The 5 Best Internal Solid State Drives
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Michael Saechang Solid state drives are now all the rage when it comes to data storage and management. SSDs are becoming increasingly more popular than traditional hard drives because they're slimmer and much faster. For most, the biggest barrier to entry is the price, as SSDs are typically much more expensive than regular hard drives for the same amount of storage space. Nonetheless, prices for solid state drives are steadily dropping, and SSDs remain a great investment for data storage that can also improve your computer's performance.
What Is a Solid State Drive?
A solid state drive is a data storage device that serves a similar purpose to traditional hard disk drives. The primary difference between a solid state drive and a hard disk drive is that, unlike an HDD, SSDs contain no moving mechanical parts. Because of this factor, SSDs are less susceptible to physical shock, run more quietly, and transfer data far more quickly. Installing a solid state drive into your computer system will not only provide data storage, but will make your computer and applications run much more quickly.
Best 5 Internal Solid State Drives
Samsung Electronics 840 Pro Series Solid State Drive
The Samsung Electronics 840 Pro is a top-notch solid state drive that is extremely high-performing. Increased speed and efficiency through this SSD means that your computer can boot up in a matter of seconds and your battery life can improve by up to 50 minutes. This drive also increases your computer's security through its built-in full-disk encryption. Additionally, users love that this drive is very easy to install.
Currently $383.46 for the 256 GB model on Amazon
Corsair Neutron Series GTX Solid State Drive
The Corsair Neutron GTX is a fantastic solid state drive that is compatible with any computer. The high-speed performance of this Corsair puts it ahead of not just regular hard disk drives, but also most SSDs out in the market currently. This SSD also features native TRIM support, which helps mitigate the problem of gradual deterioration of quality that many SSDs face due to the buildup of obsolete files.
Currently $209.99 for the 240 GB model on Amazon
Crucial M500 Internal Solid State Drive
The Crucial M500 solid state drive transforms your computer's performance while remaining relatively affordable. Installing this SSD into your computer system will dramatically increase the performance of your box, along with increasing your ability to multitask, your system's reliability, and reducing your transfer speeds and boot times. Users love the speed boost as well as its ease-of-install.
Currently $109.99 for the 240 GB model on Amazon
Seagate 600 Solid State Drive
For Seagate's first foray into developing solid state drives, it's brought a very serious contender in the form of the Seagate 600. Compatible with just about any laptop, Seagate promises that its SSD will improve boot time and software speeds by up to 50%. Because of its lack of moving parts, it is also more resistant to shocks and drops, ensuring that there is a smaller chance the physical world will damage your data.
Currently $139.09 for the 240 GB model on Amazon
Intel 530 Series Internal Solid State Drive
Rounding out our list of internal solid state drives is the Intel 530 Series of internal SSDs. This drives comes with all the features and performance you've probably come to expect by the end of this list. Users claim that installing this drive makes their computer feel brand new and start-up takes virtually no time at all. Additionally, many people appreciate the 5 year warranty on the product.
Currently $164.00 for the 240 GB model on Amazon
And those are our recommendations for the best internal solid state drives. As always, be sure to check out the Wise Bread Buying Calendar to learn when and how to buy just about anything!
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Not a bad article but leaves out a few major drives. It's hard to understand the relative performance between the drives by reading the article. Each drives talking points are also generic statements that apply to every solid state drive (aside from warranty, encryption).
The top notch performance drives are the Samsung 850 pro and the SanDisk Extreme Pro. This is for people who want the best of the best in SSD.
Beyond that (and at <50% of the cost of the top notch drives) the 2 best cost/performance consumer drives depending on rebates are the Crucial MX100 and the Samsung 840 EVO. These are both outstanding drives and will satisfy 95% of computer users out there.
All data can be found on anandtech.com website.