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SSD in XPS M1710?

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Lancelot

Lancelot

Member
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Joined
Feb 12, 2001
Location
the Netherlands
I've recently started to upgrade my almost 3y/o XPS M1710.
Took it apart to clean the housing, fan and heatpipes.
The T7200 2.0Ghz 4MB Core2Duo runs Windows7x64 very well.
Upgraded the 2GB PC5300 5-5-5 RAM to a 4GB Kingston HyperX 4-4-4 kit, 3.25GB BIOS-limitation though.
Now I'm wondering if a SSD will make it fly?! SATA150 interface and no AHCI-option in BIOS. But the current HDD is a 3y/o 100GB 7200rpm model so I'm looking at a mainstream Intel SSD. Anyone?
 
An SSD will make it feel like you upgraded from a Pentium 3 to a Core 2.

Single most effective upgrade. You'd need to get a CPU or a RAM twice as fast to feel a difference as big as that.

I have a X25-M in my laptop with a 1.4ghz Core 2 Solo, Intel integrated graphics, and in day-to-day usage, it feels faster than my desktop, a C2D at 3.3ghz with 9600 GT.
 
Yes you want the SSD. A good solid state will make that laptop fly like you never thought possible. But DO NOT get a cheap one with the Jmicron controller. They are the curse of the hard drive world. Go with Intel, OZC Vertex, or OCZ Agility. There are other brands that work ok too but OCZ is alot easier to get software/firmware for.
 
The X25 series seem to be sold out everywhere around here. I'll keep on the lookout for new inventory though...
 
For a laptop, just go with the Vertex or Agility. More space for the $ and thats what counts the most in a laptop. Performance wise you are splitting hairs.
 
I remember reading some articles at Tomshardware.com when the SSDs first came out saying they weren't much faster and in some cases even slower than normal Hard Drives??

I'm sure there has been a few improvements since then, and I have no idea what a Jmicron controller is or how to recognise if you have one... But is it really that big of a difference?? So the next laptop I buy I should make sure I get an SSD?

I'm holding out for Dell to start offering the mobile Core i7 in thier laptops at the "Dell Outlet". Currently they only have the older Core2 models. Maybe I should also wait for something with a SSD as well??
 
Waiting for the Core i7 is a good idea, but don't buy a laptop with pre installed SSD. Better off to buy an ssd separate and install it yourself. You will get a much better SSD for alot less money that way.
 
I'm not sure if I agree with that. I got my first gen X25-M with my laptop for about $100 extra (originally a 320GB). It was back when X25-Ms were in the $300s.

Just make sure you research the SSD first. And I don't think many laptops come with SSDs, either, besides netbooks with crappy non-SATA SSDs.
 
Hmmm buy my own SSD... I'll have to look into that. Currently the largest one Dell offers in 256GB SSD for an extra $325... but I'm not sure what brand or type it is? Looking up a few reviews, they say Dell has the same Samsung drive I found below at Pricewatch.com It seems buying your SSD pre-installed from Dell is a better deal??

To price compare:

1. pricewatch.com has the largest SSD they link to which is 256GB and has a whopping price of $629.99 for a Samsung MMDOE56G5MXP-0VB00

2. On Newegg.com I found a no name brand FileMate 3FMS2S256M-R0 2.5" 256GB SATA II MLC for $595
 
What is the fastest? Intel? And how much more do they cost? That preinstalled Samsung in the Dell was almost half what the others were.
 
Yes you definitely want Intel or Indilinx. Samsung drives will be ok until they fill up; then the only way to restore performance is to wipe the entire drive. Kind of a pain in the butt for an operating system drive. But you really cant go wrong with Intel or Indilinx. I would just go with whichever you can find for the best deal in the size you need. Honestly if I was buying the drive I wanted right now I would get the SLC ocz with indilinx controller. A little spendy but hat is a pretty amazing drive for the money.
 
Is it really worth paying double just for the name brand ugrade from Samsung to Intel?

You can have a Samsung SSD pre-installed through Dell and included in the warranty for about $300 and to upgrade to an OCZ SSD that is a comparable 256GB is $1,100!! Even with another cheaper brand the lowest you can get is still double the pre-installed Dell price.
 
Is it really worth paying double just for the name brand ugrade from Samsung to Intel?[
Click to expand...
SSDs with different controllers are very different. It's not "just for the name brand". If you can find a Samsung drive with the Intel controller (it doesn't exist), then by all means.

You can have a Samsung SSD pre-installed through Dell and included in the warranty for about $300 and to upgrade to an OCZ SSD that is a comparable 256GB is $1,100!! Even with another cheaper brand the lowest you can get is still double the pre-installed Dell price.
Click to expand...
Did you add the price of the original harddrive that you are now not getting?
 
