Choose the right SSD for your laptop

KEEN TO UPGRADE YOUR AGEING LAPTOP’S MECHANICAL DRIVE, BUT NOT SURE WHICH SSD IS RIGHT FOR YOUR MACHINE? HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW, ALONG WITH TO-THE-POINT REVIEWS OF 16 OPTIONS.

DROPPING AN SSD into a laptop can be a great way to boost performance, but it’s not exactly a straightforward process. Depending on the model, it can be tricky to figure out which SSDs are supported, what will give the best bang for buck, or even if it’s worth the effort. To help out, we’ve put together a short guide to upgrading, as well as reviews for 16 SSDs currently available, from entry level, through to ultra-high performers.

SSD laptop upgrades can be approached from a number of angles. The classic upgrade is dropping a 2.5-inch SATA SSD into an ageing laptop, removing the bottleneck of the mechanical HDD. Other laptops have room for a second slim M.2 SSD, or you might just want a larger capacity. Those with highperformance laptops for gaming and work could need an upgrade from one fast M.2 SSD, to one that’s even quicker. Even brand new laptops can be worth upgrading if they are not sold with an SSD.

The first step is looking up your laptop specs — also keep an eye out for specific upgrade guides for your model. Laptops using 2.5-inch HDDs will mostly support standard SATA III SSDs at 7mm thick. For those with an M.2 slot, the latest models will handle NVMe for higher performance, while some will still use M.2 and SATA. If in doubt, check in with the manufacturer’s support page and get confirmation.

For SATA interfaces, most reasonably new SSDs have similar performance, as they max out the connection bandwidth available. For M.2 drives, performance can vary greatly, depending on the SSD setup, and the standard used, such as NVMe. To ensure the best battery life, SSDs that support low power slumber states are important, so we have excluded any models that don’t. For more demanding users, look for extra features, such as software support tools and hardware encryption. If handling large amounts of data (such as video editing) is crucial, having a higher endurance level is better.

For those looking for bang for buck, we have included the cost per GB, to make comparing drives easy. 120GB HDDs are usually worst value per GB, with the sweet spot often around the 500GB mark. Don’t get too caught up in small price differences — look for the best performance and features. Many laptops make accessing the drives easy, and upgrading is as simple as removing a few screws and slotting the SSD into place.

Websites such as ifixit.com have a wide range of guides to help. It’s usually worth putting your old laptop drive into a cheap external USB case for backups. While a clean install is often best, most SSDs come with free software to clone an old drive onto a new one. Some manufacturers make it easy with a full upgrade kit, and we got hands on with one from Transcend. The SSD Conversion kit includes a USB to SATA adapter and software for drive cloning, and Transcend also has excellent M.2 and 2.5-inch HDD enclosures.

Crucial MX300 AWESOME VALUE FOR MONEY.

ORIGINALLY LAUNCHED AS a 750GB model, the Crucial MX300 now comes in a range of capacities, and both 2.5-inch and M.2 form factors. Even better, the SSDs offer the best value for money of the drives tested — even on the smaller capacities. The MX300 is available in 275GB, 525GB, 750GB, 1TB and 2TB flavours, though the 2TB and 750GB are 2.5-inch only. All use the SATA III standard, and pull every last MB/s possible.

The MX300 range uses Micron’s new 32-layer 3D TLC NAND flash, paired up with a Marvell 88SS1074 controller. The drives support extras such as hardware encryption, and are backed by a three-year warranty. Endurance varies — 80 terabytes written (TBW) for the 275GB, 160 TBW / 5125GB, 220 TBW / 750GB, 360 TBW / 1TB, 400TBW / 2TB.

Samsung 960 EVO AN GREAT EXAMPLE OF HOW ‘SLOW’ CAN BE MORE THAN FAST ENOUGH.

FOR THOSE WANTING a slightly cheaper experience, the Samsung 960 EVO is a lower-performance version of the 960 PRO. Of course, it’s all relative, since the EVO is still one of the fastest drives we have tested, and manages 3,225MB/s reading and 1,487MB/s writing.

The SSD is available in 250GB, 500GB and 1TB models, using 3D V-NAND, the M.2 form factor and NVMe Gen2 PCIe x4 interface. Sacrificing a few hundred MB/s saves over $100 on the 500GB model compared to the Pro and almost $200 on 1TB SSD.

Sadly, the EVO doesn’t come in a 2TB version, but is backed by a slightly shorter 3-year warranty and lower TBW of 100 TBW per 250GB capacity.

Samsung 960 PRO THE LATEST AND GREATEST.

FEATURING THE LATEST Samsung 3D V-NAND squeezed into a M.2 2280 form factor, the 960 PRO is one of the fastest SSDs on the market. There is no 256GB option, with the range starting from 512GB, and then moving up to 1TB and 2TB.

While the largest model costs an eye-watering $1,700, the price per GB is quite good for a high-performance drive. Using the NVMe standard and a Gen 2 PCIe x4 interface, the 960 Pro can hit 3472 MB/s writing, and 1991 MB/s writing — a big jump over the older 950 Pro.

