Want to make your computer faster? Get a Solid State Drive!

I work in the IT Industry and did my homework. Solid State Hard Drives have come a long way and also have dropped dramatically in price. I just installed one in my MacBook Pro over the weekend and the difference is amazing! I can go from power off to ready to go in under 30 seconds (versus the former 80 seconds)!

Caveat: This is not for everyone. If you do not know what you are doing you should have it installed by a professional. You should also rid your computer of virus, malware, spyware, etc. if you run Windows. This tip is intended for heavy and high end users!

Advantages of a Solid State Drive over a traditional spinning disc hard drive:

• Speed: No moving parts means lightning fast access to your data thanks to advancements in technology.
• Less Prone to Failure: No moving parts also means no damage due to drops, worn out bearings, and other physical issues seen with spinning drives. My experience is that the first thing to fail in a computer is either the fans or the hard drive. Both are moving parts that wear out!
• Lower Power Use: Since their are no motors inside they consume a little less power. Longer battery life has been reported in laptops!
• Longer Life: Solid State Drives last a lot longer thanks to no moving parts. 

Disadvantages: There are a few drawbacks that should be mentioned:

• Cost: Solid State Drives are relatively new and cost a lot more. Much more so for larger drives. I got my 128GB Solid State for $150 after rebate. The largest drive currently available (256GB) is $600! Hard drives of these sizes are much less.
• Limited Space: If you have a lot of files you may have to have a "hybrid" setup to store files on a traditional hard drive (with a backup of course!). I did exactly this with a 500GB Hard Drive and 128GB Solid State. I have programs and games on the solid state while most of my data is on the hard drive.
• Novice Users: Installing a solid state drive is no small task. You have to know what you are doing just like building a car engine. Added cost may be needed to hire a professional to get it done.

Overall the solid state drive will save me time and money. I have (hopefully) prolonged the life of my laptop due to the performance increase and one less point of failure. I can always remove the solid state drive and move it to my next computer when the time comes. Being a power user such as myself this is important for my career and sanity. The hard drive is the slowest part of any computer. A solid state truly increases the speed of the entire system and as such is a vital part to getting more out of the computer.