Adding SSD to a 6-year-old desktop?

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: ClutchDisc
Originally Posted By: mattwithcats
See if there is a Goodwill Computer Works store near you.
Or look on Craigslist for a broken laptop with Win 8 or 7, 64 bit.

The Win 7, 64 bit license PC can be transferred to yours, just make sure you get the key (piece of paper) and sticker off the computer...

Major salvage can be obtained from dead equipment. Hard drives, software licenses, memory, processors, motherboards, even the case...

Don't toss the remains in the trash.
Recycle it, Goodwill should accept broken / obsolete electronics...

Doesn't work if the copy of windows is OEM.


Yes it does, just need the OEM media/ISO to use the key.

 

[Quattro Pete]

So let's say I've got a second Dell desktop machine that has Win7 64-bit (OEM). Can I use that OEM media to install Win7 64-bit on my first Dell that currently has 32-bit version on it?

And even if the answer is yes, is there really any point to install the 64-bit version on a machine that cannot support more than 4GB RAM anyway?

 

[ClutchDisc]

Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
Originally Posted By: ClutchDisc
Doesn't work if the copy of windows is OEM.


Yes it does, just need the OEM media/ISO to use the key.

Well if you have tried it and it works great, however all over microsoft's website it says that the OEM license is not transferable.

 

[Quattro Pete]

32 vs 64 bit aside, I am also trying to figure out the reason for the 4GB limit on this machine. Is it possible the motherboard cannot recognize memory banks larger than 1GB (I have 4 banks)?

According to Intel, the G33 chipset can support up to 8GB RAM:
http://ark.intel.com/products/31914/Intel-82G33-Graphics-and-Memory-Controller

Would an updated BIOS version help get it to recognize 8GB? Or is it purely a hardware limitation in my case?

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
So let's say I've got a second Dell desktop machine that has Win7 64-bit (OEM). Can I use that OEM media to install Win7 64-bit on my first Dell that currently has 32-bit version on it?

And even if the answer is yes, is there really any point to install the 64-bit version on a machine that cannot support more than 4GB RAM anyway?


Can you? Yes. Is it legal according to MS's TOS? That may be a no, LOL

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
Can you? Yes. Is it legal according to MS's TOS? That may be a no, LOL

Well, I would still use the product key that I have for 32-bit machine, so it's not like I'd be using the same product key on two different machines at once.

Or will a 32-bit product key not work on a 64-bit product? FYI, both machines run Win7 Home Premium version.

 

[kb27]

I have a even older E2200.
Adding a SSD just give it a new lease of life.
Probably add another few years till the next upgrade.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: ClutchDisc
Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
Originally Posted By: ClutchDisc
Doesn't work if the copy of windows is OEM.


Yes it does, just need the OEM media/ISO to use the key.

Well if you have tried it and it works great, however all over microsoft's website it says that the OEM license is not transferable.


Yes, that's because OEM license are like half the cost of a retail one, so from a legal standpoint they are "non transferrable", however from a installation standpoint, they certainly are

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
Can you? Yes. Is it legal according to MS's TOS? That may be a no, LOL

Well, I would still use the product key that I have for 32-bit machine, so it's not like I'd be using the same product key on two different machines at once.

Or will a 32-bit product key not work on a 64-bit product? FYI, both machines run Win7 Home Premium version.


Key should work on either version, it is not 32/64-bit specific.

 

[mattwithcats]

OEM keys are 32 / 64 bit specific,

Retail box keys are not...

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: mattwithcats
OEM keys are 32 / 64 bit specific,

Retail box keys are not...


May depend on the OEM, I haven't had that issue with any of the ones I've tried

 

[SLCraig]

SSD > everything

As far as noticeable upgrades go.

I put a 90 GB SSD in one of my netbooks and even it performs well now.

I put one in my desktop with an i7 and 8GB of RAM and the system launches any app instantly as soon as the desktop appears. It is a no brainer, even for an older system. And if its a laptop we're talking about, it's better on battery life and heat as well.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Thanks all. Getting an itch to just go ahead and get a 240GB SSD for this old desktop and installing W7 from scratch. Maybe that will hold me over for another 2 years before I plunk down on a new desktop with more RAM.

 

[Zeus33]

Originally Posted By: EddieCairns
Replacing a 6 year old HDD will always pep up a PC. If it had a 5,400 rpm HDD drive a 7,200 rpm HDD drive will pep it up more.

