SSD for M11x R2 and future

Hi everyone,
I’ve had my M11x R2 for about a year now, and I’ve been reading useful stuff on this forum ever since. I figured it is time for a little upgrade for my M11x, as I’m still very happy with it and it doesn’t need replacement yet. I’ve searched the internet for SSD information and I am convinced that buying one would make me a happier person. I’m currently looking at the Crucial M4, with a capacity of 256 GB. However, this thing costs about 250 euros, which is like 25% of what I paid for my whole laptop, so I’m a bit concerned weather this is a good investment or not. I could also get a 128 GB one but this would force me to buy another external HDD as well, and the lower capacity SSDs have significantly slower write speeds (not sure if I’ll notice this though, I’m more concerned about the capacity). People with 128 GB SSDs, do you have sufficient capacity for windows, some programs and a few games? How do you handle the lack of space compared to a mechanical HDD and do you guys think I’ll notice the faster write speed of the 256 GB SSD? (256 has write speed of 260 MB/s, and the 128 has 175 MB/s)

I am aware of the benefits of an SSD, but I’m also looking at the future. If I buy an SSD this summer, would it last long enough so I can use it in my next laptop (one or two years from now)? What do you guys think about the technology advancement in the near future? Will the current SSDs last long enough before something new and much better comes on the market?
I don’t really pay much attention to hardware technology, but maybe it is more beneficial to keep my mechanical HDD and save money for a new (and faster, better) SSD along with my new laptop? (M11x R4, or might buy something else!)

My specs:
M11x R2
Intel i7 U640 1.20 GHz
4 GB RAM
Nvidia (I forgot the number, I think all R2s had the … 335M?)
450 GB hdd 7200 RPM (I think?)

In a nutshell:
- People with 128 GB SSDs, do you have sufficient capacity for windows, some programs and a few games?
- Will the current SSDs last long enough before something new and much better comes on the market?

Thanks!

Paul

 

I don't own one, but if you compare times to a normal 7200 rpm hdd, it's about 20 or so seconds difference. If time means everything then yes get an ssd, if not just keep the hdd and save some money

 

To be honest, no its not worth it.

I got a ssd (m4 128gb) for my r1 to replace the 1tb drive thats in there. Aside from booting faster, and loading programs fast, its not that great. for the 5-10 seconds of time I save I would much rather have the 1tb of space back.

You can get a hybrid drive if you want the speed of a ssd, but the storage of a hdd.

 

^ Proves what I just said >< hybrid drives are out of his budget no doubt

 

I'm been using C300 SSD（used around 2.5years with 100% health), which is older generation of M4 , I been using it from my m17x-R2 -> m17x-R3 -> until today m18x.

I still prefer c300 because the window boot speed is faster then m4 but read write might be slower then m4.

As m11x-R2, I believe it only support Sata II , M4 support Sata II/III so its kinda future proof.

I do not recommend hybrid drive...as OS system(on laptop) , its kinda slow compare to SSD...and not much faster then HDD...unless its for storage use...

PS : My m11xR2 and R3 will arrive in 2days

 

I have a 256GB SSD in my similarly specd m11x. I also have a 2TB NAS server for all of my movies, tv-shows and what-not. I feel that 256 is a great size for me and I don't think that I would enjoy a smaller SSD. With a bunch of games and applications installed even the 256 gb can feel a bit cramped.
I do not want to think about the storrage space, I just want to use the PC and therefore the smaller SSD's wouldn't be ideal for me. I guess that if you are carefull about what you store on the PC you can get away with 120 Gb but, as I said, this wasn't really a great option for me.

 

SSDs are coming down in price in a big way - there is thread here where someone picked up a SATA3 Mushkin Chronos 256GB for £170! For me, the speed of an SSD is unbelieveable. Anything that hits the drive is significantly faster, not just boot times. I used mine for a bit with the original 7200 rpm HDD and the SSD is much more responsive, and much cooler as well, and quieter.

