If you were on board the Solid State Disk (SSD) bandwagon of our previous post until you came to the part about price, consider this do-it-yourself alternative.
GeekStuff4U carries the SSD adapter you see pictured on the right for $188.65, minus the CompactFlash (CF) cards.
GeekStuff4U specifically mentions the device is compatible with SanDisk Extreme III/IV CF cards, which are some of the best on the market. Unfortunately, since they’re some of the best, they cost accordingly:
NewEgg sells the 16GB Extreme III for $182.50. Put two together and you have a 32GB SSD drive for $553 plus shipping… or more than the OCZ 32GB SSD costs.
But wait! If you can use bargain basement CF cards with the SSD adapter, you could pick up a pair of A-DATA 16GB CF cards for $60.99 each, giving you a 32GB SSD drive for just $310 plus shipping, or about $200 less than the OCZ 32GB SSD. We see no reason why this wouldn’t work, although you’re on your own if you go that route.
The biggest downside? You’re not going to get the same performance, since CF cards are considerably slower than SSD drives (SSD drives are rated at up to 100-120MB/sec, while CF tops out at around 20MB/sec). But you’ll still enjoy the same extra durability and lower power consumption.
In practice, you’ll probably only want to go the do-it-yourself route if you happen to have some CF cards lying around tht you’re not using and don’t mind sinking the money into the adapter. In which case you should also spring for this clear USB 2.0 enclosure for $29.99 to show off your creation.
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