OK, I give in, time for an SSD!

[Giraffe]

Been 'thinking' about getting an SSD since posting here for advice on a new build in late 2015 - in fact somebody did say it would complete the spec.
System (left, but here are the details):
W7 Pro, SP1, 32-bit
Gigabyte GA-Z97-D3H mobo (latest BIOS, F9)
Intel Core i5 5675C 3.1GHz CPU (Broadwell)
4GB DDR3-1600 RAM
500GB Hitachi SATA3 Travelstar HDD
Intel Iris Pro Graphics

Originally I'd have gone for Samsung 850 but now I'm more inclined to use NVMe. The M.2 slot is PCIe but only 10Gb/s.
The PCIe slots are:
1x16 running at x16 (PCIe 3.0); 1x16 running at x4 (PCIEX4); 2x1
(PCIEX4 and x1 conform to PCIe 2.0 standard.)

So, with the Lycom adapter board, could I run a Samsung 960 (tempted by the Pro - I know, but at my age I might as well spend the money)
or 961 in this system?
So far as I can see it should be quite easy to clone the HDD using Macrium Reflect or EaseUS.

[Spreadie]

To be fair, any SSD will make a huge difference to your rig. I wouldn't worry about NVMe, mine is rated at 2200 MB/s read and 1250 MB/s write and I can barely tell the difference between that and any of my SATA3 SSDs, outside of benchmarks and large scale internal file transfers between SSDs.

Save your money and get a decent sized SATA3 unit.

[spacein_vader]

To be fair, any SSD will make a huge difference to your rig. I wouldn't worry about NVMe, mine is rated at 2200 MB/s read and 1250 MB/s write and I can barely tell the difference between that and any of my SATA3 SSDs, outside of benchmarks and large scale internal file transfers between SSDs.

Save your money and get a decent sized SATA3 unit.

This. I'd be tempted to move from 32bit to 64bit windows at the same time.

[jimborae]

Dont forget to load the NVMe drivers for the ssd before you do the clone otherwise it wont boot. Win 7 doesn't support NVMe natively.

[jimborae]

To be fair, any SSD will make a huge difference to your rig. I wouldn't worry about NVMe, mine is rated at 2200 MB/s read and 1250 MB/s write and I can barely tell the difference between that and any of my SATA3 SSDs, outside of benchmarks and large scale internal file transfers between SSDs.

Save your money and get a decent sized SATA3 unit.

Wot he said and I'm speaking from experience. Currently rocking an Intel 750 PCI-E boot drive and I cant tell any difference between it and a normal SSD.

[Bluecube]

How have you survived for so long without an SSD?!? You're in for a treat. Best upgrade anyone with a machanical disk can make.

[Giraffe]

Well. I get the consensus!
To save the expense, I'd get a Samsung 850 if going for SATA as the EVO is £148 cf the £234 for the 960 EVO - trouble is, I'm now tempted by the 850 Pro at £228, so not a lot in it.
The main attraction of the 850 is the MLV VNAND - big cells and robust; then there's the warranty, especially on the Pro.

[Giraffe]

This. I'd be tempted to move from 32bit to 64bit windows at the same time.

I have considered 64-bit but I have too many v. useful programmes (40tude Dialog is one) and apps. that might not run, then there are the drivers for printer and scanner. I don't want to change hardware, especially as I don't use it much.

[Bluecube]

I use three Samsung EVOs and a couple of Corsairs. All are (touch wood) reliable an speedy. All are at least a year old with one Samsung being about three years old. The point I'm making is that I wouldn't worry about getting a drive with lots of acronyms. So long as it's SATA3 capable and a good price then all will be well. SSDs are so fast that the differences between models are imperceptible in daily use.

[Dashers]

SSD prices are high at the moment.

I'd get NVMe if you're planning on splashing a fair bit of cash, as it'll be future-proof for your next rig.

I've got one NVMe PCIe SSD and I've also got a striped SATA SSD array. The PCIe is faster, but at the cost it was originally, it's overkill for day-to-day use.

32-bit programs run just fine on 64-bit Windows. Even 32-bit drivers. You won't be able to run any 16-bit devices, so unless you're using a MIDI or parallel port, you'll probably be ok. I tried out XP 64-bit for a while with the same fears, even back then there wasn't any issues, and now the tide is turning, you might start finding software that won't work on 32-bit.

Windows 10 is better for SSD support, it's worth looking at.

[Giraffe]

Thanks for those points, Dashers.
I've ordered an SSD now- 850 Pro, so SATA. I like the inherent robustness of the cells. I was wary of NVMe under Win 7 as it could be a bit marginal and also the mobo, although Z97 with the latest BIOS is only just 'modern' (2015, effectively) for NVMe.

I am a bit tempted by 64-bit but not sure of the advantages (I'll go and Startpage it - mmm, not quite the neatness of Google it).

Win 10 might just tempt me if it weren't so dictatorial and curious - I like to control systems and W10 would control me.

[Dashers]

64-bit allows you to address more than 3GB of RAM. If you play games or heavy things like media editing, then you'll need that ability sooner than you think.

I'm not sure that Windows 10 comes in 32-bit form....

I think there is a lot of FUD for Windows 10. It's a great improvement in usability from Windows 8. And the Operating System itself is far better than Windows 7. It's just the shell that is questionable.

All that said, W10 shell is fine. Windows search is now called "Cortana" (remember it used to be a dog in XP?), and you can turn off any dynamic stuff if you don't like it phoning home. Error reporting you now have the option of tailoring it, you can still kipper it by disabling the Windows Service that deals with it.

It does have the ability to do more "cloud-connected" stuff, but I think a lot of the things people harp on about is largely stuff that was there before but they just weren't aware of. So ironically, it's more transparent now.

[Giraffe]

Just that w10's updates can't be controlled and seem to break things.

[Dashers]

You mean you don't have automatic updates on Windows 7?

Windows 7 is just as susceptible to MS releasing a bad patch.

But hey, whatever floats your boat.

[Giraffe]

I know! I've a folder full of separate KBs to vet - I don't want to just let rip as some of them are bad.
I ran XP Pro SP3 for 9 years, only updating a few critical things, and never had a problem (I've just typed that whilst touching wood

[MrRockliffe]

To be honest, if you order something from a respectable store like scan, should anything go wrong, they'll sort you out no problem.

https://www.scan.co.uk/products/480g...s-35k-69k-iops

You'll save yourself 30 quid or so, and the difference it'll make in terms of longevity is so minuscule compared to how long you'll have it, that SSD prices will be cheap enough to buy a 500GB for less than 80 quid. I got my 850 Evo for 90 for example last year! Not sure how the prices have shot up so much...