I really wouldn't worry about future proofing too much, as tech is moving at such a rate that it is impossible to worry about that too much, and you just have to pick for the moment. Your R2 can only take a SATA2 drive, which is the slightly older generation and hence cheaper than the new, faster drives... if you worry about what's coming out around the corner, then you'd never buy anything!

Storage-wise, how do you operate normally? I picked 256 as I needed about 100GB of music on it, maybe a few movies or TV series, and some games to keep me going when away from my main gaming machine, as well as enough room for any work stuff. Everything else I have sits externally at home.

 

But you're using a SATAIII drive in a SATAII compatible mobo, so you're still not experiencing its full capabilities.

I have a 128GB M4 and i find it to be more than adequate. I have Windows + a few programs and games, and the rest of the space slowly fills with downloads and once a week i transfer them to my external.

@OP: You have an R2 which only supports SATAII. As far as you should be concerned, there's nothing "better" which could possibly come out for SATAII, so no you will not gain any benefits from waiting longer, unless you're trying to wait for the prices to go down.

 

You are correct. But I'm not sure that if I buy a more expensive one (256GB) for the moment I get enough value for my money. I'm currently using around 160GB of space, but maybe I could indeed buy a 128 GB one and be a bit more careful with space, and store other stuff on my current HDD if I buy one of the case thingies.

@Rishwin:
My R2 only supports Sata II yes, but if I buy a new laptop in a year or so it will support Sata III. This is what I was trying to say with future proof.

I'm not sure what the Hybrid drives are about, but if they are out of my budget (let's say more than 250 euros) I'd rather buy the 256 GB SSD, as I'm sure I'd have enough storage space with that.

I'm now considering keeping my HDD or switching to the 128 GB SSD. I'll try to limit my current drive to 128 GB to see if I can work with it.

Thanks for all your replies,

Paul

 

Correct, but I would still rather have 1tb of space than save a few seconds for loading.

Eitherway, I am happy with my purchise due to the shock resitance of the ssd. I use it my motorhome, so it is mounted to the dash and rattles around alot.

 

I went with the 128 GB SSD in the end. I *do* think the capacity is a bit low for me, especially when I'm working on multiple projects while still having games and movies etc. on it. This is why I got a 250GB portable HDD for extra storage space for when I'm not at home. This way I'll have acces to everything important while still having all the SSD advantages!

Thank you all again for your replies!

Paul

 

So was it worth it?

 

Yes it was! I just put it in and installed windows and some stuff. Damn this thing goes fast! My M11x is also a lot more silent now, and I did not expect this much difference in noise (although I don't suppose you'll notice the difference while the fan is spinning like crazy while gaming).
I'm very happy with it so far, going to install some games and less important stuff now. The only downside I can currently think of is the low capacity.

 

Well literally the only moving parts in the entire laptop is the HDD and the fan, so with an SSD you hear absolutely -NOTHING- until the fan turns on. No extra vibration from the spinning HDD heads either.

 

Which SSD would you guys recommend if I wanted at least 128GB + for the m11xR2 keep in mind I want the "best performance for price ratio"

 

Crucial M4.

 

+1 on the selection of Crucial M4, however l could be biased

 

I think anyone who owns a M4 is biased ;p

Just received mine today (got the 128GB one) and my M11x boots two times faster (literally) than my desktop which also has a SSD installed, although not a M4.

I don't need to put the thing in hibernate anymore.

 

If you have the money, do it. Get the SSD. You only live once. I just got a crucial 512 GB SSD for my M11X R3 and noticed the difference in speed right away. So if i was you, I would do it. You could then sell your laptop with the original harddrive and put this new SSD into the new one. Or you could just sell it with it and get the new laptop with a SSD already in place. If I was you, I would buy the SSD, sell the old HD, and then sell the laptop with the SSD in the future when you are ready to upgrade to a new laptop.