250GB Samsung 840 Series 2.5" SATA Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) w/ Notebook/Desktop Installation Kit (MZ-7TD250KW) $150 + Free Shipping

Quote from bsmithuga : Been seeing these deals for the 840 pop up like crazy lately - I'm tempted to get it, but not sure if I really need one? I'm on a mid-09 Macbook Pro and its been running kinda slow lately - I need to clear some space off the stock 160HDD, but upgrading to a SSD that's almost twice the size would probably do the trick. Can anyone comment on how this will affect normal laptop use on a day-to-day basis? If I'm using my laptop for mostly web surfing, MS Word, streaming some Netflix, and iTunes as a student - and my primary need is more space, should I bother installing a SSD? It'll definitely be a softer blow to the wallet if I just upgrade to a bigger, faster HDD - but with how often I hear people raving about SSD speed - I can't decide. Somebody want to help out a poor college kid with some advice?

An ssd will boot your mbp crazy-fast. And your programs launch within a second or two. You can use the stock hd as an external backup device now.
This is what i bought to put the stock hd in: http://www.amazon.com/Vantec-NexS...B002JQNXZC

Quote from tennis8363 : Unfortunately I don't have a clean copy of Win 7, only the one that came with the Dell laptop. I bought a few copies of Windows 8 for $14.99, but am hesitant to give it a run based on reviews.

Just download the OEM Windows 7 image from the net, and insert the Win 7 key that came with your Dell when you fresh install.

Quote from zhopa : Just download the OEM Windows 7 image from the net, and insert the Win 7 key that came with your Dell when you fresh install.

Thanks... I think a couple of the posters in here have steered me to giving Windows 8 a run.

Quote from cracovian : It's like being with two chicks at the same time.

Wat makes it feel like 3?

Ordered one a couple hours ago and already received a tracking number. Impressive.

good deal

Quote from tennisplayer888 : Wat makes it feel like 3?

How would I know? Still working on my two... Maybe when I'm rich.

Quote from snives : You won't find a negative review from anybody that has actually tried it. Like most things online, there are a lot of people complaining and writing about things that they have no actual clue about. It is faster, slimmer, and has no likely compatibility issues upgrading from 7. If you don't like Metro, then install ClassicShell and you have a very much upgraded version of 7. On top of being optimized, there are also quite a few perks for power users and basic users alike (ReFS, Storage Spaces, Hyper-V, full RDP8.0...).

Right. Because no one who reviews Windows 8 negatively actually tried it. Sound logic to be sure.

To anyone interested in Win8, I'd say Snives just made it completely clear he's not going to give you a fair review of Win 8. Anyone who dismisses negative reviews with the lame (and so easily falsified*) statement "they haven't actually tried it" more or less exemplifies the concept of a "fanboi."

PS This is not a commentary on Win8, which has its fans and its detractors, just on Snives' grossly biased take.


*"A long story made short. Windows 8 might be (emphasis on might be) useful on tablets or systems with touch screens. I found it to be a step backward from Windows 7 when I installed it on a mouse/keyboard based systems. I installed Windows 8 the first day it became available and I used it for a couple of weeks. I did the education steps including finding shut down, adding apps and understanding navigation but found Windows 8 cumbersome to use. I have reinstalled Windows 7 and I am now waiting for Windows 9 (or 10)."

"Update 14 Jan 13: I've been using Windows 8 for more than a month now and it was originally annoying but stable especially when coming out of sleep and hibernation, but after numerous updates it's morphed into an unstable mess. It becomes unstable when the display has been turned off by the computer for longer than 4 hours or when coming out of sleep or hibernation, becoming generally unresponsive to most actions and usually requires a reboot 70% of the time. I can manage to reboot using CTL ALT DEL to access the reboot option but have given up on trying to save any work because they usually get corrupted. When in use the OS is very stable though. At this point I'm trying to decide on dropping back to Windows 7 or moving on to Linux."

http://www.amazon.com/Windows-Pro...ewpoints=0

"Windows 8 is without a doubt, the most dreadful desktop operating system I have ever used."

http://www.amazon.com/Windows-Pro...ewpoints=0

Quote from cracovian : How would I know? Still working on my two... Maybe when I'm rich.

As long as you're a millionaire. And if you were a millionaire you could hook that up, too; 'cause chicks dig dudes with money.

Just ordered one. THANKS OP! TUP.

Quote from bsmithuga : Can anyone comment on how this will affect normal laptop use on a day-to-day basis? If I'm using my laptop for mostly web surfing, MS Word, streaming some Netflix, and iTunes as a student - and my primary need is more space, should I bother installing a SSD? It'll definitely be a softer blow to the wallet if I just upgrade to a bigger, faster HDD - but with how often I hear people raving about SSD speed - I can't decide. Somebody want to help out a poor college kid with some advice?

I recently (1 mo) installed one of these in my late-2009 Macbook Pro (very similar to yours) and it's been amazing. If you're still at the stock 2 or 4 GB RAM, go to the max of 8 GB while you've got the bottom of the laptop taken off. For ~$200 you'll be getting what feels like a new computer.

You'll also need a #00 Philips to unscrew the bottom of the laptop and a T6 Torx to move the hardrive screws from the old to the new. The screws are special and needed to properly hold the new SSD in place.

Debating on buying this or not, wife might not like it...

I've had a crappy 80gb hdd for my main bootup with a 2tb storage hdd for awhile, always wanted to get rid of that crappy 80gb hdd.. just unsure if I should buy a 250gb ssd for $150 =/

Quote from cracovian : It's like being with two chicks at the same time.

Ummmm..... I'm still trying to find just the one chick.

Yep. Nothing like being alone on Valentines Day with Papa Johns. Thank god for Kate Upton and making Sports Illustrated for the second year in the row......

I did the same upgrades for the same reason this month. Got the Kingston one on amazon for under $50 I think. I can now push off the upgrade itch for another 18 months or so.

Quote from darksiderising : I recently (1 mo) installed one of these in my late-2009 Macbook Pro (very similar to yours) and it's been amazing. If you're still at the stock 2 or 4 GB RAM, go to the max of 8 GB while you've got the bottom of the laptop taken off. For ~$200 you'll be getting what feels like a new computer. You'll also need a #00 Philips to unscrew the bottom of the laptop and a T6 Torx to move the hardrive screws from the old to the new. The screws are special and needed to properly hold the new SSD in place.