BTW, where did you see the $300 for 256GB?

For the Alienware I see $500 extra for 256GB. Assuming the original 250GB is ~$70, that's $570, which is about right. The 256GB Patriot Torqx (an Indilinx, like the Vertex) costs $700, for quite a bit higher performance.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820220445

What's the point of getting a huge expensive SSD if it's only going to be slightly faster than a bigger and way cheaper harddrive?
 
cyberfish said:
What's the point of getting a huge expensive SSD if it's only going to be slightly faster than a bigger and way cheaper harddrive?
Click to expand...



Exactly. Until samsung has some kind of garbage collection or trim then they are rubbish. I've heard rumors about samsung coming out with some kind of TRIM support but do you really want to take that chance? If you aren't getting Intel or Indilinx then don't even bother with SSD. Who's to say that when samsung finally does support trim it isn't on their brand new drives only. That's what Intel did. Don't take the chance. Just buy one that works.
 
cyberfish said:
Samsungs are ok. Not the fastest, though. But then, just about anything except JMicron drives are okay.
Click to expand...

See Hyperasus' comment... Are they garbage or just OK? That's a big difference.

cyberfish said:
BTW, where did you see the $300 for 256GB?

In the brand new section of the Dell Outlet under the XPS Studio 16, a 256GB SSD is a $325 upgrade. I only buy laptops from the Dell Outlet though where that same SSD would be less than $300 but after taxes it would put it right at the $300 mark. The hard thing is repeatedly checking the website every few minutes for weeks looking for one before someone else snatches it. SSDs are not a common option yet.

What's the point of getting a huge expensive SSD if it's only going to be slightly faster than a bigger and way cheaper harddrive?

My only concern is that I've lost information/the entire laptop in the past when the laptop's harddrive was damaged during travel or it fell off my lap. SSDs arent as delicate. Besides that I don't think speed will affect things more than a few miliseconds from the tests I have seen.
Click to expand...

cyberfish said:
SSDs with different controllers are very different. It's not "just for the name brand". If you can find a Samsung drive with the Intel controller (it doesn't exist), then by all means.


Did you add the price of the original harddrive that you are now not getting?

I can add the price but what is the most I can get for a 'used' 300GB 5400RPM harddrive. It's not even worth my time selling. No need to calculate it.
Click to expand...

hyperasus said:
Exactly. Until samsung has some kind of garbage collection or trim then they are rubbish. I've heard rumors about samsung coming out with some kind of TRIM support but do you really want to take that chance? If you aren't getting Intel or Indilinx then don't even bother with SSD. Who's to say that when samsung finally does support trim it isn't on their brand new drives only. That's what Intel did. Don't take the chance. Just buy one that works.

This conflicts with what the others have said up above? Is the Samsungs that come with the Dell laptops rubbish? I'm sure they are not as fast as the Intel...possibly close... but are they worth $300 and better than a 5400RPM harddrive?

But to be honest, I can't see spending $600 or more + shipping just for the harddrive that seems like it would be only marginally better than an Samsung.
Click to expand...
 
I have no idea how much worse the Samsung is compared to Intel. But wouldn't be surprised if it's only 50% as fast or something (125MB, just faster than harddrives). And cheaper SSDs degrade in performance after a while.

Rubbish or not would depend on how you look at it. I think by "rubbish" he meant "not worth getting at all". Not the literal meaning.

In the brand new section of the Dell Outlet under the XPS Studio 16, a 256GB SSD is a $325 upgrade. I only buy laptops from the Dell Outlet though where that same SSD would be less than $300 but after taxes it would put it right at the $300 mark. The hard thing is repeatedly checking the website every few minutes for weeks looking for one before someone else snatches it. SSDs are not a common option yet.
Click to expand...
That is certainly very cheap for any SSD. Still, that's about 4-5x the price of a normal harddrive of the same size.

I can add the price but what is the most I can get for a 'used' 300GB 5400RPM harddrive. It's not even worth my time selling. No need to calculate it.
Click to expand...
That would be $75. If that's not even worth your time selling...

My only concern is that I've lost information/the entire laptop in the past when the laptop's harddrive was damaged during travel or it fell off my lap. SSDs arent as delicate. Besides that I don't think speed will affect things more than a few miliseconds from the tests I have seen.
Click to expand...
That is a huge premium (a few hundred $s) to pay for marginally higher reliability. Backup is a must no matter what you use. You can get 4 1TB drives with the money you saved for backup.

Really, the only real advantage of SSDs is the speed. Very high speed. I'm not sure where you read that the difference is negligible, but I have an Intel SSD and it makes my 1.4ghz single core laptop feel a lot faster than my 3.3ghz C2D desktop. I don't need a benchmark to tell me that.
 
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