The Notebook “makeover” – Kingston SSD/RAM upgrade and clean OS install

Conclusion

As we concluded in our last two SSD vs. HDD evaluations, SSD technology is one of the most rapidly improving.  We have seen the SSD develop improved new controllers that bring faster speeds. We have watched this technology also get cheaper over time and it is much more accessible to the regular consumer and not just for enthusiasts. The 128GB Kingston SSDNow V100 series offers an incredible bang-for-buck and we have noted that it has been off and on sale for the past few months with its mail-in-rebate bringing its final costs down to around the amazing $1-per-gigabyte value.

The 128 GB Kingston SSDNow V100 series SSD offers good performance for an affordable price and it is incredibly faster than a notebook’s 5400 rpm mechanical hard drive.  Unlike with desktop PCs where it is not “mandatory” to have a SSD if you use your PC only for gaming, a notebook is rarely used for gaming and we have seen excellent speed-up in launching applications, copying files and in starting up or shutting down Windows.

We are going to be using our Kingston SSDNow V100 128GB solid-state drive in our notebook for good! It has replaced the 250GB 5400 rpm drive that was factory pre-installed and we will never look back. Since we do ninety percent of our work on our notebook, we have found a world of performance difference in every way and we can now wait on buying a new notebook!  However, the most important thing that any end user can do to improve performance is to blow away the manufacturer’s OEM installation of Windows and replace it with a clean fresh install if possible.

Pros –

• The SSD is of a magnitude faster than the slow notebook’s mechanical hard drive in every way. Windows startup is blazing fast; applications load nearly instantly!
• Kingston’s 128GB SSD offers great performance for its regular price and it can often be found on sale!
• TRIM support and garbage collection keeps your drive “like new”.
• Excellent bundle for notebook or desktop makes setting up your SSD a breeze
• 3-year warranty and 24/7 Kingston support stand it out from the “SSD crowd”

Cons –

• Price per GB compared to mechanical hard drives is still very high, but generally much cheaper than buying a new notebook.
• Limited storage compared to mechanical HDDs but not so much of an issue with notebooks

The Kingston SSDNow V100 has already won the ABT Editor’s Choice award. And as we found out, it is an especially great drive for notebook makeovers. There is plenty of room for Windows, applications, office and documents, Photoshop, videos and mp3s plus many of your favorite games. It’s highly recommended for any notebook makeover.

You might notice that this notebook sits atop a Cooler Master Ergo Stand notebook cooler.  Credit must go to where credit is due – this notebook has lasted so long only because it has been kept cool for much of its life.  One of the very best investments anyone can make to ensure that your hot-running notebook will last a long time is to buy a notebook cooler for it.

It pays in every way to keep up with ABT and the best way is to follow us is on our ABT forum. You can be part of great discussions; learn about everything tech-related including breaking news and “inside” information and perhaps contribute and even win prizes in our giveaways. Our muvee give-away of Reveal 8 is ongoing and it is SO EASY to enter and win a free retail key valued at $80 for the easiest to use video-sharing software that is available anywhere – there really is no learning curve!

Mark Poppin

ABT Senior Editor

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