Gigabyte u2442v second ssd--what should I buy?

I am very happy with my new u2442v so far but need more space. I need to know what specifications I need to look for to make sure the drive will fit and hook up properly.

1. SSD vs. HDD: I am thinking SSD because it is lighter and quieter (and faster). Downside is cost. I don't know what it does to battery life.

2. Speed: Do SSDs have speeds, like HDD? If so, what are the fast ones?

3. Size: From looking through the forums, it seems I need a 2.5" drive. Do any other options fit?

4. SATA type. There so far, I've seen SATA II and SATA III. Does it matter which one I choose? I've also seen other things like express card and pci, but I think those are desktop rather than laptop things.

5. Software after the drive is physically in place: I see I need to format the new drive once it is hooked up. I can't tell if I need to change the BIOS or drivers. I don't know how to change a BIOS, and would have to find help if it is required.

I'd appreciate any help you guys can give me. Thank you!

 

1. If you can afford an ssd with the capacity you want, then I'd go with that. No reason to buy a hdd unless you need very high capacities.

2. Well, all of them are fast compared to hdds, read speeds, write speeds and access times. I'd pick any of the samsung 830 drives because they're great value for money at the moment.

3. Yes, and most ssds are in the 2.5" form factor. Newer ones might be 7mm thickness, but should come with a spacer if you need to fit it in a space designed for 9mm drives.

4. Doesn't really matter. Again newer ones will be sata III, but you can stick them in a sata II port. Yes it would limit the performance a little, but not something you'd really notice day to day. (Is the internal port on the U2442 sata II or sata III?)

5. Just need to make sure you've got sata mode set to AHCI in the bios. Shouldn't need to worry about too much when formatting - windows should recognise it and do the necessary stuff. Can also run windows experience index after formatting. Make sure to turn off defrag. Also samsung drives come bundled with software (which you can also download) that does all the necessary tweaks for you.

 

Since it's a second SSD I'd prioritize capacity / $ ratio over speed, especially since you will use SATAII.

What comes to mind is OCZ agility series at high GB / $ but OCZ tends to get a lot of flak for the sandForce controller support, and SSD lottery with variable quality chips - by far the cheapest though.

On the other hand, the tried and true Crucial M4 has come down about 60$ for the 120gb model, and now even the 240gb is the same price as the 120gb once was. Drivers and firmware upgrades improved this SSD's performance drastically over time.

Nobody has ever regretted picking up Plextor M, Samsung 830 as well...

 

I loved my Samsung 830. It was blazing fast. The Crucial M4 was nearly $100 less for the same sized unit.

 

Another vote for the Samsung 830. They're getting cheap as they go end of life and replaced by the 840/840pro.

 

To bump up an old thread..go for the Samsung EVO 840..I'm not sure where u r but in the UK the 250GB has just gone down to £117 on Amazon.

Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5 inch Basic SATA Solid State Drive: Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories

I imagine in the US you will get it a little cheaper.

I was planning to buy it and sell the mSATA Liteon 128M6M & 1TB HDD that come with my P25W to offset the cost, but the bummer is that it will invalidate the 2yr warranty..so I decided to keep the config for the moment eventually getting the Samsung 840 and keeping the mSATA but plugging the HDD into my desktop as a storage drive.