easier to replace ssd with cf or hdd with cf

i found a HDD to CF converter

http://www.addonics.com/products/flash_ ... midecf.asp

now i know it might be silly to take the 160gb drive out and replace with just a 16 or 32gb CF card but i dont need the space and i could use the 160 in another laptop

would it be better/easier to do it this way than trying to replace the SSD (in that model) with a CF card as some have done?

thanks

 

High performance CF cards are very expensive.

You may find that you can get the same or better performance from a 2.5" SATA SSD, which would be a direct swap for the existing HDD.

For example, in the UK the SanDisk Extreme IV 45Mbs 16GB card costs around £125 GBP discounted.

The SanDisk Extreme III 30Mbs 32GB CF card is £150 GBP on Amazon.co.uk.

A Patriot Extreme Warp 32GB SATA SSD costs around £85 GBP. This has the same capacity and over 3 times the performance of the SanDisk Extreme III CF card yet is about half the price.

 

ok so the HDD is sata.... i can just find any SSD that is sata 2.5" and it'll just swap in?

i guess i'm unfamiliar with SSD and it's various sizes and compatibilites

EDIT: ok i found some "SATA II" ssd's, are these compatible?

 

Probably. Just make sure that it is not more than 9.5mm high.

Probably. The WDC 160GB HD in my A150 is SATA-II, but it is backwards compatible and works in SATA-I mode in my A150.

If you are trying to free up your 160GB drive for use in another notebook then it would be easier and cheaper to leave to AA1 intact and buy a new HD for the other notebook. A 320GB HD is cheaper than any half-decent 16GB SSD in the UK and replacing the HD in an AA1 is not the easiest upgrade to perform.

If you are hell-bent on replacing the HD in your AA1 with a SATA SSD then take a look at the Runcore devices sold by MyDigitalDisount:

http://www.mydigitaldiscount.com/Catego ... h+SATA+SSD

 

i have no fear of taking the thing apart. do you mean it's more than just getting to it and unplugging it?

i found 32gb ssd for around 80$

 

Yes, "getting to it" is somewhat daunting. Might as well do the RAM upgrade while you are at it - you need to dismantle the AA1 and (almost) take the motherboard out.

$80 for 32GB sounds good. Check the write performance though, the Runcore 32GB SSD at $99 claims 70MB/s for sustained writes. A decent 2.5" HD will average at least 45MB/s for writes.