I have the option for a 128 GB SSD drive or a 500 GB normal hard disk drive. What should I prefer on a laptop?
Is SSD worth it because I need more space and that is more important?
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closed as off topic by random♦ Jan 17 '11 at 15:17
Questions on Super User are expected to generally relate to computer software or computer hardware, within the scope defined in the faq.
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I just switched to SSD (on a new MacBookPro) and I love it. SSDs are much, much, much faster, especially for tasks like opening applications or large files, etc. It's a really noticible difference, but it's also a really noticible price premium. I'm assuming your question implies the need to purchase a laptop now. I'd suggest that six months from now, it's probable that the premium in price for an SSD will be low enough to be a no-brainer, and within a year or so, they might well be standard on higher-end laptops. Assuming that "wait" isn't the guidance you're looking for, I think your key analysis should be how much you think you'll want to keep on that drive by the time you're ready for a new computer. If you'll likely only have 100GB in stuff, you'd rather have the 128GB SSD for the same rough price than a mostly empty (and slower/noisier) 500GB HD. On the other hand, it's miserable to be trying to find stuff to delete every time you want to download a movie. Look at your total storage needs today, and if you're a "normal" user I'd focus on movies, music, and photos, which drive most of the "growth" in your hard drive storage needs. If you only have 40GB of total stuff, and only 10GB of it is media, or other items lkely to grow much, 128GB is likely plenty. If you're planning to take 10,000 photos and rip your 50 favorite movies onto your new computer, you should probably get the bigger HDD, and go solid-state next upgrade. | |||
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You've answered your own question there. "..more space and that is more important". Two main reasons for SSD are speed and battery life. If space is your concern then go with a standard, larger drive. | |||||
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Go standard. SSD technology is still relatively new and quite expensive. You pay a much higher price for much less space. Also, SSDs have a somewhat shorter lifespan than regular disks. (All other factors being equal.) | |||||||
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Personally I would go with the SSD. I think the speed gained is more important than the space lost. Using an SSD is the easiest way to noticeably speed up your computer. The other cool thing about an SSD is there are no moving parts. This means that moving your laptop while the drive is being accessed doesn't risk damage to the drive. To me this is one of the biggest reasons to use an SSD in a laptop that is always being carried around. | |||
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Go SSD: you'll have an incredible performance boost, and an incomparable stability (as Garry, Blackbeagle and myscreennameistoolong stated). Besides, if you need storage you could afford 1 TB of external HD with less than 100 €, whereas for a 50 GB SSD you could pay 200 €! | |||
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