Reliable SSD / easy to swap?

My main desktop machine needs a bit more hard disc space so I was planning n putting in an SSD for the OS rather than add another conventional drive. The extra speed would be very useful and I dont need a tonne of space

Looking at 250GB, probably Crucial MX500 for £60 - opinions on reliabilty? I have read that some SSD technologies are more reliable than others, but not sure which

With it being a 18 month old Dell desktop do I just open the tower case and plug it in somewhere? And then clone? Or is it more complicated than that? I have partitioned the existing 500GB HDD into two with the OS drive 300GB (of space not data) will it still clone to a smaller drive?

Shame you didn't post this a couple of days ago. Ebuyer had 500gb Samsung Evo drives priced at £87.49 on a daily deal.

Cloning a drive is pretty easy with Samsung drives. They come with a piece of software that automates it. Although I usually install from fresh and leave the old drive as a second drive.

thanks Lastnet - I have done a dig around, the MX500 is available from Crucial for £90 in 500Gb, for the extra few quid it is tempting to go slightly bigger

thanks Lastnet - I have done a dig around, the MX500 is available from Crucial for £90 in 500Gb, for the extra few quid it is tempting to go slightly bigger

There's absolutely nothing wrong with Crucial drives by the way (or Sandisk, or Samsung, etc). Just avoid the really cheap Chinese no-brand imports and you should be fine.

As above. Get a named brand. I like Samsung but they do cost tad more.

If the drive you buy doesn't come with clone software, try Macrium Reflect free. As long as the data size isn't too big, you'll be OK to resize.

As for the size of SSD. I've never filled my Samsung 240's but it depends how you use your PC. I have a lot of drive space so only the OS, programs and databases for Emby and Plex live on the SSD. If funds allow, go for the bigger one if it better suits your needs.

My main desktop machine needs a bit more hard disc space so I was planning n putting in an SSD for the OS rather than add another conventional drive. The extra speed would be very useful and I dont need a tonne of space

 

Looking at 250GB, probably Crucial MX500 for £60 - opinions on reliabilty? I have read that some SSD technologies are more reliable than others, but not sure which

 

With it being a 18 month old Dell desktop do I just open the tower case and plug it in somewhere? And then clone? Or is it more complicated than that? I have partitioned the existing 500GB HDD into two with the OS drive 300GB (of space not data) will it still clone to a smaller drive?

You may find something here

https://www.hotukdeals.com/tag/computers

also, I wouldn't Clone, I would fresh install on the SSD imho...

I've got a Samsung 850 pro in this desktop, it's on pretty much all the time, no issues with the disk in the 3 or 4 years I've had it.

And a crucial M4 in a laptop, which again had no issues.

I'd agree with the comments re: known brand, stick with something well known and you should be fine, the only questions to ask then are capacity/speed/cost.

also, I wouldn't Clone, I would fresh install on the SSD imho...

If you clone then you may run into lots fo trim and alignment issues and subsequent oddity. Plus it'll possible try and hibernate on the SSD too....

---------- Post added 05-07-2018 at 15:25 ----------

My main desktop machine needs a bit more hard disc space so I was planning n putting in an SSD for the OS rather than add another conventional drive. The extra speed would be very useful and I dont need a tonne of space

 

Looking at 250GB, probably Crucial MX500 for £60 - opinions on reliabilty? I have read that some SSD technologies are more reliable than others, but not sure which

 

With it being a 18 month old Dell desktop do I just open the tower case and plug it in somewhere? And then clone? Or is it more complicated than that? I have partitioned the existing 500GB HDD into two with the OS drive 300GB (of space not data) will it still clone to a smaller drive?

Crucial are fine SSD's.

Have a read here for how long they really last...

https://techreport.com/review/27909/the-ssd-endurance-experiment-theyre-all-dead

If you clone then you may run into lots fo trim and alignment issues and subsequent oddity. Plus it'll possible try and hibernate on the SSD too....

Yeah, that's why I said, I wouldn't clone...

and what's wrong with hibernate file being on the SSD? that's how I have mine...

Yeah, that's why I said, I wouldn't clone...

 

and what's wrong with hibernate file being on the SSD? that's how I have mine...

Windows will not let you create a hibernate file on an SSD at all although I think you can fool it with a clone. This is because you can end up writing a lot to the SSD when you hibernate or crash which can hammer them quite severly.

Stupidly unless things changed then the hibernate file had to be on the system disk - which is an SSD. So there isn't really a way of doing it. My linux laptops though I just point the hibernate at the large spinning data disk....

Windows will not let you create a hibernate file on an SSD at all although I think you can fool it with a clone. This is because you can end up writing a lot to the SSD when you hibernate or crash which can hammer them quite severly.

 

Stupidly unless things changed then the hibernate file had to be on the system disk - which is an SSD. So there isn't really a way of doing it. My linux laptops though I just point the hibernate at the large spinning data disk....

Then how is my hiberfil.sys on my C? and that's my SSD...

Same as Windows Restore points, also on C (got them disabled for my D)