The Windows Experience Index score is a constant reminder of the bottleneck that is the hard drive. Installing any solid state drive will make a significant difference to nearly any computer is. But, as you know, I’m not one who will settle on anything.

I want to find a relatively high performance solid state drive with at least 36 GB of storage space for under $150 CAD after taxes and shipping fees. Why 36GB? It will replace my current OS drive, the Western Digital Raptor 36 GB.

I purchased a Western Digital Raptor 36 GB w/ 8 MB cache model back in around 2004. The WD360GD was the first 10, 000 RPM consumer level hard drive and it served me well for many years. Therefore, I’m used to working with relatively small storage space. And since I’m okay with low capacities, the number of SSD drives available to me is quite numerous.

• Kingston SSDNow V Series Gen II 64GB – $104.99
• OCZ Vertex 2 Sandforce 40GB – $109.99 (after $20 MIR)
• OCZ Onyx Series Indilinx 32GB – $64.99 (after $25 MIR)
• Corsair Storage Solutions Nova Series 32GB -$104.99

Those are just a few of the options available. After weighing the options, I’ve settled between two choices: the Kingston SSDNow V Series Gen II or the OCZ Vertex 2.

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Announcements

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves Debuting on October 13^th (via Kotaku)

• Multiplayer demo will be an EB Games/GameStop pre-order bonus which will grant exclusive access from September 9^th to 29^th.
• Multiplayer demo will be available to everyone on September 30^th
• Other outlets will be given different pre-order bonuses.
  • Amazon.com (possibly .ca as well) – Uncharted 2 treasure map
  • Game Crazy (N/A for Canadians) – Multiplayer currency bonus (like bonus XP for leveling up)
  • BestBuy (possibly .ca as well) – Golden AK-57s and Golden Barettas for multiplayer use

Next Xbox 360 Dashboard Coming August 11^th (via Kotaku)

• Includes Xbox Live Games on Demand service (buy old games from Xbox Live Marketplace)
• Includes Netflix party support AKA the service which Canadians can’t use

Intel Announces New 34 nm X-25-M Solid State Drives (via AnandTech)

• Evolution of the current X25-M (2.5 inch) drives
• Available in 80GB ($225 USD) & 160GB ($440 USD) flavors
• X18-M (1.8 inch) models at a later date
• Halogen free; great for Apple and environmentalists
• Will have TRIM support via firmware update just in time for Windows 7

Windows 7 RTM on August 6^th; Family Pack Confirmed (via NeoWin)

• Family pack was confirmed, but no details yet.

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