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Inland 256GB SSD Hard Drive

Gear Review

Upgrading My Linux Rig with an Inland 256GB SSD

Breathing new life into a 2014-era HP15 laptop with a simple hardware swap.

15
Minutes Install Time
3
Installation Attempts
256GB
New Capacity
$38
Estimated Cost
Section I

The Upgrade Project

I recently received a free Inland 256GB SSD Hard Drive from a friend and decided it was the perfect opportunity to upgrade my Linux rig (an HP15 i3-4010u from 2014). Although the laptop runs perfectly fine with a traditional 500GB HDD, the performance benefits of switching to an SSD were too tempting to pass up.

 

Upgrade Difficulty Ratings

I’m rating the difficulty of this upgrade on a scale of 1 (Easy) to 5 (Difficult).

  • →Physical Installation — Easy 1. The physical installation of the SSD was straightforward since I'm familiar with disassembling the HP15. It took me about 15 minutes to swap in the new SSD.
  • →Linux Installation — Medium 2. The installation of Linux posed more challenges and required three attempts. I used various USB drives, but the best method turned out to be booting into non-persistent mode with Linux Mint for the installation. I also tested Lubuntu and Elementary, but both felt sluggish.
While I love the GUI of Elementary, my preference has shifted to Linux Mint due to its performance.
Section II

Performance and Storage

The upgrade resulted in a noticeable performance boost. Booting up to the Linux desktop is now about twice as fast, and apps like Firefox open at least 10 times faster. This improvement may also stem from the clean installation of Linux Mint.

The most significant benefit? My laptop is now nice and quiet—the clacking sounds of the HDD spinning are gone!

 

 

Comparison Data
MetricHDD (Old)SSD (New)
Capacity500GB256GB
Noise LevelAudible ClackingSilent
OS SpeedBaseline2x-10x Faster
Section III

Additional Thoughts

I previously purchased a Crucial BX series 1TB SSD for my Windows rig (i7 6th Gen) two years ago and can vouch for the performance improvements that come with upgrading to an SSD. That Crucial SSD cost around $100, which I consider a premium option.

After researching prices, I’d likely choose the Crucial BX 240GB SSD at $38 if I were to buy a new SSD for my Linux rig, as I prefer investing a little more in quality. I did notice some latency; it feels like apps are opening faster than the processor can handle, resulting in occasional weird lag when using the file explorer. However, aside from that, the overall experience has been positive.

Overall, the upgrade to an SSD has significantly improved my Linux rig's performance and user experience; I highly recommend it if you're considering a similar swap.
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