Can an SSD Save an Old Notebook?

Two years ago, your notebook was young and speedy. It would jump at the chance to do your bidding. But now, as you endlessly tap your fingers waiting for programs to load, it seems slower and less enthusiastic about doing its duty. Though it may be tempting to give your system the old heave-ho, you may not have to spend money on a new machine. Adding an affordable solid state drive could add a couple of years to your notebook’s lifespan, and even out-perform a new notebook.

To find out just how much of a difference an SSD can make, we upgraded a two-year-old Sony VAIO VGN-FZ140E with a 1.8-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2GB of RAM, Windows Vista Home Premium, and a 4,200-rpm, 200GB Toshiba MK2035GSS hard drive. In 2007, it cost $1,500 and performed admirably. But time and regular usage had taken its toll, slowing down basic tasks to a glacial pace. We tested the system both before and after adding a 120GB OCZ Vertex SSD. Read on to find out how much of a difference the upgrade made.

Getting Started

To transfer all the existing data on the VAIO, we used the Apricorn ADW-USB kit ($29.99; www.newegg.com). It connected from the notebook to the Vertex SSD via a USB port, transferring the operating system, programs, and other data—in this case, nearly 100GB worth of files—in 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Our notebook uses a 2.5-inch hard drive with a Serial ATA (SATA) interface. The majority of solid state disks on the market also use SATA interfaces, and are 2.5 or 1.8 inches. Replacing the old drive was easy: we opened a panel on the back of the system, pulled out the old drive, and popped in the new one.

Note: Older systems use a Parallel ATA (PATA) interface, which isn’t compatible with most high-performance SSDs. Check your notebook’s instruction manual, your hard drive controller in the Windows Device Manager, or open the back panel and check the interface on the drive itself. PATA drives have two rows of pins, while SATA ports have a thin, two-part plastic connector.