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Batman

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#64458 15-Jul-2010 23:14
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Hi all! i have a dilemma. I am trying to build a very fast portable system. I have gone with dell, and got an XPS with slightly loose hinge and they have offered to replace it because i had other issues with them - kudos!

The system has a 740QM (1.73GHz boost to 2.93GHz, 6MB cache) CPU, HD5730 mobility ati, BD reader, 1080p screen.

1) However i wonder if a 256GB SSD is worth spending an extra $800 and giving back a 500GB 7200rpm drive. (i see on pricespy these cost about $1100) Will it give me a no-waiting for booting and loading of stuff? Apart savings on battery will it save or add any weight? (i have a feeling the answer is no. also no i'm not that rich but am willing to sacrifice some dollars for getting rid of the bottleneck in my system)

2) I also wonder if i can justify spending another $500 extra on an 840QM - the only real advantage i see is that it comes with an 8MB cache. THe answer to this i believe is NO, for a 10% max improvement if pushed to the limit.

3) I hope i can restore my current system straight into the new system Cry

thank you all!

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heavenlywild
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  #352158 15-Jul-2010 23:18
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1) Definitely, no doubt, the best way to speed up a system! I have the Vaio Z 256GB SSD - amazing performance, full stop!

2) Not really, the difference won't really be noticed. SSD FTW.

3) Not sure.

Seriously, SSD all the way!



dontpanic42
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  #352174 16-Jul-2010 00:27
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I have just upgraded my desktop system and went with an SSD (Intel X25-M 80GB) Absolutely blown away by how much it speeds EVERYTHING up.

Like heavenlywild said - SSD FTW!! You won't regret it if you are willing to burn a bit of cash.

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Snowflake

  #352177 16-Jul-2010 00:51
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you could always save a bit of coin and look at the new seagate blended hdd+ssd option. they're not as fast as a pure ssd solution, but apparently make a decent difference for a lot less money






Batman

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  #352186 16-Jul-2010 06:57
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ah that was what i hoped to hear!
so you reckon $800 for 256 GB is reasonable? i envy desktop users who can have an 80Gb SSD for the OS and many TBs for additional HDDs! (no i can't have a desktop, i am always on the move, even at home!)

heavenlywild
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  #352210 16-Jul-2010 09:49
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Once you go SSD, it's very hard to go back to HDDs. My Z for example starts up fully in literally 30 seconds and shuts in 15 seconds. It's deliciously quick;)

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Snowflake

  #352212 16-Jul-2010 09:53
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heavenlywild: Once you go SSD, it's very hard to go back to HDDs. My Z for example starts up fully in literally 30 seconds and shuts in 15 seconds. It's deliciously quick;)


i'll have to time my laptop with the 7200rpm disk.  i didnt think it was much slower than that...




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  #352218 16-Jul-2010 10:09
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just ran a couple of tests:

shutdown 1: 17 seconds
startup 1: 70 seconds (including applying a patch during startup)

shutdown 2: 16 seconds
startup 2: 55 seconds

both startup times included time for me to logon and stopped counting once i could launch IE.

i have a lenovo t510 with an i7 M620, 8gb ram and a 7200rpm 300gb hdd running windows 7 64bit.

the seagate 500gb hybrid disks are sub $250 i think, and quite possibly a good compromise. see the lotech gz blog http://www.geekzone.co.nz/lotech/7306




 
 
 

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Batman

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  #352390 16-Jul-2010 17:12
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$1000!!! for a 30% performance push, faster random access, miserly power consumption and no spin-up lag and shorter lifespan = doesnt make cents. so that does it for me really, *_*

now trying to ask for discount for 840qm upgrade, probably wont get any ...

heavenlywild
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  #352432 16-Jul-2010 19:25
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I should say my start-up time also includes all the bloatware that comes with Sony:) Anyway, it's not just the start up times, it's the quickness of installations, file transfers etc.

I also love how it doesn't make a noise when you install things - sounds like nothing's happening!:)

Batman

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  #365270 9-Aug-2010 10:28
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just discovered the not-so-long-ago release of drives with SandForce-1200 controllers!

the OCZ Vertex 2 120GB vs Corsair Force F120 120GB .... mmm blasts the intels so bad it makes me wanna get one! trouble is ... will 600 bucks stand the test of time in terms of longetivity (i heard SSDs die young) and trend-setting (are they gonna come up with something twice the speed of sound in the next few months)

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  #365272 9-Aug-2010 10:29
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one tip i got fr 3dguru (in case you're happily using your SSD like a old spinners):

turn off indexing
turn off prefetch
turn off superfetch
turn off defrag
enable ahci

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