What's your opinion about solid-state drives today?

When I acquired this machine (a late XP laptop from about 2004/5), I did several things. I updated memory to 2 GB, I fitted an 80 GB SSD and I loaded 64 bit Xubuntu (12.04 - I'll be updating later this year when I'm happy most of the bugs are out of 14.04), one of the Ubuntu group of Linuxes, so I could start to get my head around Linux. I may be 67 but that's no reason not to learn a new and free OS. The machine is lightning fast. From boot to on the Internet is around 15 secs!. I leave it turned off except when I'm actually using it, as I can think of no better way of ensuring that it isn't being used in any way, without my knowledge.

I like rebuilding laptops - it's a hobby my wife wants me to expand into a moneymaking business -. I have a Samsung laptop from 2001 which I have extensively rebuilt. It now sports a Pentium 4 chip instead of the venerable Celeron there was in it when I got it. Like many laptops, the official maximum memory was way under what the gadget can actually handle, it is rated at 256MB max but is currently happily running 1GB. I also fitted an ancient 30 GB IDE SSD. It too is running Xubuntu 12.04 but only 32 bit, as it doesn't have dual processors. It runs well and boots in under a minute. The default date on BIOS for this machine is 1999! SSDs can make a very significant difference to the speed of running an operating system.

Since I can't fit two hard disks in either of these machines, big data is stored on an external HDD of 1.5 TB. The point for me is that the onboard system is simply running the computer. It needs to be as fast as possible. I do very little that needs me to have ultra-fast access to massive files. For most uses this setup is very effective and very fast and I would recommend it.

I've never used an SSD with Windows so I can't judge what advantage there might be in doing so. My wife has a MacBook Air and an iPad both with SSD equivalent disks and these too are very fast but from the words often emanating from her, (I don't do MACs or OSX) there are problems from time to time, although I think they emanate more from issues with her use of the machine than the SSDs.

As more people move onto the Cloud, it may well make a lot of sense to go the route of a smaller SSD for OS and using the Cloud for data storage. Personally I like to be able to have more control over *where* my data is stored - no-one can access mine without breaking and entering nor can any foreign Government decide it may access it because it's stored on a server in their country... Not that any of my data is likely to be of the slightest use or even interest to them, it's just that I don't want their mucky electronic fingerprints all over my pristine data...

I have several

I have used an SSD in 4 PCs now, it's the only way. HDDs are still useful for 1tb+ storage, but it's climbing.. Access to files with SSDs is very fast.

My first was a 256gb. I put it in a Lenovo Edge E130 with an i5 processor and 8gb memory. I think the extra 4gb was unnecessary. It was exceedingly past on both boot up and close down (5-6 seconds.)

The SSD was great.
(The Lenovo Edge E130 was OK processor-wise, but the construction was crap. Anyone who has one, be warned, SELL IT QUICK. Reason? The hinges are too tight and the constant strain on the underbody cracks and ruins the hinge area. The computer lasts long enough to get out of warranty thus Lenovo won't take any responsibility for poor manufacture. And they cannot replace the under-body part!! I have just lost over $400 in value!)

Back to the SSD. It made the i5 very fast and an i5 is already quite fast in handling programs. When my Edge "broke up" [!!] I purchased a temporary Lenovo X130e with a Celeron processor (that's a cut down processor which is very slow in program processing); the same fast boot up and shut down occurs! Quite changes the character of that very slow processor.

(The Celeron is only one step up from the Atom; though I'm unsure if even that is true..)

So now I have a Surface Pro, the first one. SSD is 128gb. Absolutely nothing wrong with these units, I have to say. Having a 128gb SSD makes great sense when you heavily use OneDrive as I do. I still have more than 64gb available with no sign of ever needing it!! More than 4gb memory is definitely not needed, unless one is involved with the most intensive mathematical software.

I'm looking forward to the Surface Pro 3, a definite iTab killer if ever there was one! Again I will have an SSD 128gb, never a need for more with an external drive to handle File History and OneDrive, for all my files up in the cloud. It will be even fast with the latest i5 processor.

