Acer 7730G: Replace harddisk with SSD

Lately ive been thinking of replacing one of the two harddisks in my notebook with a SSD

My notebook holds 2 500 GB 5400RPM harddisks, and I'm thinking of replacing one with a 32GB SSD [it doesnt need to be very big, since 500GB is plenty storage space for me ]
Then i would like to transfer the content from 1 harddisk [Windows Partition and Built-In Recovery partition] to the SSD, to improve boot times and overal performance.

I was wondering what you guys would think about this idea:
Is it a smart decision?

i know ill lose warranty, but that doesnt matter, im more interested if its a good choice when it comes to overal performance increase and stability.

Please let me know what you guys think
PS: this is my first laptop [though i am an experienced computer user]

Acer 7730G specs [my notebook]:
CPU: Intel C2D T6400 2GHz
Storage: 2x 500GB 5400RPM Harddisk
GPU: 9600M GT 1 GB
Memory: 4GB DDR2 RAM

 

I dont think so.
Are you sure about that?

I believe in most cases you will not lose warranty from changing a HDD.
I'm sure there are even instructions in the user manual. Why would they give you instructions if they were going to void warranty?

Maybe you should call the manufacturer to check, because it's likely your warranty will be fine.

Anyway, a SSD sounds like a good idea.
Make sure you get one with a good controller.
It is very important to pick a good SSD, some are much worse than others.

 

Yeah, you do have a point there...
Ill contact the manufacturer about that but even if ill lose warranty, i wouldnt mind [since i usually solve all problems myself ]

As for the SSD, do you perhaps have a few good ideas for SSD's?
[yes i did see the GIANT SSD topic on the forum, but its soooooooooo big ]

BTW: thanks for the super fast reply!

 

A 64GB one would be better... more cost effective than a 32GB one and considering that windows 7 is quite big more SSD space would help... and i don't think SSD's come for notebooks in 32GB size.. for netbooks there's a 32GB pci-e SSD.. don't know about notebooks.

 

Yes, buying an SSD is a good idea. At 32GB you want to get an Indilinx drive. There's plenty of options out there, and they're all more or less perform about the same, so I'd just go with the cheapest one. For the most part, just don't get a JMicron drive, and you'll be happy.

 

thanks for the useful replies!

i said i wanted a 32 GB SSD, but i just checked, and my C: disk already contains 96 GB of data :S [however, i think i can move at least 16 GB to the other harddisk]

do you guys know what sizes for SSDs are available?
i guess this will also turn the price up, much higher, not?

 

You can conveniently buy SSDs with capacities up to 256GB at the moment. I do believe 512GB drive exists, but if they do, they're going to be very hard to find.

In general, SSD prices go up fairly linearly with respect to capacity; a 128GB Indilinx drive will cost about four times more than a 32GB Indilinx drive. Personally, I think the Intel X25-M will give you the best value overall (with respect to both speed and capacity).

 

thanks
i also heard that SSDs have limited life-length [the time they work], is that true? or is it about the same as with a HDD?
and are there other things i should know about a SSD? [i also heard something about having it aligned or not aligned?]

oh, and something else:
my computer has got a recovery partition, it would be possible to just move that to the other harddisk, right?
and the C: partition can just be cloned onto the SSD, right?

 

SSDs have a limited lifespan... but it's going to be several times the lifespan of your computer, so it's really not anything to worry about. If you got a crap SSD with a Jmicron controller, partition aligning helped improvement performance a little bit, but no modern SSDs should require it.

Your boot partition should be easy to clone, but depending on your cloning software and way your recovery partition is written, they may not play nice together. Although I can't say anything for sure there; I've never tried to clone a recovery partition.

 

ok, awesome
i guess ill go have a look where i can get that Intel SSD

btw: do you have tips how i should transfer all the data?
i thought of 2 ideas:
1- via Linux on the second harddisk, so i can transfer all the data from the primairy harddisk to the ssd [though it will have to be via usb, since i cant connect 3 hdd's to my notebook
2- via windows vista on my computer, so i can unplug both harddisks from my notebook and transfer all data via my computer

which one do you recommend?

 

so....
which method of moving the data do you recommend?

also, ive seen different versions of the Intel X25-M: 7 mm and 9.5 mm, is there a relevant difference between those two?

 

The size difference makes no difference in performance.

 

ok, cool, thx

and about my cloning methods, which one do you prefer? [ http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=5440779&postcount=10]

 

I don't really know hence why I didn't answer. Hopefully someone else who is knowledgeable in that topic can chime in and help you out. I partition my drive into OS/programs and data and just fresh install using VLite. I regularly back up my data to an external drive in case I lose my data or need to transfer it elsewhere.

 

yeah i backup often too
i hope someone else will know an answer to my question.... i think my preference goes out to the method where i plug them into my computer, and replace them afterwards
[though i hope this way the partition names will remain intact...]

also, i managed to clean up my windows harddisk, so it now fits a 80GB harddisk, with 14 GB [leaving 15% empty is said to increase performance, and 15% of 80GB is 12 GB ]

and something else: i finally recieved a message from Acer, that i will keep my warranty, even if i change my harddisk

and i checked, and i can easily replace and remove my harddisks AND they are 2.5 inch [just to make sure XD]

 

anyone?

btw: im waiting with getting the SSD for a few weeks, because im running low on cash right now [i also had to buy a printer recently, and a new tv :S]