Choosing a SATA II Solid State Drive for Your PC
Solid state drives (SSD) are generally faster drives and can improve your computer's performance on so many levels. The SATA II SSDs use the second generation Serial ATA (SATA) interface running at neck-breaking 3.0 GB/s. Boot times reduce, documents open faster, and moving or duplicating files takes less time.
What Should I Be Looking For?
When choosing a Solid state drive, you should make the following considerations.
- Drive capacity: SSDs rate by the overall amount of data they can store. Most are in the 64 GB, 120 GB, 250 GB and 500 GB ranges but users can also access higher capacities. Essentially, you want to opt for a drive that can meet your storage needs. The capacity of the drive also plays an important role in improving performance. A larger capacity SSD will have more nano chips than a smaller SSD allowing the drive to spread out the data more and increase the read/write speeds.
- Interface: Most SSDs are likely to use SATA and users can choose either SATA I, SATA II and SATA III. The interface you choose will determine the performance of your SSD.
- Drive size: When looking for an internal SSD, you will also need to take into account the height and length restrictions of your system. If the SSD you get is larger than the available space on your laptop, it won't be installable.
- Read/write speed: The rate at which a drive can read and write speaks volumes about its capabilities. High read and write speeds result in faster loading time for games and programs.
- Controller: The controller is responsible for managing data between the different chips. A good controller helps ensure your drive functions optimally.
What's the Difference Between a SATA I and SATA II SSD?
- SATA I is the first generation Serial ATA running at 1.5 GB/s and can support speeds of up to 150 MB/s.
- SATA II is the second generation Serial ATA rating at 3 GB/s and supports read and write speeds up to 300 MB/s.
Why Use a Samsung SATA II SSD?
- Performance: Samsung SATA II SSDs offer sequential read and write speeds of up to 100MB/s with minimal power consumption.
- Compatibility: The drives are highly compatible with user laptops making installation a breeze. The SATA drives are available in both 2.5-inch and 3.5-inch form factors.
Samsung SSDs like the EVO series come equipped with AES 256 hardware-based encryption helping safeguard your data without causing any performance degradation. Additionally, the drives feature a dynamic thermal guard to protect against overheating making them more durable and reliable.