Why do you need SSD?
Switching from the traditional Hard Disk Drive (HDD) to a Solid State Drive (SSD) has many benefits. One benefit is that the system is more resistant to shock. Due to the solid state chip design your device will be faster and provide better performance. In addition the removal of a "motor" to spin the disk platters means less power consumption and longer battery life for mobile devices like laptops. The performance gains across the board make it worth the investment for those who desire a faster, efficient PC experience.
The main advantage to using this type of system is that it can boot a system and process large volumes of files in a fraction of the time. In about 15 seconds, the system can be up and running. The other advantage is its durability. The lack of moving parts and its resistance to shock and extreme temperatures make it a much more secure storage alternative.
Upgrading
Solid State Drives have been in the market for well over a decade now and are becoming very affordable. In most cases users who have purchased a computer with a HDD are sold on the large storage capacity of 500 GB or more. However when users review how much storage space they are actually using they find only 20% of the drive has data written to it. In most cases home users and even many businesses are not storing large types of files like Music or Movies. This is normal due to how society has shifted away from physical storage content to streaming services. Few users today copy DVDs to their computers but use services like Red Box, Netflix, or Hulu. Few users today copy Music to their computers but use account driven services that store digital content to an account like Apple iTunes or Microsoft Groove, or even yet use streaming services like Pandora or Spotify. The need for mass storage really only applies to a small group of users like professional photographers or multimedia editors. Now you might stop and say, "wait I have photos on my computer" which is most likely true. However you'll probably find you have less than 2,000 photos. To make things simply use to image below as a guide:
Cost
So how much would an upgrade cost. Simply put it decides mostly on how much space you want. Once the drive size is determined all that is needed is to install the drive and clone the existing storage medium, assuming your computer is operating as designed. Labor costs are usually less than $100 assuming your Operating System doesn't need to be reinstalled and a manual migration of your files and applications is needed.
As of the writing of this blog prices are as followed:
Crucial MX300 2.5" 275 GB SATA III $ 70.00
Crucial MX300 2.5" 525 GB SATA III $130.00
Crucial MX300 2.5" 750 GB SATA III $180.00
Crucial MX300 2.5" 1 TB SATA III $270.00
The Crucial MX300 has the following specfications:
Sequential reads/writes up to 530 / 510 MB/s on all file types. Random reads/writes up to 92k / 83k on all file types
Accelerated by Micron 3D NAND technology, Dynamic Write Acceleration delivers faster saves and file transfers
Over 90x more energy efficient than a typical hard drive
More durable than a hard drive - no small moving parts that are prone to failure
Best-in-class hardware encryption keeps data safe and secure
Adaptive Thermal Protection allows for adaptive cooling
Power Loss Protection completes write commands even if power is lost