I have read specifications of the Intel SSD series 300 and 500 (namely 320 and 510)...

[CBaro]

After reading specifications and comparing those 2 with density being 120 GB.. and also adding the X25 M also at 120 GB,. I have a few questions/doubts that I would like to present for the experts/gurus/more experienced forum members and/or Intel technicians to consider, and hopefully enlighten me with their answers.

I have a Dell PC Studio 540 Desktop with 2 Internal Hard drives and another 4 external in a Sans Gigital TR4M(-B)P TowerRaid external enclosure, although I have not set any Raid array yet. I have 4 Western Digital: 500GB Blue 16Mb , a 1TB Caviar Black 64Mb, a 2TB Caviar Black 64Mb, a 2 TB Green(fluctuating speeds), a 1.5TB Samsung 32Mb and a 1TB Toshiba 32 Mb.

The PC supports Sata II and Sata III but only USB 2.0, Being a retired senior citizen i am trying to maximize my limited resources as a fixed income earner.

My desktop is 18 months old, so my next one will probably be one that I will have to put together myself with the help of a knowledgeable friend whom I wont bother until time comes to carry on the project.

In the meantime im trying to acquire quality components to last me some time down the road as my needs are not ones of a high power user. I have no interest in computer games, so all I want is a fast computer basically for net surfing, online chatting, email and some spreadsheet calculations.

Having said all of this I read on this website that the 510 Series is advertised as excellent for the hybrid combination of SSD for the OS and Software programs and the HDD to hold data storage.

1. Does it mean that the 320 or even the X25 cant do the same?.

2..Does Intel manufacture any 3.5in SSD or all are 2.5in for laptops and plus the adapter for Desktops?

3. Seems that in active mode the 510 consumes much more miniwatts compared to the 320 and the X25 too.Am i reading this correctly? all 3 seem to consume 100 mw in sleep mode

4. So the only one of the 3 that support Sata III (6Gb/ps) is the 510?

5. Which of those 3 support both USB 2.0 and 3.0?

6. Does anyone here foresee prices for Intel 510 HDDs to come down to about 75 cents per GB during 2012?.

I would appreciate your feedback over all this preferably in layman terms as my knowledge over computer issues is a lil more than elementary. Hope I am asking the right questions to make informed decisions down the road.

Thank you kindly

Note:

Being new and this my first post, is there an option for me to get notices via email when my posts are responded to?

[idata]

Having said all of this I read on this website that the 510 Series is advertised as excellent for the hybrid combination of SSD for the OS and Software programs and the HDD to hold data storage.

1. Does it mean that the 320 or even the X25 cant do the same?.SSDs are just another form of storage (abeit faster). You can do what you want with them like a HDD. A common configuration is to place the OS and applications on a SSD but place all media on a HDD. The OS/apps really benefit from SSDs because they are often accessed and sequential/random boost makes them load faster and smoother. Media like music and videos take up a lot of space and do not require much performance (i.e. a HD move might only need 3-10MB/s).

2..Does Intel manufacture any 3.5in SSD or all are 2.5in for laptops and plus the adapter for Desktops?

Intel currently only produces 2.5" form factor SSDs. While used by laptops, this form factor is by no means limited to laptops. Many newer cases have native support for 2.5" drives. (If you ever see the insides of a SSD, you will see mostly empty space even in the 2.5" ones)

3. Seems that in active mode the 510 consumes much more miniwatts compared to the 320 and the X25 too.Am i reading this correctly? all 3 seem to consume 100 mw in sleep mode

I would not worry about this too much especially in a desktop. Checking some reviews, it uses less than 4w at worst. The difference between this and other SSDs is no more than 2w.

4. So the only one of the 3 that support Sata III (6Gb/ps) is the 510?

Correct, but SATA 6Gb/s really provides benefit if you often move large files from another fast storage device like another SSD or HDD RAID.

5. Which of those 3 support both USB 2.0 and 3.0?

These drives only support SATA. You can purchase a SATA-to-USB adapter. Since the SSDs use the SATA standard, they will work with any adapter as long as the adapter follows the rules. Just note that USB 2.0 negates the performance of SSDs by being so limited in bandwidth.

6. Does anyone here foresee prices for Intel 510 HDDs to come down to about 75 cents per GB during 2012?.

It is unlikely. You will probably see the next generation of drives before prices drop that far.  Being new and this my first post, is there an option for me to get notices via email when my posts are responded to?I believe it is enabled by default.Based on your needs of "net surfing, online chatting, email and some spreadsheet calculations", a 60-90GB SSD will suit your needs as long as you place media files on a seperate disk.

[CBaro]

Great insight DuckieHo you addressed most of my doubts. Regarding your final suggestion i still feel tjhat windows 7 64-but is about 17 GB.. and i have a list of software. 3 Chats clients - OpenOffice Suite - Lastpass - Couple of antivirus and firewalls - Possibly Linux Ubuntu (when I find where to learn it) - Messenger All of them loaded and running and lurking behind the curtains - I want some flexibility and room to play with that is why I thought to go with a 120 or 128GB SSD. Very detailed and informative response on your part. Thank you kindly.

Note

Unless you would like to abound a bit more now that I have added some more details about my system ui will declare myself satisfied and my question sufficiently answered