Transcend 8GB SSD, 2.5- Inch, IDE, SLC

• Form Factor - 2.5" - Internal
• Dimensions WxDxH - 69.85 x 100.00 x 7.40 mm
• Weight - 80g
• Connector -- 44-Pin standard IDE/ATA connector (Pitch 2.0 mm)

I bought this drive some months ago to replace an aging hard drive in my P-III system and boost system speed over-all.. The data transfer speed increase with this drive was just amazing. Zero seek time and screaming data transfer rates compared to a 5400 RPM IDE running on UDMA mode 5. Plus system noise, heat and power have all been reduced.

Sure it is very expensive per MB compared to a regular hard drive, and it's only 8GB, but when you're working with older systems and don't need tons of GB, these SSD drives are an absolute joy to work with. Just remember, people, if you're going to use these as the primary OS drive, buy the SLC version like this one.

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Formatted in two FFS-4GB-partition, works great on Amiga 1200. No noise, no heat, fits perfectly in the HDD cradle, excellent !

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Unlike another reviewer, I say there's still plenty of market for this drive. A adapter (2.5 to 3.5 IDE, which I'm using) allows you to use this in desktop computers. Another adapter which I've seen available makes it usable in desktops that are limited to only SATA drives.

A tiny tweak will allow you to move all your personal data off onto another drive without changing how you use the interface so the size is no problem. All of my data and any app which does not need to be installed exists on a seperate drive keeping my OS partition cleaner. I have 98 (6 second boot) and XP (11 second boot) co-existing on less than half of this drive.

Downside is that the connector is unkeyed, meaning it's possible to hook the cable up incorrectly. Other than that, it's a great drive.

The tweak, for those interested, depends on the OS in use.

I know Linux only enough to know it's possible.

Win9x needs a registry change (Check HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell Folders for possibilities and put the ones to be changed in User Shell Folders) and reboot, then copy the files.

On XP, this can be done in Explorer simply by dragging the appropriate folders elsewhere (this works in 9x, but Explorer gets confused sometimes).

Good ones to move (for space) are Desktop and My Documents.

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I picked up this drive as part of my little project to get my old PowerBook G3 (lombard) working again (just for fun really).

This drive works great in this us and makes the old PowerBook almost snappy.

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Considering this is a laptop drive with an IDE interface, there probably isn't much of a market that can take full advantage of it. I installed this drive on an older laptop. While there was a noticeable increase in access time, it was almost a waste how fast it was, given that the board had only a 66MHz bus speed. I had a slightly newer laptop which also accepted the drive but all things considered, I preferred the 60Gb drive that was already in it.

The newer laptops all have SATA interfaces which is really the only way to appreciate the benefit. The limited space on the drive severely limits your OS options. I suppose it could make a good swap drive but that involves buying an adapter for use in a desktop machine. Before you buy this drive, you ought to consider what you're using it for. Also consider that for the money you could get a MUCH bigger drive, only a bit slower.