At AU$1200 - INCREDIBLE value.

I've upgraded both of my notebooks and my netbook to SSDs. I'm not dumb, the removed CHDs are in cases and used to keep current drive images - Win7 is fine, but I prefer Accronis True Image Home because it will verify that you truly have a valid image on the external drive.

The size of the SSD varies with the intended purpose of the notebook. The netbook only has 128GB used for simple tasks on vacations and overnight trips. The lesser notebook is shared by my wife for browsing, email and Skype when I am out of town on business, and as an emergency back up to my main notebook and has 256GB. And my primary notebook which is also used for photo editing and digitizing audio-video has 480GB.

All our family photos & video is backed up to external media, plus a shared copy is placed on a NAS.

If I were to switch back to a desktop system, it would probably boot from an SSD and use either a CHD or a hybrid drive for data.

They are great! (No offence to Tony the Tiger and General Mills.)

Last time I got this much of a boost in performance on my computers was when I had an old 486 and increased the RAM. I have upgraded 4 of my 7 computers to SSD (120's and 240's). I had an idea of what they could do when I bought my wife an Acer Ultrabook with it's 20 gig OS drive. When the price point came down on the 120 gig drives I upgraded an Acer with an Atom processor (Aspire) and a Dell with an Athalon processor( small laptop), and got a tremendous boost in speed and responsiveness. I have done the same when I had the chance to buy a 240 gig for $100 and upgraded my old Dell 1737. As the price goes down I will be doing the same to my desktops and my newer Dell laptop.

Hi everyone,

Aaron sent me an email this morning and wanted to thank all of you for your contributions to his question. Here is his response below:

Thanks to everyone who responded to this post. Your comments are greatly appreciated. In summary
I'd have to say that the SSD is the hands down winner when deployed in the right environment. Power
Users (those that require a large amount of on-board storage exceeding 512 GB) may still be better
served by a fast CHD (7200rpm or better) in tower or laptop configuration.

For the majority a large amount of on-board storage (in the laptop world) is not the requirement.
Especially, since USB portable storage is becoming more abundantly available/affordable all the way
up to 2 TB's. It's a simple trick to travel lite with a 15" SSD equipped laptop or smaller and throw in a portable USB drive. The influx of tablets is also driving modular storage designs that function similar to an SSD in capacities up to 512 GB. They too can be supplemented with a portable USB drive.

It's unfortunate that a few contributors to this post experienced SSD failures. Although, as it was
pointed out by Waytron; the failure(s) may have just as well occurred in a CHD. I'll take that comment a
step further and venture to say that SSD failures probably take a harder hit when it comes to consumer
confidence. Simply because SSD technology is still relatively new when compared to the CHD which has
been around for decades on end. Kind of like humankind to date versus the universe.

I'm confident - as many of you stated - that SSD's are here to stay. Just like any worthwhile technology
they will improve and eventually become the norm rather than the exception. You'd be hard pressed
to buy a CRT monitor today. Whichever, your choice of storage drive (SSD or CHD) remember to always
employ a backup solution. In-the-mean safe computing and have a great weekend!

Aaron J.

I have had bad luck with SSDs. While I definitely feel the performance is superior, I have had issues with reliability, and for a main HD, that can be a major issue. I've already had two SSDs go out being used as the primary HD for a machine storing the OS on them. I'm going to put them on hold until they become more reliable.

Both are close, but not quite there yet.

Y'know if bootup take a minute or two i can live with that. Essentially I don't trust SSDs not to just ef off and take all your data with 'em. Add the relatively small size and high price and not so attractive. If a regular hard drive starts to fail at least at least you've got a shot at recovering the data.

Having just put an SSD in my laptop, I can say I wouldn't consider using a CHD for a system drive in future. The SSD is immensely faster and, while I do have to think a little about exactly what I put on it, a 256GB drive is fine, even for a dual Windows-Linux system. The reduced power consumption and heat dissipation are also significant advantages, considering that said laptop doesn't have the greatest battery life.

