SSD Upgrade Question...

[cohenfive]

my pc is running great but the ssd that came with it is full (80gb intel ssd) and i think i need to install another or just a bigger one. the question is what is the best way to go about it....
i think ideally i'd rather only have one installed with everything on one drive location. is there an easy and safe way to transport everything exactly from one ssd to another? since the ssd has the operation system and all applications i can't mess it up....

also, and brands of drives that are particularly well thought of or do they all work basically as advertised.

thanks.

 

[Hellhammer]

Most higher-end SSDs come with cloning software, which is exactly what you need (yes, you can clone an entire OS and it will work just like before).

It would be helpful to know the capacity you're looking for but Samsung SSD 830 is an excellent choice if you can still find them in your area.

 

[Coup27]

As above. Most drives come with cloning software which will allow you to copy your entire setup onto the new SSD.

Regarding SSD choice, Samsung 830 or the Plextor M3 or M5 series. Crucial m4 is a solid drive but quite old now and there are faster drives. Intel 520 should be a safe bet also but I have a distrust or anything Sandforce.

 

[cohenfive]

i'm looking for at least 128gb, probably 256gb...core i7 digital storm desktop.
thx.

 

[John Connor]

For a no thrills cloning software Macrium Reflect works well. http://www.macrium.com/reflectfree.aspx

As far as SSDs go I can name three that are pretty good. Adata, Intel and Samsung.

 

[Denithor]

Intel, Samsung and Crucial make the best drives available right now (meaning best performance with highest reliability rates).

Make sure you use cloning software that will do the 4K alignment. If it comes with the drive, it will, but some older versions out there don't handle this correctly and performance suffers as a result.

 

[tracerbullet]

Playing devil's advocate - what about an external drive instead? Do you have that much "installed" on the drive, or is it full of files (pictures, music, etc.)? Is this a laptop, and if so does it happen to have an SD slot built in? 32GB cards are pretty cheap lately.

 

[cohenfive]

the ssd only has my applications and operating system. i keep all the files in a 'regular' hd or externally. i'm not sure why i've filled up my 80gb ssd that's on the system, but i have. this is a core i7 desktop with good specs...when i bought the system i thought the 80gb intel ssd would be enough for applications, and the ssd's were so expensive at the time i tried to keep the cost within reason, so here we are...

 

[tracerbullet]

If you have a bunch of software or games installed it would make sense. If not then maybe something else is storing there that you don't know about? A backup program perhaps? If you know what's up, cool, if not, maybe start going through the c drive and see what folders are biggest (Windows, Program Files, Users or whatever is equivalent on the OS you are running). If it's mostly under Users then you might be storing files you aren't aware of.

You mentioned a PC, so if a bigger drive is the way to go, you should be able to plug in a new, larger SSD and clone to it. Just pay attention to any questions asked by the program to make sure you will be able to boot from it and not just set it as an extra drive. You should be OK. Worst case you still can keep the current one plugged in and functioning. This has been mentioned already of course, but just agreeing to it if you can't easily just reduce what's on the current drive.

 

[cohenfive]

suggestions for cloning software? ghost? i am thinking of getting a sandisk extreme ssd, they seem to be pretty decent value at 150-160 for a 240gb ssd...

 

[JerYnkFan]

suggestions for cloning software? ghost? i am thinking of getting a sandisk extreme ssd, they seem to be pretty decent value at 150-160 for a 240gb ssd...

We use Acronis at work and it works great for us. Even use it to back up my home PCs.