I’ve had an Alienware Alpha for just over a year (the original version with an i3) and it’s been a surprisingly capable machine. But man it’s been crippled by its 5400RPM drive like crazy.
I finally bit the bullet and got an SSD for $50-60 and holy shit it’s like a brand new computer. It’s seriously unbelievable how massive a difference it makes. We’re talking exponential differences, not even just multiple times different.
The HTPC boots from power-off to the Windows 10 login screen in under 10 seconds instead of in 1-2 minutes. Navigating around the OS is instant in everything I do, not an utter chore that I need to wait on every step of the way.
My over-the-air DVR records without glitches now. My wi-fi security camera can record at a higher frame rate. Games and files download faster. And more.
I’ve known for years just how big of a difference SSDs can make, but I forgot just how big of a difference it can make.
Cloning the drive was also super easy. I used this adapter to attach the new internal SSD via USB. Then I used Macrium Reflect (free version) to clone the internal 5400 RPM HDD to the SSD currently attached via USB. Then I simply opened up the case following Alienware’s straightforward instructions.
Booted up the device, and everything quite literally magically just worked. I can’t believe how easy it was.