Attention appearances can be deceiving!
The current market offers MLC SSD memory on "high-end" (Crucial M4, OCZ Vertex 3 or 4, Intel 5 series, Plextor, and many others), but also on the TLC memory SSD " General public ". The difference lies mainly at the writing speed and seemingly at the reliability, two cases where the MLC memory front, but it costs more. Basically simplifying the TLC and MLC chips its the same, but they put 50% more information on a chip TLC, which affects the flow induced higher duty cycles and therefore affect the reliability. The Samsung SSD 840 and 840 Pro are different beasts despite their identical external appearance, in fact only the 840 Pro boasts MLC Nand, more reliable and faster. The non-pro with 840 Nand TLC is sold at the same price as the 830 (that quickly disappear from the market for longer manufactured), which does not make it necessarily a good deal ... at least on paper because we step back on TLC Samsung memory.
While Pro Pro or not?
An SSD is easily secures it creates a Windows system recovery image for PC users and can therefore replace it quickly in case of failure, but it's still work. To avoid this potential mishap, I chose a 840 Pro 256GB is enough for my system and my applications, my data is stored on conventional hard drives in Raid 1, Raid 1 that is itself saved on a storage server network, the chances of losing my data is so thin. In terms of performance, I doubt that we can see the difference between a 840 and a non-Pro Pro in actual use, only benchmarks will see who is faster, so if you buy a playful PC, the 840 non Pro probably suffice widely.
In the box we find the SSD, a CD and documentation on the warranty, nothing more ... enough for fitting in a laptop, but if you need an adapter 3.5 "to 2.5" to mount it in an ancient tower, it is not provided. The SSD is ultra light, far more than the former 830 or OCZ Vertex 3 ... it remains suspended by cables in my lap.
To migrate the system to a new Samsung SSD is used SmartMigration Samsung's included, I passed a OCZ Vertex 3 128GB which became a fair bit to it without difficulty.
The implementation is quite simple, only the doc on the CD is flawed. Install Samsung Migration Software from the supplied CD (also install SSDMagician then optimize your system), start cloning (limited to any source to a Samsung SSD 830 Pro or 840 or not). A progress bar appears, go get a coffee then long set the progress bar :) After 13 minutes, including a check (OS 95Go home to decant from a SSD, it happened to 112Mo / s), the software asks what installs the new disk after turning off the PC. So I turned off my lap, put the 840 Pro instead of the old (on the same SATA port), stroll through the BIOS to put the 840 Pro in the boot priority (boot), backup and reboot. Then a walk in SSD Magician to optimize it all and moving.
For me 256GB (238Go Installed) is more than enough for office installation, some video editing software and photo and some games (including SC2 and BF3), I will have close to 100GB free once installed some new software .
FYI Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit activation in multiple boot with an older XP remained in the state, no need to activate.
Mechanically, this drive is 2.5 "x 7mm, it also happen in the last Ultrabooks. It supports 256-bit AES encryption and has an LED to see its activity.
For a pro I recommend PC to a PC gamer it there's perhaps more economical :)
