SSD disks

The SSD is the upgrade that most accelerates an old computer or laptop – the system boots in seconds, and programs open instantly. This category includes 2.5-inch SATA drives: universal, easy to install, and suitable for both a new computer and a laptop you want to revive.

How to choose

• Capacity. 480–512 GB is enough for the system and programs. 1 TB is the most reasonable choice for most people, while 2 TB and more are for games, photos, and videos.
• Speed. Good SATA drives read and write around 500–560 MB/s – this is the ceiling of the interface. Differences between models are mainly felt when writing large files.
• Purpose. Drives for computers and laptops are the most cost-effective. Server models have higher write endurance and protection against power outages.
• Brand and memory. Drives from Samsung, Kingston, WD, Crucial, Adata, Team Group, and others differ in controller and type of memory. Models with DRAM cache maintain speed during long writes better than the cheapest drives without cache.
• Durability. Look at the TBW indicator – how many terabytes can be written under warranty. For home use, almost every model lasts for years.

What to watch out for

• If you need maximum speed and your motherboard has an M.2 slot, a faster choice is M.2 NVMe drives.
• Connect the drive to a SATA port on the motherboard with a SATA cable and a power cable from the power supply.
• When replacing a drive in a laptop, check the thickness of the slot – the standard is 7 mm.
• Do not fill the drive to the brim – leaving 10–20% free maintains its speed and lifespan.
• Check that the AHCI mode is enabled in BIOS – with it, the drive operates at full speed.
• Do not defragment SSD – Windows maintains it automatically with the TRIM command.

Compatibility

2.5-inch SATA drives work with almost every computer and laptop from the last fifteen years. In a desktop computer, they are installed in a 2.5-inch slot in the case or with an adapter in a 3.5-inch space. For storing large archives at a lower price per gigabyte, it makes sense to add a hard drive.