Kingston Technology SV300S37A/120G 120 GB Solid State Drive V300 SATA 3, USB 2.0, 2.5 Inch, Grey

Due to the data accessing speed advantage of SSD over HDD, there's a noticeable speed increase for processes such as Windows Startup, installing programs, and anything else involving disc accessing. This is ideal if you have a laptop from about 7 or 8 yars ago when the SATA connection first found its way to mobile computing (not suitable for the older ATA connector). Like mine, laptops from this era run Windows XP, known for its habit of falling to pieces over time, as it becomes more a bundle of upgrades than a proper OS. HDD format itself slows down over time as capacitors bcome less eficient and the spin speed declines --- this is just natural ennui of electronics. This SSD will greatly improve an HDD that is getting "tired". But sadlt it won't do anything to change the runtime problems that all versions of Windows, even 8.1, have built in as standard. This is just sloppy programming by microsoft whose view is that if we replace our computers every 18 months (where do they get trheir numbers?), whats the point of making an OS last any longer than that?Note that if you migrate any version of Windows, XP onwards, you will need migration softare such as written by Paragon (Drive Copy). This includes a bootable CD image that will make corrections to Windows (again, microsoft's fault) that will allow it to startup if cloned to another hard drive. You can't blame microsoft for wishing to protect their property from being copied without fee, but sometimes their antics border on the paranoid. Windows will startup faster on this SSD, though not as quickly as claimed -- certainly not the 7 seconds that some authorities quote -- but in operation there will be no difference.

** UPDATE ** Please see the end of this review for reasons NOT to buy this **This is my first venture into SSDs. I researched the subject carefully (Anandtech !), and it seems that SSDs are not straightforward bits of kit at all. However they have been around for a few years, and because this is a new model I'm hoping that most of the kinks have been worked out.Also for some reason I never seem to take the straightorward or safe option (which would have been a Samsung 840), and certainly wouldn't have been a Sandforce based drive.However the technology in the Sandforce controller intrigues me.There have been many well publicised issues with SF2281 based SSDs (and this is one of those), but that seems to have been a generation or 2 of firmware ago. Mine came with firmware 5.05 and so far has been fine. This drive doesn't seem to be user firmware upgradeable (at least there are no firmwares on Kingston's site), which I hadn't appreciated when I ordered it. UPDATE - I have downloaded the toolbox software from Kingston and there is an option to upgrade the firmware, however even though I know that 5.06 is being factory installed on the Chinese made versions of this drive, it is not available using this tool - good job too as 5.06 seems to be an awful lot slower than 5.05 which is what my (Taiwanese) version came with.It is blazingly quick, Windows 7 is ready to go (not just booted to desktop!) in 20 seconds from a cold start (and at least 5 seconds are performing POST). This is on a new build PC with a fresh copy of Windows on it. Applications load very quickly - Quickbooks loads in a second or 2 compared to over 20 seconds on our old office PC.The disk gets a score of 7.9 (top marks) in Windows 7 experience index, as it should. Also Windows 7 has recognised it as an SSD and has disabled defragmentation and enabled TRIM as expected.I'm very happy with it, but if the Samsung 840 (any version EVO or PRO or plain 840) were the same price I would have got one of those.**UPDATE**I'm still happy with mine, but it appears later versions of this drive use asynchronous nand, and these drives are making a lot of people angry as they don't perform to the level of the earlier drives. I had heard of this and thought it was due to the firmware, but it has been confirmed by Kingston that it is due to hardware differences. Therefore I wouldn't recommend anyone buy one of these unless it's very cheap. My disk is version 505ABBF1 and this is the good one with synchronous nand, the poor one seems to be version 506ABBF0.

Kingston Technology 120 GB Solid State Drive 2.5 inch V300 SATA 3So experiencing a few SSD’S throughout the past and ordering about 3x of this product cause I known that it’s worth its value for the storage and speed of the price and saved me a lot! I’ve bought at one point for my business PC, one for my laptop and one for a client and they’ve worked really well and never have I ever ran into any issues with this SSD.About the Item:The SSD Other all is great and all thin lightweight (well you wouldn’t really expect it to be heavy as it is overall just memory chips inside all together at the end of the day) and for whenever I got to install it into any build I never have any problems with this specific product or any products from Kingston!I know that Kingston is a legit well successful business and that other all I’d rather buy an SSD or any computer equipment for either me or any of my clients that I’d be legit from a company which I know myself or from what I’ve heard good reviews about and from myself and a bit of research I know that Kingston is a very known company for high quality performance products and well structured.The Delivery:The Delivery is always very quick from Kingston so If you’re expecting it very soon, You’ll be amazed on how good the derlivery is fast and quick I couldn’t berlive It :0