Yes, we do think twice.  SSD is still a new technology, it has only been within the past Month or 2 that OCZ hit main stream with their Vertex series drives, completely altering the SSD landscape in both performance and price arena's.  I said in a past post that I need some solid evidence before I jump on board for technology.

SSD's are now poised to begin the replacement of HDD in the same way that HDD replaced TAPE.  When HDD replaced TAPE, did it go away?  No.  TAPE is still being used for long term storage & backup.  Now we will just see that HDD will fall back to 2nd Tier while SSD reigns as 1st Tier.  HDD is going no where soon, trust me.  Technology gets a new update often yes, but its longevity is more lasting than its research life cycle.  I assure you that people are still buying 386's for specialized applications.  And that 386 will most likely cost you as much if not more than a Thunderbird or PIII.

Hey, if you have the $$ to pay for a CAD program then you have the $$ to drop on SSD with Good RAM and a Good CPU.  Additionally if you are running some serious CAD then you will most likely work with files in the multi Gigabyte RANGE.  I assure you that SSD would make things a lot nicer.  I know some Geologists that do similar processing (2D not 3D) and they have several 4 gig chunk files.  To help some of the audience out it is technically one single drawing that is broken into about 6 4gig chunks.  For those that are not up on file systems FAT32 had a file size limit of 4gigs.  Sure NTFS and post FAT32 file systems do not have that limitation, now if you are like a lot of people that are slow to upgrade their software, then you most likely have an application that still keeps to that 4 gig limitation.  Now tell me how much RAM you would have to stuff in your system to get 6 4gig chunks loaded into RAM?  Of course you don't have to load the whole thing to work with it, the program will load only the parts you need, but still though.  That SSD will get data to your RAM at a much faster rate than HDD.

And, this part is important.  How many people have had their machines crunching data and then try to... surf the internet in the back ground?  Its a sore and slow machine isn't it?  That is why that wall artists kept 2 computers.  With SSD your system will remain responsive even under some serious load.  That is where SSD really shines.  Your computer is busting some IO, and you click the Start button and are pleasantly surprised to find that it pops up like the computer still has a little extra kick to give.  You won't get that with HDD, all you get is a machine that sounds and looks like its choking to death.

I had that issue while recording/editing video until I upgraded my CPU, RAM and GPU... sometimes my rig would even freeze up if I opened a tab or two extra in Firefox, and, say, had messenger open as well.  The upgrade to a Phenom II x4 920, 8 gigs of Ram and 9800GT @1gb has largely resolved that, but you and Frogboy have pretty much sold me on the idea of getting a SSD to boost overall system speed and performance.... still got 300+ family (extended) home videos on VHS tapes to convert into DVD, so it'd be a blessing

However, I am one of those on a fixed income with bills and ever increasing day to day expenses, so I reckon it'll be a while until I can slot one into my rig.  An OCZ Vertex 120gb is AUD $390.00 (current best price here, down $30 from 2 weeks ago), and I could probably manage that in about 5-6 months if I economise here and there, but who knows, prices may have dropped more by then.  If I can drop AUD $300 on a CPU after a bit of scrimping and saving I can certainly do it for a SSD... I will eventually get one.

And their archaeoligist counterparts use the abacus and a stick in the sand... slow, yup, but it works for them.

Just wait, before the OCZ Vertex 120 received the award from DRAMeXchange as best in performance it was $345 on newegg.  Since then I saw newegg jack the price tag up quite a bit.  It will come back down soon enough, and especially if someone manages to produce an SSD that can perform well against the Vertex series.  So far nothing touches OCZ's Vertex SSD right now.  The X25 from Intel has some nice read speeds but they still have the stutter issues, and are still a little slow on the write compared to Vertex.

Sir-Astal... apologies if you've already posted, but is there a specific SSD you'd recommend? 

For starkers & pacov

The current recommendation is any drive from the OCZ Vertex Series.  The 120gig size is particularly the best performer.

The Apex, Solid, and Core series were the first generation SSD's.  They have controllers that cause stuttering during data transactions can can make your drive choke.  The Vertex has a new controller and 64mb Cache to eliminate these issues.  Additionally the first gens are much slower than the 2nd Gen Vertex's.

I have been up and down the block with the SSD's, but I did not jump on the band wagon until the 2nd Gen series Vertex's arrived.  The 1st gens all have a lot of quirky issues, practically all of which were resolved with the new drives.  SSD tech is still new, but it is only just now that they are finally worthy of general consideration.

you did see my post apologizing for being an idiot right pacov?

Thanks for the heads up there, Sir-Astral, seller/manufacturer blurbs never include this kind of info.  I'll give these a miss, then. It might cost a little more but I'd rather wait a little longer to get a Vertext.  It seems they're more reliable and that I'd be happier with my purchase.

Unless it's the first Fod Mustang. Those are worth some money.

But if you use an OS besides Windows there is no memory limitations up to 32 GB.

My system boots in less than a minute. You saying SSD can bring that down?

I disagree that Linux has a steep learning curve. How much simpler can Ubuntu get? You try to play a MP3 file and Ubuntu ask you if you want to install the MP3 codec so you can listen? WINE plays Windows games just fine.

Maybe not for you or I, but for many who have only ever used/known Windows it can be a difficult proposition... especially for those who are not particularly PC literate.  Basic Windows functions were specifically designed with ease of use in mind so that just about anyone can use them, whereas some Linux distros have command lines/prompt etc and are too complicated to those with lesser PC knowledge/skills.

Just a thought!  If your mate's rig is that recent it might be worth his while to upgrade the RAM and try out the Win 7 RC x64 on it until it goes gold... if the rig handles it OK/no worries it'll save him a swag of cash.

He's been advised by others using 64bit systems that there are driver issues with that option anyway...