - 500GB (depending on how much you plan to put on the drive).

With just windows and basic programs I used up 120GB of 250GB but that leaves enough for the few games that need it (PUBG only really).

My recommendation is to rather go clean install (ensure all other drives are disconnected when formatting and reinstalling windows). This way you have a fresh install on your SSD and can setup your windows to store documents on your HDD and Downloads to the HDD.

Good luck and don't look back, find one and pursue it, absolutely worth the upgrade


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Fractal design case. This is how the existing harddrive is fitted.

b9ecd864ce843d838df3461a166fb465.jpg


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Fractal design case. This is how the existing harddrive is fitted.

b9ecd864ce843d838df3461a166fb465.jpg


Sent from my Redmi Note 3 using Tapatalk

Their are likely holes in those brackets for mounting the SSD to it with some screws. Just means it will take up 1 of the 2 slots.

There is a slight chance that behind the motherboard is a slot or 2 but unlikely.

How did you find a Fractal Design case? The ones I want are all out of stock or not in this country

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While there is a lot to consider you cant really go wrong.

I cant necessarily say I agree with ALL of the above information - some SSD's (SATA) are better than others, so its just up to you to get the very best bang for your buck in your budget - I wouldnt just go out and buy the first 128GB SSD - as much as they say "500MB Write!" that is only 20% of the picture - the real value comes from how quickly it can do random read writes.

Im not sure if you have ever noticed that when you copy files to a USB Flash drive, and you have lots of little files (say game files, or lots of pictures etc) the speed absolutely tanks? But when you copy over a a single big file (a movie, or an ISO) the speed remains pretty constant?

Same for SSD's - so do a little research.

As for how to fit it to yoru machine, just get a 3.5" to 2.5" bracket - super simple.

Just a good example to include:

WD Blue 1TB M.2 Drive - R3345.00:

1543391282294.png


VS

WD Black 1TB M.2 Drive - R6141.00:

1543391327140.png


They both the same capacity but the price is doubled because of the huge difference in performance.
 
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If you are not installing from scratch but cloning then your SSD needs to be rger than the amount of data on your current system drive.
Not so good sir :)

Minitool will clone a drive of say 1TB that has 500GB on it , onto a 500GB drive,it doesnt have to have a larger capacity, but = or > capacity. Macrium Reflect will not do this, pit as its a great app.

Macrium will do a hot clone from a live running OS to another drive, which Mini tool cant do.
 
I have a existing 250gb c: partition for the OS and I install games in a different partition.
My plan was to get a 240 GB and move the OS to the SSD for faster start-up. Now since u mentioned, I think I should get a bigger SSD for faster loading games.

Sent from my Redmi Note 3 using Tapatalk

What ever you do, get a M.2 drive, just not a WD as they are KAK. Crucial if you must, but please try go Samsung, you'll thank me :)

Get this (M.2)
Samsung MZ-V7E250BW 970 EVO 250GB NVMe M.2 2280 PCI-Express 3.0 x4 Solid State Drive - Wootware

Not this (SATA)
Samsung MZ-76E250BW 860 EVO 250GB SATA 6Gb/s 2.5" Solid State Drive - Wootware
 
What ever you do, get a M.2 drive, just not a WD as they are KAK. Crucial if you must, but please try go Samsung, you'll thank me :)

Get this (M.2)
Samsung MZ-V7E250BW 970 EVO 250GB NVMe M.2 2280 PCI-Express 3.0 x4 Solid State Drive - Wootware

Not this (SATA)
Samsung MZ-76E250BW 860 EVO 250GB SATA 6Gb/s 2.5" Solid State Drive - Wootware


Just to add to this - I do suggest getting an M.2 - but I would mainly use this as your boot drive, and drive to install drivers on etc - SSD's do get slower, the more thats stored on them.

I would rather get a smaller M.2 for booting and drivers, and then a bigger Sata SSD to do your game installs on. Thats what I would do - but the choice is yours ultimately.
 
Not so good sir :)

Minitool will clone a drive of say 1TB that has 500GB on it , onto a 500GB drive,it doesnt have to have a larger capacity, but = or > capacity. Macrium Reflect will not do this, pit as its a great app.

Macrium will do a hot clone from a live running OS to another drive, which Mini tool cant do.

I didn't say match drive sizes, I said match data sizes. After that you can always pick different software to accomplish the job.
 
Just to add to this - I do suggest getting an M.2 - but I would mainly use this as your boot drive, and drive to install drivers on etc - SSD's do get slower, the more thats stored on them.

I would rather get a smaller M.2 for booting and drivers, and then a bigger Sata SSD to do your game installs on. Thats what I would do - but the choice is yours ultimately.
but like then you end up spending double when SATA SSD are insanely fast already for Windows boot time
 
but like then you end up spending double when SATA SSD are insanely fast already for Windows boot time

I agree - its not a cheaper solution - but its a cleaner, more future proof solution and there is nothing worse than buying a smaller M.2 (or even just a SATA one for that matter) and putting your OS on, and a few games and run out of space.

And he doesnt necessarily NEED to put games on an SSD, just buy an M.2 to boot off of and use his existing mechanical drive to install games on if he doenst want the upfront cost.

its just a better future proof solution IMO
 
I didn't say match drive sizes, I said match data sizes. After that you can always pick different software to accomplish the job.
Then my apologies, I understood "SSD needs to be larger than the amount of data " to mean Destination Disk must have a larger capacity. :)
 
Then my apologies, I understood "SSD needs to be larger than the amount of data " to mean Destination Disk must have a larger capacity. :)

Then I would have said capacity or size and not data ;)
By using 'data' I was specifically saying it doesn't need to be a 1:1 size match or greater on the SSD's part. (At least I thought I was :p )
 
I agree - its not a cheaper solution - but its a cleaner, more future proof solution and there is nothing worse than buying a smaller M.2 (or even just a SATA one for that matter) and putting your OS on, and a few games and run out of space.

And he doesnt necessarily NEED to put games on an SSD, just buy an M.2 to boot off of and use his existing mechanical drive to install games on if he doenst want the upfront cost.

its just a better future proof solution IMO

Yeah, it definitely is future proof, so op should go NVMe 250GB and use a mechanical for games.
I have all but PUBG and League of Legends on mechanical drive (League of Legends is literally just because it's small and I want to load the game quickly when internet crashes :p )

I also just recommend Samsung
 
As above - wd drives come with acronis software clone.

Its was pretty simple to clone.

Sent from my LG-H990 using Tapatalk

Often these are locked to cloning from / to a WD drive. I know Seagate did this with Acronis in years gone by.
 
Yeah, it definitely is future proof, so op should go NVMe 250GB and use a mechanical for games.
I have all but PUBG and League of Legends on mechanical drive (League of Legends is literally just because it's small and I want to load the game quickly when internet crashes :p )

I also just recommend Samsung

I got a Samsung 960 Evo M.2 250GB for Win + apps + 2-3 games I play more often & then used my Samsung 840 Pro SATA drive for larger games / games I dont play often., and finally I use some space on my 3TB for games storage / games I hardly play.
 
As long as a u have wd drive u can download the software.

I cloned my samsung using my wd black.

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500gb samsung for windows and some games 4tb wd black for everything else.

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