Will using an SSD make it faster still than a 7,200 drive?

Very unlikely!

OTOH if you want to try an SSD it is your money but it will be no faster than putting in a modern fast HDD even on heavy Photoshop processing of RAW images.

eddie




Nothing could be further from the truth. Have you been living under a rock for the last few years? SSDs completely DESTROY conventional HDs including Velociraptors at every measurable spec that there is. ESPECIALLY stuff like processing huge RAW images in PS. Do a Google search. There are endless reviews and tests that confirm undeniably that an SSD will trounce any regular platter drive regardless of it's RPM. They aren't even in the same ball park. It's like comparing a Bugatti Veyron to a Honda Civic.


To the OP: YES, an SSD will give you a very noticeable improvement and provides the biggest bang for the buck in PC parts today. A 64 bit OS and 8 gigs of RAM is nothing compared to what an SSD drive will do. Stick with the good brands, Samsung, Intel, Crucial, etc. They are pretty cheap now. I've seen 250/256 gb SSDs for $100-120 repeatedly in the last few weeks.

Let us know how it works out for you.

 

[uc50ic4more]

Originally Posted By: Zeus33
To the OP: YES, an SSD will give you a very noticeable improvement and provides the biggest bang for the buck in PC parts today.


SSD's are still a nascent technology and those purchasing them are "early adopters"; and "best bang for the buck" is absolutely the last thing you're going to get.

They're faster, usually, yes; but only, for obvious reasons, on disk-intensive actions. Processing RAW images in Photoshop, for example, may consign your CPU to the role of "bottleneck" and render (no pun intended) your super-fancy SSD operating well below potential (read: wasting your $).

I ran a recording studio for several years recording 24 channels of 24 bit, 96KHz audio; often bi-directionally with a tonne of I/O going both ways. A (quality) 7200rpm HDD is just fine.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: ToyotaNSaturn
QP, in the BIOS, switch drive mode from legacy or ATA to AHCI. This is important.

I do not have an AHCI option in BIOS. My only options are IDE or RAID.

And this is already the latest version of BIOS that Dell provides for this machine.

 

[97tbird]

Talking of AHCI, I am pretty sure my laptop's BIOS (CPU is i7 Sandy Bridge) is set default to AHCI. (from what I have read online, all T520s with i7 sandy bridge are supposed to be set to AHCI from factory)

I also checked on this, as I am getting interested in an SSD install..


I will still verify drive mode before swap. How much of a concern is this, if the drive mode is not AHCI?

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: ToyotaNSaturn
QP, in the BIOS, switch drive mode from legacy or ATA to AHCI. This is important.

I do not have an AHCI option in BIOS. My only options are IDE or RAID.

To expand on this: If I put it in IDE mode, when the system boots, it shows a message saying "AHCI BIOS not installed." When I put it in RAID mode, when the system boots, it shows a message saying "AHCI BIOS installed."

Any issues running it in RAID mode? I read somewhere that RAID mode does not support something called TRIM, and that's supposedly bad for SSDs. Any insight on this?

 

[97tbird]

I will also look into that, QP.

I have a really dumb "?" :
If I am not re-installing Windows, and just swapping everything as-is to the new SSD, does the new SSD have to be big enough for the OCCUPIED amount of data(space) that I have on my current HDD or does it have to be bigger than the actual/Pyhsical FULL size of the SSD?
(I am assuming former)

Example: let's say I have a 500 GB HDD, but only 200 GB is occupied; Can I go with a 240GB SSD?

EDIT: found my answer on Sandisk site:

Quote:
If the amount of used data space on your current HDD is larger than the capacity of your new SanDisk SSD, you must remove files or data from your current HDD to reduce its data size. Using the Apricorn® software, the “Data Select” option let’s you select file types you wish to exclude from the clone, such as photos, videos, music or documents.
This is helpful when migrating from a high capacity HDD drive to a smaller capacity SSD


So as long as the amount of DATA is smaller than the new SSD it should work...

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
I read somewhere that RAID mode does not support something called TRIM, and that's supposedly bad for SSDs. Any insight on this?

Answering my own question here. Intel SSD Toolbox has an Optimizer tool that uses Trim, so that should take care of that, I guess. You just need to schedule to run it once in a while.