SSD questions.

[andom]

Hello,

I've decided that I want an SSD; however, I have a few questions since I'm a total noob.

1) There are a lot of files in my current HDDs and my OS is installed in it as well. Am I going to have to reformat in order to move my OS to the SSD and keep my files intact?

2) How long do SSDs typically last?

 

[drescherjm]

How long do SSDs typically last?

We do not know yet. They have not been around long enough. My guess is 2 times as long as a hard drive (or 10 years). Currently they have a lower annual failure rate than hard drives. At least the Intel ones do. OCZ SSDs approach hard drive failure rates. However with that said SSDs tend to die instantly, totally with no chance of recovery and without warning. So even though an Intel SSD may only have a 1% annual failure rate and a SATA hard drive has a 2% to 8% annual failure rate (for the first 5 years) the hard drive you can predict failure and recover data before it totally dies while SSDs die instantly with no chance of recovery.

There are a lot of files in my current HDDs and my OS is installed in it as well. Am I going to have to reformat in order to move my OS to the SSD and keep my files intact?

You can leave your files on your hard drive if this is not a laptop. As for the OS you probably want to reformat unless you use a tool that will clone your drive but properly align it for SSDs.

 

[hdgamer]

My intel 80 gig gen 2 was going strong for over a year and got a new mobo and tried overclocking and running prime95. The overclock failed and my ssd is toast. Luckily there's a 3 year warranty with it. But I think that was an extreme case....
I would probably reformat if I was you. Back your stuff up and your computer will feel new again.

 

[MaxxxRacer]

1. You CAN clone your Windows drive, but I don't suggest it. As others have mentioned, back up your data and re-install windows.

2. Intel states that the X25-M series will last 5 years with 100GB of writes per day. I have never met anyone who writes that much data, much less 1/4 of that much data. Based on that information the X-25M series will last 20+ years for the average user. In short, quality SSD's are more reliable than hard drives and are not something you should worry about. I should stress the quality part, because there have been some garbage SSD's on the market that I wouldn't touch with a 10 foot pole and have caused some heartache for many users.