Posted on 05/18/2020 5:59:01 PM PDT by ducttape45
We went to SSD about 4 years ago so our CAD/GIS programs would fire up faster as well as regenerate the drawing faster as.
I’d go solid state, but hear they evaporate or boil at higher temps. Make sure they are cool and plugged in.
Boots up my Windows 7 Pro with a million programs (exaggeration) in 19 seconds.
SSDs all the way.
It’s technically correct that you can only rewrite a given block of SSD storage a finite number of times. However, SSDs include their own memory management and extra memory cells. As cells “wear out” or fail, the SSD seamlessly rewrites the data to fresh unused cells.
Because the storage and retrieval system is so different from traditional drives, one thing you don’t want to do, indeed should not do, is run traditional “defrag” maintenance on an SSD. There is no need to optimize the retrieval of the data as there is no latency as there are no moving parts in an SSD.
By the way, life expectancy on an SSD is on the order of 50 years.
https://www.enterprisestorageforum.com/storage-hardware/ssd-lifespan.html
SSD still the sweet spot, Nvme kinda overkill, but nice to have, especially as boot drive.
Don’t bother with anything else, unless your budget is very limited.
I got my first SSD laptop almost nine years ago. I ran it with no problem for six years with no problem. Then two and a half years ago I got another SSD drive just because laptops always get used up at some point.
I was running the newer one and spilled Coke in it last fall. Locked it up. Pulled out the older SSD while the new one was being repaired. It needed a new keyboard but it is nine now.
I bought another SSD last fall as a back-up also SSD. Have it set up but it is a Windows 10 and the two others are Win 7 SSD. I like SSD. They are quiet and fast and so far - it will be ten years in August - no SSD has burned out or crashed.
2. You will see SSDs with different sizes - such as 480Gb and 512Gb. While both have the same number of chips inside, the 480Gb version sets aside more memory space to cover for bad sectors. If you are concerned then this eliminates your concerns.
3. Buy and run Gibson's Spinrite 6, and level 2. It is truly amazing how much good it can do, even on an SSD. On a HDD it seems magical. Tip - buy four copies and you have bought a site license for the entire company. Then put it on each drive or make bootable flash drives for field employees.
Run Spinrite on new drives and about every year or so and your drives’ data may never die.
https://www.grc.com/sr/spinrite.htm
4. They are on the net 24/7? How often do you reboot these laptops? Without knowing more, I would say that you need to study the use model of your system design.
5. Paul Combretta!? Ha ha ha!!
Backups?!?!? Yeah right! Once the laptops are out I hardly ever see them again until they break down!
SSDs are the way. Much faster, quiet, and cool.
My workstation used to take 10 minutes to boot with a spinner, now it takes about 45 seconds.
Bartle and James it is! Good man!
SSDs boot a lot faster than HDs. But they probably won’t last as long, and generally there is far less on-board storage. If you are happy giving your data to Microsoft, Amazon, Google, or one of the lesser ‘cloud’ competitors, then SSD is probably superior. If you want to keep your data close to home, get a HD and an external HD for backup.
The ideal setup would be a blended system - SSD for boot and programs, HD for data storage.
That sounds ominous
50 years?!?!? Oh geez! That argument, more than any, has now sold me on SSDs!
Yes, they DO have a predetermined life span.
For most users it will be longer than their computer, but eventually they will fail.
Since these are laptops there’s no way to install two internal drives, and the org I work for won’t let us have external drives. That said, the entire hard drive is never used (maybe 25% ?) and the few folks who have the SSDs swear by them.
I appreciate everyone’s input and you’ve helped enlighten me quite a bit. Will definitely go the route of SSDs, and increased RAM as well. Thanks!
Get your self a pencil and some paper...
SSD’s are definitely the way to go. Backups are important. So is off site storage of backups.
It’s true SSD’s have a finite life. But so do hard drives and every other piece of computer equipment. The chances are very good the SSD will outlast the laptop.
I have a closet full of hard drives I have taken out of systems upgraded to a SSD.
Buy good, solid SSD’s from a reputable manufacturer. I recommend Samsung.
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