How to Choose a Solid State Disk (SSD) Hard Drive for Your Computer

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By HowDragon
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Choose a Solid State Disk (SSD) Hard Drive for Your Computer

So you want to buy piece of the future before the future arrives? That comes with some risks and a large price tag. Learn what you need to know to do what you need to do.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Computer
Solid state disks to look through

Step 1

Interface: Most drives are designed for SATA, though there are some IDE (also called ATA and PATA) drives out there. To know which one you need, look inside your computer. If you have a smooth cable about a half-inch wide, you need a SATA drive. If you have a ribbon-like cable about 2 inches wide, you need an IDE drive.
Step 2

Internal vs. External: External drives are little more than flash drives right now, so an internal drive is the way to go.
Step 3

Capacity: The most common are 32, 64, and 128GB. There will be just enough room for an OS and important programs and files.
Step 4

Form Factor: Most drives are 2.5", though some are only 1.8". To mount these drives in the same way as a mechanical, you'll need a drive enclosure or adapter.
Step 5

Reviews: These drives are too new to just look at specs. Read as many reviews as you can before buying.

Tips & Warnings

For more detailed info on how to know if your computer has SATA or IDE connectors, check the resources below.
For a listing of some of the best solid state hard drives, check the resources.
Cheaper drives tend to cause the system to hesitate or freeze while writing to the disk, and some may have compatibility issues. The most expensive drives have nearly eliminated these problems, resulting in speeds faster than 10,000 RPM mechanical drives in addition to no sound, and less heat.

Resources