Cheap SSD Drive for my Laptop
posted in Technology, Hardware |A couple of weeks ago I wrote about problems trying to get my SSD drive working in my laptop. Since then I’ve done some experimentation and figured out the issues.
Initially I bought a RiData 32GB CF card (266x speed) and a SYBA SY-SATA2CF CF to SATA Adapter. It wasn’t working (would hang in Windows setup or boot) but I couldn’t tell which component was at fault. Since then I noticed that Sans Digital has the CS2T CF adapter which is shaped like a 2.5″ drive and accepts two CF cards. Its a lot more expensive than the Syba adapter ($99 vs. $18), but it works and $18 isn’t a bargain for a card that I just couldn’t get work right.
Having the Sans Digital be shaped like a normal drive is also a huge help. With laptops you often need to insert the thing way back into the case and they all pretty much assume the standard drive form factor. The Syba was a big pain to get in but the Sans Digital fits into my Dell laptop easily. Once I could tell it worked I bought a second RiData 32GB card and was able to just insert it and expand my volume in Windows- Presto! 64GB SSD drive for $290. It runs Vista great and I’ve installed Voyager (flight planning software) so I should be able to use it in the airplane.
I should mention that I’ve bought several products from Sans Digital so far- I’ve also gotten both of their 4-drive SATA external enclosures, the USB TR4U and the eSATA TR4M. Both work great and are inexpensive and easy to manage ways to add massive storage to your computers.