Hi Guys...

Next month my Evesham will be 8 and I'm looking to replace it before the (imo) inevitable rise in the rate of VAT.

I can sort out most components but wanted to test the waters regarding SSD's. I've seen a couple of threads here about them but would appreciate up to date comments from those who have them or those who have experience of them. I don't actually need one but if my next system lasts as long as the present one has then maybe it would be wise to start off with something like that.

Thanks Paul

I neither have one or experience of one. However, you can always add one later. I don't think it needs to be on your list right now. Spend your money elsewhere and keep an eye on price/performance ratios in the future IMO.

If I can run Windows 7 x64 on a 5yr old machine with a couple of upgrades......

Very expensive option at the moment, all solid state memory is so not a brilliant time to buy/build a new system

I got my Crucial 64GB SSD on offer for about £130, not the fastest, not the slowest but the extra expense just didn't seem worth it for some of the other models seeing as I wouldn't notice it in anything other than benchmarks. Another reason why I plumed for the Crucial was the firmware updates and warranty, especially as it's new tech.

I moved my HDD to a new PC for the GF so I needed another drive at the time so, effectively, it worked out as £1/GB considering I would have had to fork out about £60 on a HDD anyways. I'm not sure I would have been happy paying the premium if this wasn't the case. It depends, storage capacity isn't great and it's pricey but then I only game so I don't need the space. Nippy little bugger and really does kick the load times for games/levels/cutscenes etc out of the water.

The manufacturing process has been reduced so there should be larger, cheaper models out later this year, depends on whether you can hang on or not.

Remember to check the controller on any SSDs you're considering and also remember that only Windows 7 operates TRIM that keeps SSDs tidy and in peak condition.

Depends what your needs are really.

Considering your PC is 8 yrs old already, you are going to see a huge lap in performance with your new system anyway.
I would recommend you invest the 100 or so quid you would spend on a boot volume on beefing up your graphics card or wedging as much memory in there as you can.
SSDs are fantastic new technology, but for the current high price they only show real benefit if you want to have the highest benchmark (or lowest ) score possible.
Yes they reduce load times, yes they make your pc boot faster, yes they will be ubiquitous very soon but considering the price, they are ony really for those that 'need' the increase in performance or can afford to spend double or triple on their storage.

That is the crux really, I have a minimal rig upstairs and 64GB will just about do as the PC downstairs gets most of the junk stored on it.

Personally, if I needed more storage (not sure what you need PaulKey) I'd spend £60 on a 1TB drive rather than an SSD and wait till the prices come down and capacities increase with a reduced chip manufacturing process late this year/early next year.

Drives like the Samsung F3 are pretty nippy for HDDs nowadays.

Hi Guys....

Thanks for the replies you posted. It may just be a "forum post" to you guys but to me it takes effort and more importantly your time to read and reply. I'm very grateful.

Yes, I know SSD's are premium buys at the moment but I was looking at keeping any new pc for a numner of years, as I have this one. Having said that it must be also said that, until recently, my existing pc has performed adequately and hasn't tended to wear me down with excessive boot/load times.

I think. all things considered, I will probably opt for a fast boot disc at the moment and then, if needed, in time will change to an SSD. I'm not a gamer Bluespider so I won't need to overspend on graphics, but I do want enough oooomph in that respect to display screens and switch from one to another instantly, without the tedious lag I have at present.

Don't get me wrong..... This Evesham pc was build when they knew how to make machines and has given sterling service. It's just a little long in the tooth now and, like an old horse, needs to go out to grass lol. I expect I'll see quite some improvement on the 1.7Ghz AMD single core XP 2100 with it's 512 Mb of ram when I change !!

Paul

I have the 64Gb Crucial SSD which I use as the Windows boot file etc.

Boots from cold in around 25secs into Windows 7.

Keep the rest of my stuff - work, music etc - on a seperate Samsung F3 hard drive.

You're entirely welcome Paul. If you wanna post up the rest of your reqs and budget, I'm sure we could spec something for you if it would help.

However, I think we've all agreed that unless you really want or need the extra juice, they're an extravagance at best.

Go for it! I had my 80gb Intel SSD for 9 months now and I cannot recommend SSDs enough.

I don't deny it is a luxury item and value for money isn't great but you will love the speed of you pc. Booting the pc is fast, opening and switching windows if seamless and everything is super smooth. SSD is the only drive in my pc (I keep my files on the server in different room) and it is great to have near silent pc with no trashing and humming.

Go for something with sandforce controller. Nobody does better ssd reviews that Anandtech so check what they recommend.
http://www.anandtech.com/tag/storage

Although I have a 128gig SSD, and love it to bits, I agree with bluespider; the relative performance increase will be huge, so just go for a Spinpoint F3 and spend the saving elsewhere.

If you're still looking for an SSD, this new Bit-Tech GUIDE will be very useful.

PC Pro recently did a test and found that those SSDs with the JMicron chip aren't actually any faster than a good hard drive. They basically say, if you aren't going for the high end Intel X25, not to bother.

I believe the new version of the JMicron controller is now up to scratch, you just need to be sure you're not getting an old stock SSD. There are a fair grouping of SSDs of different brands that are close to the Intel performance in random writes but beat it in a couple of other areas.

I got a Crucial M225 for my wife's desktop (when the prices dipped before going back up again), and for day to day use it is very, very fast. Having open several windows - Word, Excel, various pdfs and browsers and switching between them and loading up other programs becomes slower with a HDD and you're frequently pausing while Office saves backup files etc.

On SSD everything happens in the time it takes you to click the mouse. Excel on my 7200prm HDD takes 12 sec, on SSD it's under two.

Yup, I really wouldn't rely on PCPro for recommendations.

Check the Bit-Tech SSD roundup clicky.

If you want a ultra budget 64Gb they recommend the Jmicron Corsair Reactor but that really is just to get on the ladder and I don't think it's worth it. For £120 you can now get a SATA 6Gbps Crucial RealSSD C300. It has a Marvell controller, I don't think Lindilix or Sandforce will have SATA 6Gbps products until later in the year.

What with Sanforce SSDs out now you can get version 1 lindilix OCZs and the like for much better prices.

big_D: To say that if you don't buy an Intexl X25 then don't bother is ridiculous TBH if you look at the figures.