Best place to buy mid-level laptop with SSD?

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#1220859 23-Jan-2015 15:33

timmmay: If you install your own SSD (Samsung 8x0 recommended) check the bay height first.

What exactly is a Samsung 8x0?

Is this the sort of thing you would recommend?

http://www.pbtech.co.nz/index.php?z=p&p=HDDSAM3250&name=Samsung-850-EVO-MZ-75E250BW-250GB-3D-V-NAND-SATA-I

Cheers,
Ben

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#1220869 23-Jan-2015 15:44

"Best place to buy mid-level laptop with SSD?"

Almost by definition laptops with SSDs are not mid-level.
If you want the very real benefits of an SSD you need to pay more.
Retrofitting an SSD is neither easy nor cheap.

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#1220871 23-Jan-2015 15:46

Sideface: Retrofitting an SSD is neither easy nor cheap.

If the laptop has a standard 2.5" Drive, it's both easy and cheap.

SumnerBoy

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#1220901 23-Jan-2015 16:28

SumnerBoy:
timmmay: If you install your own SSD (Samsung 8x0 recommended) check the bay height first.

What exactly is a Samsung 8x0?

Is this the sort of thing you would recommend?

http://www.pbtech.co.nz/index.php?z=p&p=HDDSAM3250&name=Samsung-850-EVO-MZ-75E250BW-250GB-3D-V-NAND-SATA-I

Cheers,
Ben

Ah - I think I see what you mean - 840 or 850 etc. Sorry, new to this!

* HP 8GB DDR3L-1600 1.35V SODIMM - 8 GB - DDR3 SDRAM - 1600 MHz - 1.35 V - SoDIMM
* HP ProBook 470 G2 Intel i7-4510U 2.0GHz 8GB 750GB 17.3" HD LED 1600x900 Radeon R5 M255 2GB DVDRW Win7Pro 64bit (Win8.1Pro Lic) 1yr 6Cell BT4 USB3 Webcam WiFiN
* Samsung 850 EVO MZ-75E250BW 250GB, 3D V-NAND, SATA III 6GB/s, R/W(Max) 540MB/s/520MB/s, 97K/88K IOPS, 2.5". 7mm, 5 Years Warranty

So all up I am looking at a touch over $1700 for this lot. A bit over my budget but perhaps $1500 was a little unrealistic for what I was after.

Appreciate all your comments and help - GZ never fails to deliver!

timmmay

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#1220916 23-Jan-2015 16:53

Yep, the 840/850 range. I have the 840 pro, works well. Pro is two bits per cell, evo is three, pro will be more reliable but the evo is no slouch.

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#1220929 23-Jan-2015 17:18

lxsw20:
Sideface: Retrofitting an SSD is neither easy nor cheap.

If the laptop has a standard 2.5" Drive, it's both easy and cheap.

It's not cheap if you include the cost of the supplied HHD that you are discarding.
The last 2.5" (1TB) SSD that I bought cost $700 in a sale.

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#1220932 23-Jan-2015 17:19

Sideface:
lxsw20:
Sideface: Retrofitting an SSD is neither easy nor cheap.

If the laptop has a standard 2.5" Drive, it's both easy and cheap.

It's not cheap if you include the cost of the supplied HHD that you are discarding.
The last 2.5" (1TB) SSD that I bought cost $700 in a sale.

Small slow 2.5" drives as supplied in laptops are cheap as. You can stick it in a box if you want but I usually just clone it then stick it on the shelf if I need to return the laptop.

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#1220961 23-Jan-2015 17:34

to install RAM and SSD takes a screwdriver

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#1220967 23-Jan-2015 17:43

joker97: to install RAM and SSD takes a screwdriver

To install RAM takes a screwdriver.
To install an SSD in some laptops (eg a Vaio) requires major surgery, and you really, really need to know what you are doing.

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#1220975 23-Jan-2015 17:52

I have retrofitted 5 of my old laptops with 3 SSDs playing musical chairs, in and out goes the the spinning, another spinning, another SSD, back to spinning, ... maybe I'm a surgeon?

SumnerBoy

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#1220981 23-Jan-2015 18:02

So the ProBook is not too bad in this regard?

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#1220985 23-Jan-2015 18:09

just make sure you get the right thickness, 2.5" SSDs come in I think 7mm and 9mm. 7mm will fit in 9mm but not the other way round

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#1220990 23-Jan-2015 18:20

joker97: I have retrofitted 5 of my old laptops with 3 SSDs playing musical chairs, in and out goes the the spinning, another spinning, another SSD, back to spinning, ... maybe I'm a surgeon?

So you really, really know what you are doing.
Respect.

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#1220992 23-Jan-2015 18:25

umm ... as I said the only tool I used was a screwdriver!

I consider myself no good with my hands - can't DIY, can't fix the house can't service the car can't do housework properly can't do the garden ... but I can change SSDs!!!! yeee ha

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#1221096 23-Jan-2015 20:19

Thanks guys, can anyone check the specs of the laptop, ram, and ssd that I posted above and confirm they are ok? Would like some piece of mind before shelling out $1700!

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