The warranty is an excellent five years, and the 512GB is good for 400 TBW, the 1TB manages 800 TBW and the 2TB is rated for a huge 1.2 Petabytes.

Intel 600P A GOOD OPTION FROM A TRUSTED NAME.

RATHER THAN GOING all out for pure performance, the Intel 600P is designed to be faster than SATA drives, but also quite affordable. It’s available in 128GB, 256GB, 512GB and 1024GB capacities, with the latter costing just $0.45 per GB. The 600P uses the 2280 M.2 form factor, with a NVMe PCIe x4 interface. The 128GB version isn’t great value, and is barely faster than older SSDs. While write performance is barely better than SATA SSDs, the sequential reads peak at up to 1800 MB/s for the 1TB model. The 600P is covered by a 5-year warranty, and up to 576 TBW endurance on the largest drive. While extra performance would be nice, the 600P is a solid entry level NVMe SSD.

Samsung 750 EVO A GOOD 2.5-INCH UPGRADE.

LAUNCHED IN MID-2016, the Samsung 750 EVO is an affordable 2.5-inch SSD using the SATA III interface. It’s only available in 120GB and 240GB capacities. Those who need more space are serviced by the more capable but expensive 850 EVO. While an entry-level model, the 750 EVO manages to eke excellent (but ultimately limited) performance from the SATA interface and supports low power states.

The little 120GB model isn’t as good value as the larger 250GB drive, but both offer the same level of performance. The drives don’t use Samsung’s 3D V-NAND, but rather 16nm TLC coupled to a Samsung MGX controller.

The drive is backed by a 3-year warranty, and a 35 terabytes written (TBW) endurance for the 120GB and 70 TBW for the 250GB.

Transcend SSD220s AN AFFORDABLE UPGRADE.

AIMED AT THE entry level market, the Transcend SSD220s is only available in a 2.5-inch, 7mm form factor. It’s SATA III, too, so while access speeds are good, they are capped by the interface at a level and similar to comparable drives. The SSD220s is sold in 120GB, 240GB and 480GB capacities in Australia, and the larger 960GB version on the Transcend website is not available Down Under.

The SSD uses 16nm TLC NAND paired up with a Silicon Motion SM2256KAB controller. Where the SSD220s shines is the price, with the 480GB model available for as little as $0.35 per GB. While the 240GB SSD220s is almost as good in value, the 120GB drive is a cheap $59, which is actually $0.49 per GB.

ADATA SP550 THE BANG FOR BUCK CHOICE.

LAUNCHED IN 2016, the ADATA SP550 is a big standard 2.5-inch, 7mm-thick SSD. There is no M.2 version, and it uses the SATA III interface. Still, in the higher capacity sizes, it is one of the cheapest SSDs (per GB) we have tested and a worthy upgrade. The SP550 uses a Silicon Motion SM2256 controller, running SK Hynix TLC NAND. It’s available in 120GB, 240GB, 480GB and 960GB, though the 120GB is the worst value for money and has limited availability. Performance is excellent, though capped by SATA speeds, and the included SSD Toolbox software is quite good.

The drives don’t have any fancy extras such as hardware encryption support, but are backed by a 3-year warranty. ADATA don’t actually provide an endurance rating.

Apacer Z280 SO NEW IT’S HARD TO FIND.

THE APACER Z280 has launched overseas, but while we have a test sample, it’s not actually available yet Down Under. Based on US pricing, in Australia, the Z280 should cost around $160 for the 240GB model, and $310 for the 480GB drive. While more expensive than the competition such as the Intel 600P, the Z280 also offers a decent amount extra performance — though the 240GB SSD has a lower write speed. Still, price-wise, it’s almost on par with the much faster Samsung 960 EVO and faces stiff competition.

The Z280 uses Toshiba NAND, a Phison PS5007-11 controller and a NVMe PCIe x4 interface. The 240GB model is rated for 349 TBW, while the 480GB can do 698 TBW, and both are covered by a 3-year warranty.

Intel 535 Series AVAILABLE IN A WEIRD ARRAY OF SIZES.

LAUNCHED OVER A year ago now, the Intel 535 Series is still widely available. Originally, it was available in both M.2 and 2.5-inch form factors, using the SATA III interface.

Now the 2.5-inch drives are no longer available (or wildly expensive) in the odd 180GB and 360GB capacities. While the drives are sold in 120GB, 180GB, 240GB, 360GB and 480GB capacities, the latter is by far the best value, but is 2.5-inch only.

The 535 series is still a competent SSD though, using 16nm MLC NAND and a Sandforce 2281 controller. It supports hardware-based encryption, and is backed by a nice long 5-year warranty.

While it’s only a SATA III connection, the drives do push the interface about as far as it will go.

Intel 540 Series AN ENTRY-LEVEL SSD.

FOR THOSE AFTER an affordable but reliable SSD for lower-end use, the Intel 540 series is ideal. While there are cheaper SSDs per GB, the 540 is backed by a long 5-year warranty and is available in both SATA and M.2 interfaces.

