Buzz
SSD is a relatively new type of hard drive, garnering significant interest due to its benefits over traditional HDDs. This is a concern for many users when researching how to choose a good laptop and upgrade computer hard drives.
However, how to upgrade to SSD reasonably and correctly is not something every computer user knows well. Hopefully, the tips for upgrading the computer's hard drive, specifically the SSD from Mytour, will help you decide whether to upgrade to SSD or not.
Considerations when upgrading laptop hard drive to SSD
* What are HDD and SSD? Why upgrade laptop hard drive to SSD?
Understanding the differences between HDD and SSD will provide you with knowledge and answers to why upgrading to an SSD on a computer is necessary. The hard drive is one of the most crucial components of a computer as it stores data, contains the operating system, etc. However, with the rapid development of hard drives, there is now a differentiation between conventional HDDs and solid-state SSDs.
What are SSD and HDD?
- HDD Drive: This is a traditional hard drive that uses a magnetic disk made of aluminum, glass, or ceramic coated with magnetic material to store data. To read data on an HDD, a read head is required. HDDs have the advantage of being cost-effective with high storage capacity.
> HDD drives are commonly used across various ranges of computers, from budget to mid-range laptops, both old and new.
- SSD Drive: This is a solid-state drive developed after HDDs with a completely different design and operation method. The advantage of SSDs lies in their solid-state construction and operation based on memory chips, resulting in smooth operation, good shock resistance, high data access speed, power efficiency, and heat resistance.
> SSD drives are widely used in many high-end, expensive laptops and computers due to the relatively high cost of SSDs.
*Currently, many computer and laptop models are equipped with both HDD and SSD drives (with low capacity), also known as hybrid drives (SATA-SSD), to ensure storage needs while still boosting data access speed for the computer.
Why Upgrade to SSD?
Due to the outstanding advantages of SSD drives, the demand for upgrading to SSD is significant, especially for users with high-performance computing needs. However, there are still key factors influencing the decision to upgrade to SSD:
- Most importantly: reduces the waiting time for operating system startup
- Fast data access speed, avoiding fragmentation, ensuring excellent performance when using graphic design, and gaming software.
- High durability and shock resistance: Solid construction with memory chips directly mounted on the motherboard helps SSD drives have better durability (average of 10-15 years), avoiding instability issues like HDDs in case of collisions.
- No noise generation, excellent heat dissipation capability, and energy efficiency.
- Compact and lightweight design compared to HDDs.
* When is it necessary to upgrade to an SSD?
In reality, there are numerous reasons leading to the decision to upgrade to an SSD. However, there are subjective and objective reasons that users often consider when upgrading the hard drive to an SSD for their computer:
- The current HDD is old, showing signs of noise and heating up faster.
- The computer displays the error message: “Non-system disk or disk error…”
- The computer indicates a hard drive Bad sector error.
- The computer fails to boot due to a damaged hard drive, preventing the operating system from loading during startup.
- Unable to install any applications or operating systems due to the hard drive vibrating, causing the disk surface to rub against the strong magnet, resulting in errors and loss of the operating system data.
- Simply put, you want to speed up your computer, boot up, and access data faster.
* How to upgrade hard drive to SSD correctly?
Firstly, you need to choose an SSD model from a reputable brand with a suitable price, such as Transcend, Crucial, Samsung, SanDisk, Kingston. Each brand offers various SSD lines, catering to different user preferences.
Currently, SSD prices have become more affordable, ranging from over 1 million for a 120GB Toshiba SSD to up to 25 million for certain Corsair models. However, the key to choosing an SSD is to select a brand that you trust or one that receives high praise from a large user base. Then, you can explore the available SSD models from that brand.
If possible, compare the current prices of the SSD model you're interested in with products from other manufacturers. Consider reviews and technological features to determine which SSD offers the best value and quality for its price. Most SSD models come with a relatively long warranty period, ranging from 2 to 3 years, with some premium models offering warranties of up to 10 years with a 1-to-1 exchange policy.
Once you have the desired SSD, if you're experienced, you can either replace it yourself or take it to computer repair centers to have technicians install it for you.
* Note: For optimal performance, consider transferring your existing HDD to a caddy bay (if no additional slots are available) and installing the SSD as a replacement. This setup helps optimize data transmission speed more effectively.
If you're unfamiliar, a Caddy bay is a tool used to add an additional hard drive to a laptop that currently uses a DVD/CD drive. Caddy bays are typically installed in place of the DVD/CD drive slot.
* Is it worth upgrading SSD for low-end laptops?
In reality, it's not advisable to upgrade SSD for low-end laptops because doing so may not effectively optimize the three main components of the computer: CPU, RAM, and hard drive. Even if you upgrade to an SSD, outdated CPU and RAM components can significantly reduce user experience and may not provide tangible benefits economically.
* How to properly use SSD after upgrading?
- Limit excessive data writing and copying to the SSD since SSDs are primarily used to enhance data access performance. It's best to create a virtual machine to utilize the HDD effectively.
- Avoid using disk defragmentation tools on SSDs because defragmenting SSDs only reduces the SSD's read-write cycles.
- It's advisable to use SSDs for installing software and operating systems, while using HDDs for data storage. However, avoid filling up the SSD as it can degrade storage performance and read-write capabilities.
Moreover, if you're meticulous, you can check and optimize your SSD using software like SSD Fresh or SSDLife Pro. SSD Fresh is one of the powerful SSD optimization software available for Windows. Similarly, SSDLife Pro, a software for checking SSD health, offers numerous outstanding features.
While many users share tips on choosing a good laptop based on criteria like CPU and RAM, SSD is also one of the top factors to consider when purchasing a quality laptop.
Therefore, the tips provided by Mytour on upgrading a laptop's hard drive to SSD hope to assist you in selecting a suitable SSD that aligns with your needs and financial capabilities.
Wishing you all success ahead!
