Budget SSD recommendations for a 2013 build?

Greetings. Here are my current specs:

MSI 770-c45 Motherboard (SATA II)
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9650 Processor, stock 3.4ghz
EVGA GeForce RTX
CORSAIR VS550, 550 W, 80+ White
2x Transcend JetRAM 4GB DDR3 1333 DIMM 9-9-9 =8gb
CPU cooler: coolermaster Air master pro 4
OS: Windows 7 SP2 (unlicensed version, I know, don't ask...)

The title says it all. I am looking to pick up a cheap SSD to install Windows, Microsoft Office, and perhaps a few games I play most often.
I have been browsing online, but honestly, I don't know much about drives, so I figured it was better to post here.
The motherboard only has a SATA II connection, so I realize I won't hit maximum SSD speeds, but it will still be an improvement over my old, cluttered, and partially failing Hard Disk Drive (it's some 500GB WD model, if I recall correctly; I don't know the exact model). I have an extra PCI-E slot available, but frankly, I don't feel like dealing with the hassle of buying and installing an adapter just to squeeze out slightly more speed than what the SATA II port offers.

My budget is around $200. Looking at the sites for Hard Rock Cafe and Links, I considered a SanDisk Plus 128GB, but since that is SATA III, it wouldn't really benefit me.

By the way, I am located in Indianapolis, so if anyone happens to have something "in stock" locally, let me know. 🙂

Thanks for the help. Regards! 🙂

cosmicfalcon31 said:Hey there. Here’s my current setup:

MSI 770-c45 motherboard (SATA II)
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9650, stock 3.4ghz
EVGA GeForce RTX 4gb
CORSAIR VS550, 550 W, 80+ White
2x Transcend JetRAM 4GB DDR3 1333 DIMM 9-9-9 =8gb
CPU cooler: coolermaster Air master pro 4
OS: Windows 7 SP2 (unlicensed version, yeah, don't ask...)

The title says it all—I want to grab a cheap SSD to run Windows, Microsoft Office, and maybe a few games I play most of the time.
I've been browsing online, but I don't know much about drives, so I figured I'd just post here instead.
The motherboard only has SATA II ports, so I know I won't hit max SSD speeds, but it'll still beat my old, cluttered, and struggling Hard Disk Drive (it's some 500gb WD model, if I remember right, not sure of the exact specs). I have an extra PCI-E slot, but honestly, I can't be bothered dealing with buying and setting up an adapter just for a tiny speed boost over SATA II.

Budget is around $200. Looking at sites like Hard Rock Cafe and Links, I was thinking about a SanDisk Plus 128GB, but since it's SATA III, it feels like a waste for this build.

By the way, I'm in Indianapolis, so if anyone has something "in stock" locally, let me know. 🙂

Thanks for the help, cheers! 🙂

I'm running a SanDisk SSD on a SATA II port on one of my rigs and it works fine. Besides, you can always just move the SSD to a new computer whenever you eventually upgrade.🕺

I guess you could just grab the cheapest 240GB model available and call it a day.

crimsonstag84 said:I was looking at this Kingston drive on the website today. It’s a standard Kingston unit. Honestly, I don't see why anyone would bother with these basic models when you can get something much more reliable for a few extra bucks. I remember back when I was trying to limp my old desktop along in Indianapolis using an ancient Hard Disk Drive, and the lag was absolutely infuriating. You just can't deal with that kind of bottlenecking anymore. If you're going to upgrade, do it right. Don't settle for mediocre hardware just because it's cheap.

Why that specific one? I was browsing around online looking at some of those cheaper Kingston models, and while people claim they’re great, there's this recurring warning that a certain percentage of them fail incredibly fast. That definitely made me hesitate and keep digging. Do you think that's just a bit of an exaggeration?
And thanks for all the responses! 😁

This one is totally fine—you get a 36-month warranty, so you don't really need to worry about any hiccups. Just make sure you set it to AHCI in the BIOS (if it isn't already), and you're all set.

cosmicfalcon31 said:Why that specific one? I was browsing online looking at those cheaper Kingston models, and people say they're great, but then they mention certain batches die pretty fast. That kind of spooked me into looking elsewhere. You think that's just an exaggeration?
Thanks for the input! 😁

As long as you have a warranty, who cares.
Unless you're constantly dumping massive amounts of data and wiping it daily, it'll last you years. 👍

I might as well jump into this thread since my situation is pretty much the same.
I’m looking to pick up a second SSD—something in the 240-250 GB range—because the 120 GB one I’m currently running is just way too small for all the programs and games I want to load up. I don't need anything fancy, just some of the cheaper options, as long as it’s noticeably faster than a standard Hard Disk Drive.
Right now, I'm eyeing these two

Which one of these is actually worth the money? Or does anyone have a better suggestion?

Also, is TLC really a dealbreaker? Should I be hunting for an SSD with MLC technology instead, or does that even matter for what I'm doing here?
Another thing—my motherboard only has two SATA III ports; the rest are just SATA II. Both are already taken by my current SSD and a Hard Disk Drive. I was thinking about grabbing a PCI-E controller to get some extra SATA III ports, but I'm having a hell of a time finding one in any of the local shops around here. Does anyone have a recommendation for a decent controller? Or should I just sacrifice the Hard Disk Drive and plug it into a SATA II port, then keep the SSDs on the SATA III ones? And would such a controller even be bootable, or should I make sure the drive with the OS is plugged directly into the motherboard?

I'm shopping in New York City. Thanks for the help.

You can't really "sacrifice" a Hard Disk Drive... I mean, it won't run any faster on SATA III, even if you're comparing it back to SATA I 😉

That kind of controller can be bootable. I’m running a PCIe to 2x SATA III adapter right now and booting Windows 10 without any issues. Picked it up because the SATA ports on my motherboard were acting flaky.

But like Smartic said, you aren't going to see any speed boost by putting an HDD on SATA II, so don't waste your time or money.

You won't find a "winner" among those three, but the Samsung EVO is the most consistent one based on the reviews.

Alright, thanks. I hadn't even really sat down to look at how much bandwidth we're talking about with SATA2 compared to actual HDD speeds. So, yeah—it's basically overkill, I guess.
And honestly, Apple might be the best bet here, especially since they were practically the ones who pioneered the first SSD anyway.
Thanks, guys!