PNY Optima SSD7SC240GOPT-RB 240GB SSD with promo code EXLEMC2372 and $20 rebate = $85
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=20-178-720&nm_mc=EMC-GD062514&cm_mmc=EMC-GD062514-_-index-_-Item-_-20-178-720
Sata III, 7mm thickness will fit all slim laptops.
This allows me to mention several trends. First, we have a 240 Gig SSD priced below many 128 Gig models. PNY has been around a long time, they make a wide range of memory products and video cards, but they are and always have been a 2nd tier budget brand. When first shipped, this model got decent mid-pack reviews and at this price it's clearly a bargain. Now PNY is doing something that others have done and it's becoming ...controversial:
First OCZ started changing the components in existing models (the memory used and sometimes the controller) without changing model names. One of the reasons, though not the biggest (pure crap quality) that landed them in bankruptcy. Recently Kingston, a first tier maker did the same thing with some of their models, switching to a slower controller, without changing model numbers. They have been getting trashed throughout the industry for this, though several sites have (a total coincidence, of course) all produced editorials saying that "as long as the shipping product meets the published specs for that model, you consumers shouldn't be worrying your pretty widdle heads about what's inside..." Pretty much all review sites are at the mercy of suppliers for their free review examples, so this response is not totally unexpected. Consumers have pushed back, reminding them that they base their purchases on the reviews, not the specs and if this position is to be taken seriously, wtf is the point of the reviews since we can't rely on even getting the same product ?
In this case we know PNY replaced the original rather standard Sandforce controller with a newer model by Silicon Motion. This is actually a far newer model and actually has better speeds and features, but in a few cases, there seems to be some incompatibilities with the BIOS of some older laptops, but that's a risk as any technology evolves, for most this shouldn't be an issue.
Keep in mind, all but the worst crap SSD drives are so much faster than any mechanical hard drive that using one as a replacement boot drive is the single most important thing you can do to really increase the speed and efficiency of any computer. The 240 Gig size is excellent even for gamers (an SSD should never be filled to more than 80% of capacity or both speed and it's life are seriously degraded... let's do the math: most 240 Gig drives offer a real formatted c. 216. Win 7 or 8 with a decent selection of standard apps takes up 45 Gig, leaving c. 128 Gig for games or files if it's in a laptop with no 2nd drive for files.
Software to clone your existing drive is freely available from the makers and others, at $85 it's getting silly not to have an SSD boot drive. Also keep in mind many current laptops offer either mSata or M.2 slots which allow you to keep your existing HD and add an SSD that can be your boot drive... the best of both worlds. The bad news is pretty much no one ships with these installed, but in most cases it's only a 5 min job to find the mSata or M.2 slot and plug a card in...
Seagate 600 480Gig SSD til 6/27 $220 - $10 coupon code CYR132319 - $30 rebate = $180
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-Details.asp?EdpNo=8037064&sku=TSSD-4800
7mm thickness, will fit in most any laptop... when you need lots of storage. Uses Toshiba NAND and a LankAMedia controller that is relatively new but an above average performer.
More proof of how fast prices are coming down.