IMHO, Aaron misses one other significant factor in the rise of SSDs -- not so long ago, if you didn't have room for another internal disk to store data on, you were stuck using external devices that were generally more expensive and slower. Now, with cheap, fast external hard drives, the internal storage is not so much of a must, especially for a laptop where putting in an SSD at a reasonable price often means sacrificing a lot of internal disk space.

Flash memory first seemed like a good idea to me because the memory's specs said that the memory would last something like 20 years but then the warranty for flash drives was two years leaving me puzzled.

I saw an article on repairing flash drives by replacing the crystal. Flash drives are small and they have surface mount components. There is a program that identifies your flash drive and tells you what crystal you need to replace in something that small. Anyone handy at surface mount soldering and reflow?

Crystals are basically a semiconductor and semiconductors dry out which is why they only warranty flash drives for two years even though the memory on a flash drive may last for more.

The problem is getting a crystal in two or more years from now unless you ask a company to make you one and having a replacement part available if you are knowledgeable enough to do that.

There may be crystals in hard drives or other components but your memory is only as good as the weakest link unless you have someone who can repair the weakest link.

Until SSDs come down in price to rival hard drives, you are paying a lot for something that can fail.

I am thinking about getting one will they fit in desktop PC our will I have to but an adapter/

Switched the system drive in my 3 yr old i7 desktop to a 256GB SSD and have been very pleased with the performance, despite not having SATA3 on my motherboard.

I came into the SSD age with a Samsung series 830 ( 256 Gb ). Love that thing. Fast boot ( about 15 secs ), but more importantly, when I get whacked in a game, I am back in a jif. Am looking to get a Samsung 1Tb EVO now. I usually recommend them when someone is looking for parts for a build. When they first surfaced I was not all that big on them, because of the reason given. Too Pricey and too little storage room. Since I installed the one in here. I have been a fan of them. Giving some thought to putting one in my laptop and maybe even my PS3.

Is there some sort of analysis utility that will detect dropped bits?
Personally, I don't need the extra speed, as much as I need the confidence that nothing will get corrupted by a static shock in the winter, etc, etc.

But the DO fail! (Become corrupted and the OS will no longer boot up). I had one in my late 2011 Mac Book Pro 15" for several years (a Critical drive) and it was blazing fast, compared to a 7200 rpm 750 GB hard drive that came with the unit, BUT one day, the thing hung, I did a force quit, and then on restarting, the thing **** the bed, ruining a couple of flat file databases (Together 3) and the OS, even when reinstalled. I then got a Samsung SSD, which is said to be more reliable and is definitely more expensive.

So, the lesson here, is same as a hard drive: backup religiously and continuously (Time Machine, Backblaze, etc.) or face the consequences when the inevitable day of reckoning comes. And also, if you rely on computers, it isn't a bad idea to have a "hot" backup and use two relatively duplicated networked computers for when one is in the shop -- I now am using my MBP as my backup computer and a new 27" iMac as my main computer. The beauty of this is that you can use the same software on both through the app store and buy only once and there aren't licensing, copy protection or "per seat" issues on Mac OSX machines that there are on Windows...and yeah, the iMac also has a SSD and 32 gigs of RAM...very fast as well!

I've had SSDs in my desktop system for a couple years now and in my laptop for the last year. About a year ago, I removed the last HDD from my desktop and have gone with SSDs exclusively since then. Here's my evaluation by category:

Speed: SSD
Reliability: SSD
Longevity: SSD
Waste heat: SSD
Noise: SSD
Boot time: SSD
App load time: SSD
File load and save time: SSD
Cost per GB: HDD (probably not for much longer)

In all honesty, the only category that I can think of where SSDs don't beat HDDs is cost, and considering all the advantages SSDs provide, it's well worth the difference. The only thing I still use HDDs for is archival storage/backup, and that's because of the price advantage for large drives. To tell you the truth, I wish I could use SSDs for archival storage/backup too, because I've had too many hard drives fail even when they're not used on a daily basis.

When they get cheaper and more reliable I'll probably start using them. They are presently headed in that direction.

Their main advantage from my perspective is faster boot time. I am satisfied with what I have at present.