It’s also sold is an impressive array of capacities — 120GB, 180GB, 240GB, 360GB, 480GB and 1TB. The downside is that the 540 series uses SATA, so speeds are capped well below what M.2 is capable of.

Still, for those who only have a SATA-capable machine, that’s a moot point. The best value for money comes from the larger 480GB and 1TB SSDs (the 180GB is the worst), which can be as low as $0.41 per GB.

OCZ Trion 150 A SECOND GENERATION SSD.

UPDATING THE OLDER Trion 100, the OZC Trion 150 continues the tradition of an affordable, but still fast SSD. It uses a SATA interface, so isn’t quicker than other entrylevel SSDs, but ekes out decent performance.

Keep in mind that the smaller capacities are slightly slower. Inside is a Toshiba controller, running 15nm TLC NAND. The drive is only available in a 2.5-inch form factor, in 120GB, 240GB, 480GB and 960GB capacities. The 120GB drive offers a fairly poor dollar-per-GB ratio, but the 480GB and 960GB drives are much better.

The SSD is backed by a normal 3-year warranty and does not support hardware encryption. Endurance varies based on capacity, but is 60 TBW per 240GB over the warranty period.

Samsung 850 EVO A VERY VERSATILE OPTION.

THE SAMSUNG 850 EVO makes for easy upgrades as it’s sold in capacities of 120, 250, 500, 1,000, 2,000GB and a massive 4,000GB to suit any budget or storage need.

The drive is available in both M.2 and 2.5-inch form factors (though 1TB, 2TB and 4TB models are 2.5-inch only), using the SATA III interface. The value for money is quite good (as low as $0.45 per GB) and 500GB is the sweet spot.

Performance is capped by the SATA III interface, but the drives push it as far as possible.

Importantly, the 850 EVO comes with a long 5-year warranty, and up to 82GB per day written for the larger capacities. The more expensive 850 Pro ups that to a 10-year warranty.

Toshiba Q300 SELLING UNDER THEIR OWN BRAND.

RATHER THAN USING the OCZ name, the Q300 is firmly branded as a Toshiba SSD. It’s an affordable entry-level drive, using the 2.5-inch 7mm form factor and a SATA III interface.

The Q300 is available in 240GB, 480GB and 960GB capacities — the 120GB model on the Toshiba website is not sold in Australia. At its core, the Q300 uses the same tech as the older (and now hard to find) OCZ Trion 100.

That’s not a bad thing as it manages to get most of the available performance available over SATA.

Inside, the Q300 has Toshiba A19nm TLC NAND and a TC58 controller. While not supporting ultra-low power states, the SSD can scale back to milliwatt consumption and is fine for use in laptops.

WD Blue SSD AVAILABLE IN BOTH M.2 AND 2.5-INCH.

WESTERN DIGITAL’S FIRST foray in the world of SSDs, the WD Blue is fairly typical entry level drive. Both the M.2 and 2.5-inch versions use the SATA interface, so speeds are decent, but capped and similar to other SATA SSDs. The Blue is available in 250GB, 500GB and 1TB capacities, though at the time of writing there is no 500GB M.2 drive available.

The WD SSDs are covered by a fairly normal 3-year warranty and have a terabyte written (TBW) endurance rating of 100 TBW per 250GB of capacity. They use the normal 2280 M.2 and 7mm 2.5-inch form factors, making upgrades simple.

WD also has a Green SSD, available in 120GB and 240GB capacities, with a slightly cheaper price per GB, but lower endurance.

SanDisk Ultra II IT’S TIME FOR AN UPGRADE.

LIKE MANY AFFORDABLE SSDs, the SanDisk Ultra II is a 2.5-inch, 7mm SSD, with no M.2 version. It uses the SATA interface, which won’t cut it for newer laptops, but is perfect for older or cheaper models. The Ultra II is available in 120GB, 240GB, 480GB and 960GB capacities. Inside, it has TLC NAND and a Marvell 88SS9190 controller.

Performance is decent, but not outstanding, and the SSD doesn’t quite max out the SATA connection.

The Ultra II 960GB model stands out at a very affordable $0.35 per GB, one of the cheapest tested. The smaller capacity drives are also okay value, but are bested by the competition. While the SanDisk SSD does support low power mode, it’s not DevSLP, so isn’t quite as good a more modern SSD.

Samsung 950 Pro IS LAST YEAR’S MODEL WORTH IT?

LAUNCHED IN 2015, the Samsung 950 PRO brought unbeatable performance using NVMe. The drive uses a M.2 form factor only, and is available in 256GB and 512GB capacities. While still readily available, the prices have not dropped significantly, and the SSD is still very expensive. Which would be fine, expect the new Samsung 960 EVO is cheaper and trounces when it comes to pure performance testing. Even the 960 PRO is only a little more expensive, and is even faster again.

Of course, if you already own the 950 Pro (say in a desktop), then it’s a great hand-me-down upgrade for a laptop. Otherwise, unless you can snag a 950 Pro way under market price, there are better options.