18 Jun HOW EVERYONE CAN MAKE IT COMPUTER WIDE FOUR TIMES FASTER (SSD)
I can still remember the “snap-moment”. It must have been about three years ago and I was multitask once again on my MacBook Pro. Photoshop, Illustrator and a whole range of applications worked very well on the connected 30-inch screen, but that speed! I was thrown back in the era when you started your PC and went to get some coffee before you could continue. It couldn’t be that way any longer – something had to change! Because this was at the expense of my productivity …
Weakest link
The processor speed of my MacBook was fine, the graphics card excellent and the RAM I had not extended that long before. After some research, I could only conclude that we were dealing with a classic “weakest link:” the hard disk turned out to be the main culprit. This mechanical component traditionally consists of rotating discs, on which all your programs and files are stored. A major disadvantage of this is the crash sensitivity, but what is really disastrous for the performance of your computer is the limitation in the number of reads and write operations. For many computers, the hard disk is, therefore, the “bottle-neck,” which means that the benefits of the other specifications (such as processor speed, RAM or the video card) are canceled out.
Faster, more economical and quieter
The solution for my frustration: a solid state hard disk (SSD). This is a new type of hard drive that – unlike the conventional HDD – contains no moving parts. As a result, SSD drives are not only quieter (and that annoying crackling is a thing of the past) and cooler, but also much faster. On average, an SSD drive is no less than four times faster than a regular hard drive. Because an SSD does not contain any mechanical parts, it is also much more shock-resistant than the traditional variant and the risk of crashes is, therefore, a lot smaller. Also, an SSD write is much more energy efficient, which means a longer battery life for laptops. Very briefly through the bend, you can see an SSD as an out-of-the-ordinary USB stick, designed for fixed rather than mobile use.
Quality has a price
Although Solid State hard drives have been on the market for a while, prices are by no means close to traditional hard drives. 
But compared to three years ago, prices have fallen so much that an SSD is now worth the investment for everyone. Especially when you consider that the SSD can go well with a traditional hard drive (where the desktop is concerned). The trick is to install your Operating System and all software on the (primary) SSD, and your data on the (secondary) conventional HDD. That way it is not necessary to purchase an SSD with an enormous amount of storage capacity. An SSD of 120/128 GB or 250/256 GB is more than sufficient, with the caveat that it is advisable to keep 20-25% of the SSD free.
Advance Advice: Analyze how much your operating system and all your programs take up in space and calculate how many gigabytes of data you really use often. Then reason “future-proof” (you save more and more each time) and sit above the total.
Is my computer suitable for SSD?
Almost all computers are suitable for a Solid State hard drive – both desktops and laptops, Mac and PC. To illustrate: I have provided my MacBook, iMac and various desktop PCs (ranging in age from six to one year old) with a Solid State Drive without too many problems, making them many times faster than before. An SSD is the same size as a two and a half inch (2.5 ”) hard drive, which is included in almost all laptops. “Fixed” desktop computers usually use the three-and-half inch (3.5 “) hard drives as standard, but with a so-called” mounting bracket “you can easily screw your SSD into your desktop.
Step by step
Replacing your current hard drive with an SSD is relatively easy for a desktop PC, but the time you save will require an up-front time investment. Step-by-step:
- Make a backup of ALL your data (and preferably also an “image” of your operating system)
- Screw your new SSD onto the “mounting bracket” and screw it into your cabinet as an extra hard drive (the “old” hard drive will let you sit)
- You can use (often supplied) migration software to migrate your entire system from the old to the new (SSD) drive. However, this is not going to be if your data consists of more GBs than your new SSD is large
- The best is a ‘clean’ installation of your Windows on the new SSD. To do this, follow the usual procedure for installing Windows, where you logically turn your SSD into your primary (C) drive. It is best to format your old disk (where Windows is still on), set it as a secondary (D) disk and then restore your data from your backup
- You then install all your software and programs on your primary (SSD) drive. Where possible, you ensure that all data is stored on the secondary (traditional) HDD, also for your cloud synchronizations. For example, it doesn’t make sense to let your Dropbox files sync on your SSD, because then it goes fast.
This is all a bit more complicated for a laptop because it is a bit more compact and therefore often only has room for one hard disk. The best solution for a ‘home-garden-and-kitchen’ laptop is to purchase an SSD that is just as large as the traditional HDD that came with it as standard, to replace it (back up first!) And then use the supplied one migration software. In the coming weeks we will show in different posts how you can also give your Mac computers a speed boost by building in an SSD!
General SSD Tips
- Which SSD should you take? Check Tweakers Pricewatch and play with the product options on the left.
- Place your operating system and all your programs on the (primary) SSD and all your data on the (secondary) HDD. This way you maximize the noticeable performance
- Although almost all motherboards are compatible with SSD drives, an outdated BIOS often causes problems. If your computer is more than a few years old, it is worthwhile (ie: it saves you frustration) to check if your BIOS has been updated to the latest version and is compatible with the SSD you have in mind. This should be possible in the case where you purchase the SSD, otherwise at the PC farmer on the corner
- ALWAYS make a backup of your data (and if possible also an image of your system) and copy your files to an external medium, such as an external hard drive or cloud storage
- Given the speeds of an SSD, defragmentation is no longer necessary and is not recommended for the lifetime of an SSD. Therefore, before you start, please check some more comprehensive manuals for this kind of details.
& nbsp;