New laptop with built-in SSD vs New cheap laptop + SSD

Forums › Laptops and mobile computers › New laptop with built-in SSD vs New cheap laptop + SSD

hirendpatel

13 posts

Geek

#87952 11-Aug-2011 11:32

Hi All,

I was wondering if it's better to buy a new laptop with SSD built-in or a new cheap laptop and buy SSD separately.

Requirements: A basic laptop for web browsing, emails, social media, word processing & spreadsheeting, photos, and videos (atleast 720p). Something light-weight and doesn't get too hot would be nice but not a "must-have".

Thank you.

billgates

4624 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#504914 11-Aug-2011 11:35

ThinkPad X121e - Enhanced or the ThinkPad X220 laptop with camera

http://shopap.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/controller/e/nzweb/LenovoPortal/en_NZ/catalog.workflow:category.details?action=init&current-catalog-id=3634951826AE4D3881BFFF1AC5FCD957&current-category-id=5F3D323E86B74590ADD714AAD4CB5F99

Edit - Better off to buy your own SSD which is decent and has good reviews. OCZ Vertex 3 or Intel 510 series

Do whatever you want to do man.

Backblaze

Backblaze Unlimited Backup. World’s easiest cloud backup. Get peace of mind knowing your files are backed up securely in the cloud (affiliate link).

freitasm

BDFL - Memuneh
76370 posts

Uber Geek

Administrator

ID Verified

Trusted

Geekzone

Lifetime subscriber

#504921 11-Aug-2011 11:45

Also some SSD around are not cheap. Why do you need one? More battery life, less heat (which leads to less fan use, more battery life), faster OS load time?

I have a good ultraportable laptop (HP dm1z) and the SSD in it costs more than the laptop itself...

Please support Geekzone by subscribing, or using one of our referral links: Dosh referral: 00001283 | Sharesies | Goodsync | Mighty Ape | Backblaze

freitasm on Keybase | My technology disclosure

hirendpatel

13 posts

Geek

#504927 11-Aug-2011 11:51

Yes, better performance. Faster boot time. I am also hoping for faster application load (i.e. Web browser, MS Office Suite, media players [iTunes & vlc]).

And also, if it saves me some battery and keeps it quite and cool by not having any moving parts, that's a bonus.

Thanks, again.

freitasm

BDFL - Memuneh
76370 posts

Uber Geek

Administrator

ID Verified

Trusted

Geekzone

Lifetime subscriber

#504932 11-Aug-2011 12:06

And yet you want to go for a cheap laptop? There are many other things to consider, not only SSD. For example an HP Mini will perform badly even with a SSD, while a HP dm1z will do a much better job. Obviously there will be a difference in price. And obviously a high end model will do even better.

It seems you will have to look for a mid range 64GB SSD otherwise the SSD will cost more than the laptop and won't perform as well.

In my case I have a 256GB SSD that cost US$490. It was bought for my old work laptop. That laptop was too heavy for travel, so swapped back the original HDD and sold it. The new HP dm1z is faster than "netbooks" and it supports the SSD well.

Please support Geekzone by subscribing, or using one of our referral links: Dosh referral: 00001283 | Sharesies | Goodsync | Mighty Ape | Backblaze

freitasm on Keybase | My technology disclosure

hirendpatel

13 posts

Geek

#504937 11-Aug-2011 12:21

Thanks Mauricio.

Well, with given above requirements, what would you (or anyone else) suggest for $2000?

freitasm

BDFL - Memuneh
76370 posts

Uber Geek

Administrator

ID Verified

Trusted

Geekzone

Lifetime subscriber

#504938 11-Aug-2011 12:24

I think $2000 is not a cheap laptop. You could probably get a good Dell Inspiron for just under $1000, and add an ok SSD for around $400. It would not replace the HDD in byte per byte and if you go for a good video option instead of the cheaper built-in Intel HD then the total cost would still be under that number.

Please support Geekzone by subscribing, or using one of our referral links: Dosh referral: 00001283 | Sharesies | Goodsync | Mighty Ape | Backblaze

freitasm on Keybase | My technology disclosure

jonb

1739 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#504939 11-Aug-2011 12:28

I agree, I think you're focusing too much on the solid state drive. I've read a few articles about them in laptops and they are great pieces of kit, the latest macbook airs come with them but not much else at the moment. Maybe next year we'll see some dual SSD and HDD laptops being sold.

A good compromise is getting a laptop with a 7200rpm HDD, as most come with 5400rpm drives. But your already moving out of the 'cheap' laptop territory with that sort of spec. Better to but your money towards a laptop with a sandy bridge i5 processor, and not worry about SSD or not in my opinion. Something like this Acer (the one I just bought, so I'm biased): http://www.pbtech.co.nz/index.php?z=p&p=NBKACN2173B

hirendpatel

13 posts

Geek

#504940 11-Aug-2011 12:29

Great, thanks.

Yeah, wasn't being too specific on "cheap".

Space is not an issue as all the data will be stored on external storage.

jonb

1739 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#504948 11-Aug-2011 12:45

The Dell XPS 15 comes with a 256 GB SSD (probably a bit excessive, 128GB easily enough if all data on external drives)

Dell probably best bet to buy from if you're after an SSD , as you can customise the build to include one without having to mess about swapping drives and re-installing windows..

floydbloke

3172 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

#505083 11-Aug-2011 16:31

As an aside what are the warranty implications if the buyer replaces the electro-mechanical drive with an SSD themselves?
Laptops typically aren't sold as upgradable.

After I was born, I didn't talk to my parents for two years.

jonb

1739 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#505087 11-Aug-2011 16:40

This might be a good compromise - Seagate Momentus XT, 500GB hdd (7200rpm) with a 4GB solid state cache

http://www.playtech.co.nz/afawcs0139235/CATID=/ID=14687/SID=8037654/productdetails.html

But again I think for the requirements you gave, an SSD is over the top unless you have cash to flash.

andrewcnz

955 posts

Ultimate Geek

#505158 11-Aug-2011 19:34

jonb: This might be a good compromise - Seagate Momentus XT, 500GB hdd (7200rpm) with a 4GB solid state cache

http://www.playtech.co.nz/afawcs0139235/CATID=/ID=14687/SID=8037654/productdetails.html

But again I think for the requirements you gave, an SSD is over the top unless you have cash to flash.

I put one in my mid spec 3 year old laptop and found it was a great improvement on the old slow HDD and had lots of space to burn as well.