Before you throw out that old desktop or laptop, consider upgrading its storage. Whether your computer uses a hard drive or an older solid-state drive (or SSD) it's probably time to upgrade it. SSDs are getting faster every years and replacing the storage in your old computer with a new SSD won't cost you too much, it won't take that long to fit, and it will make a huge difference to the speed of your computing experience.

It's official: prices for solid states drives are bonkers -- in a good way. Especially if you can get one at a discount. Take this eBay deal for a 2.5" 500GB Samsung 850 EVO. Normally $400 (the RRP anyway), it can be yours for the scrumptious figure of $188 delivered.

Video: SSDs are a clearly superior drive format, but they're more expensive per gigabyte than their platter-based hard disk drives. The natural middle ground is to get an SSD for your Windows installation and an HDD for all your stuff. This video shows you how to setup both to make them work well together.

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System tweakers are familiar with CPU-Z and GPU-Z. While made by different developers, the "Z" universally signifies a lightweight utility for querying the capabilities of your PC's hardware -- in this case your processor and graphics card. You can now add SSD-Z to the bunch for giving your SSD a quick quiz.

The Australian dollar might be weaker than it was a year ago, but bargains can still be found on the likes of Amazon. If you're in the market for an SSD, Samsung's 500GB 850 EVO is currently on-sale for $US180. Even when you factor in the exchange rate and shipping, it's a great deal compared to local offerings.

So that repair tool Samsung released to fix performance issues with its 840 EVO series of SSDs? It didn't quite do the job. The folks at Anandtech have been keeping a close eye on the issue and having seen enough reports of speed degradation appearing post-fix , hit up Samsung for clarification.

So the answer is definitive when it comes to SSD endurance: you have nothing to worry about unless you're running some kind of unrealistic torture test. If you need further proof and you're running Windows, you can track for yourself the amount of data being written to your solid state drive.

You've probably heard before that you should never defragment your SSD; conventional wisdom says not only do solid state drives not need defragging, doing so would cause unnecessary writes to the drive. Well, Windows does sometimes defragment SSDs -- on purpose.

In September, Samsung acknowledged widespread user reports of performance issues with its 840 EVO range of solid state drives and that it was working on a fix. Now it's come good on its word, releasing a utility to address the problem, but only for specific setups.

Compared to tried-and-true magnetic storage, SSDs are still finding their feet. And like all technologies, it can be hard to predict the issues that might pop up after long-term use without, you know, using them long-term. Take for instance Samsung, which is discovering just now that its 840 EVO series of SSDs have a bug that cripples read performance, but requires at least one-month old data on the drive before the problem appears.

Speaking of SSDs, Amazon has dropped the price on a number of models, including both Crucial and Samsung. The best deal right now is for the former's 480GB M500, which is going for $US229.99, plus $US7.51 delivered -- or $262 in local coin.

Adding a solid-state drive (SSD) to your computer is simply the best upgrade at your disposal, capable of speeding up your computer in ways you hadn't thought possible. But as with any new technology, there's plenty to learn. Here's everything you should know about your SSD, whether you're interested in upgrading or just like to know the ins and outs of your hardware.

The arguments against swapping your old and reliable magnetic drive (or drives) for an SSD equivalent are quickly evaporating. Take this 480GB Crucial SSD from Amazon, which you can grab for $317, shipping included.

Speaking of solid-state drives and their competitive pricing, right now you can pick up a 960GB Crucial M500 for $US446.71 delivered, courtesy of the Black Friday sales in the States.

At the start of 2011, OCZ announced it would leave the enthusiast RAM market to focus on solid-state drives. Two years on and it appears the decision didn't pan out for the company, with a bankruptcy filing likely, followed by the liquidation of its assets if no interested buyers can be found.

Yesterday, Synology showed off the latest update to its NAS server operating system; DiskStation Manager (DSM) 4.3. The new release ushers in a host of significant enhancements for home and business users, including improved SSD storage efficiency, better customisation and a range of completely overhauled multimedia features. Here's a look at the highlights.

You've upgraded your RAM, installed a faster CPU and coughed up for a fresh video card, but your magnetic hard drives are holding you back. If you've resisted the temptation to invest in a solid state replacement, now might be your chance, with US retailer B&H Photo Video offering Crucial's M4 256GB for $US179.95. Add $US32.26 for shipping and the total goes to $US212.21 -- or $210 Australian (as of writing).