Laptop with SSD

GingerWarrior

Good evening

I'm looking to buy a new laptop and am quite keen on getting one with an SSD.

Is it worth buying a laptop with an HDD then replacing it with an SSD? Or spending that little bit more on getting it all ready to go.

I'll mainly be using the laptop for Microsoft Office, internet and getting back into playing Football Manager. From what I understand FM is reliant on the processor rather than RAM.

My budget is £500, however I do have £120 worth of vouchers from work that can be used at PC World (who I seem to see aren't the best for after sales care) and Argos - so can stretch that budget if need be.

I'm a fan of future-proofing (I know that nowadays technology changes at an exponential rate), and would really like a fourth generation Intel processor.

Cheers

Toby

Esqui

Two things - firstly, do you need an SSD? Don't get me wrong, the speed improvements are pretty wonderful, but Football Manager and Office won't be hugely improved (FM maybe a bit). So you should consider whether the extra cost is definitely worth it.


And the next thing - have you also thought of a hybrid SSHD? I have one on my Asus laptop and it runs wonderfully. This, for example: http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/laptops-netbooks/laptops/laptops/lenovo-z50-70-15-6-laptop-white-10022700-pdt.html

silkcutblue

Agree. If you are a solid gamer or someone with money to burn then putting a SSD in a laptop is cool. Otherwise, nab one with UEFI (instead of BIOS) to get a fast startup; it'll be listed on the ticket/description - or it sure was when I nabbed one from John Lewis.

As someone with an SSD in her overclocked gaming machine, I can tell you they are awesome...unless you have problems. I got an OCZ agility 3 and it has been plagued with bugs.

OGR

I disagree completely with the previous 2 comments, HDDs are archaic and hold computers back, I would get an SSD for the general speed benefits not matter what.

If you can afford it why hold yourself back? I barely use my laptop these days but can remember the bad old days when it took minutes rather than seconds to boot.

Johnmcl7

I think the money spent on an SSD is well worth it particularly given the relatively low prices they are now unless you're needing high capacity. As for whether it's worth getting a laptop with SSD or changing it yourself after, it depends on how well priced the laptop is as quite often the additional cost of getting the laptop with an SSD is far higher than the cost to put one in yourself if you're fine with installing the operating system. If you are looking at a laptop and want to fit an SSD it's worth checking how easy it is to access the drive as some models can be quite fiddly whereas others it's very easy.

John

GetRealBabe

Hi

Installed this SSD http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B009LI7CTY/ref=wms_ohs_product?ie=UTF8&psc=1 on my 7 year old, 1.8ghz dual core and 2GB ram laptop. It now boots up in seconds and runs Windows 8.1 really well.

Geodark

OGR wrote: »

I disagree completely with the previous 2 comments, HDDs are archaic and hold computers back, I would get an SSD for the general speed benefits not matter what.

If you can afford it why hold yourself back? I barely use my laptop these days but can remember the bad old days when it took minutes rather than seconds to boot.

Totally agree with this - the difference in my machine after sticking in a SSD was unreal - and I don't use it for games. Boot up / down time etc drastically improved. Cost £60 and that was only because I went to PCworld for it (too impatient to wait - could probably have knocked 10 to 15 off that if I had shopped around online)

almillar

I disagree completely with the previous 2 comments, HDDs are archaic and hold computers back, I would get an SSD for the general speed benefits not matter what.

I'll take that SSD! Please let me know where I can get a 1TB one for £50.
Ah right. Life in the old dog yet.
Please note - if you're reading this in a couple of years - these were the olden days.

OGR

Are any laptop manufacturers offering M.2 slots yet? NVMe and PCIe SSDs are really going to change the game again as they become more mainstream and although we are seeing tons of desktop motherboard reviews with the capability I haven't really looked into Laptops much.

If they are it might be worth looking at how much a Laptop with a PCIe SSD will cost over an old fashioned SATA AHCI one. That way you should also have the SATA bay free if you did want to put in a HDD for extra storage but I expect being new they may only be in top end Laptops.

Avoriaz

Last year I fitted a 128gb SanDisk SSD into my then 3 year old Acer 8935g laptop.

It cost me about £60 and is worth every penny.

Faster boot ups and less heat generated. I use the laptop literally. It is usually balanced on my thighs as I sit on a sofa so I can feel any excessive heat.

The fan hardly ever comes on now, even with hours of use.

The laptop has a second drive bay but I don't bother with that. 128 gb is plenty for everything apart from my video and music files. I keep them on a 1tb hard disk in an external USB2 caddy and only connect that when required.

Cisco001

OGR wrote: »

Are any laptop manufacturers offering M.2 slots yet? NVMe and PCIe SSDs are really going to change the game again as they become more mainstream and although we are seeing tons of desktop motherboard reviews with the capability I haven't really looked into Laptops much.

If they are it might be worth looking at how much a Laptop with a PCIe SSD will cost over an old fashioned SATA AHCI one. That way you should also have the SATA bay free if you did want to put in a HDD for extra storage but I expect being new they may only be in top end Laptops.

What you can do is losing DVD drive.
Replace existing HDD with 120GB/ 250GB SSD.
Take out existing ODD, Add HDD by using caddy.
Buy ODD caddy to make it to portable ODD