(Solved) Power management with an SSD

[Lady]

Hi guys! I hope all is well with you and a very happy New Year to you! 

I just learned that you should disable the hybrid sleep mode (balanced plan) when there's an SSD present. Unaware of this fact I have had the hybrid sleep mode on for about three years now with my present desktop. I have an SSD with the C: partition and Windows 7 on it, and an internal HD with two partitions with personal files.

So now I have to choose:

Option 1. Disable the hybrid sleep mode and let the pc on all the time, which will increase power usage but will spare the SSD.

Option 2. Turn the pc off when not in use. That would mean I'd turn it on and off a couple of times a day and I gathered that that would harm the hardware and cut short the life span of the pc.

Option 3. Keep the hybrid sleep mode and keep my fingers crossed that the life span of the SSD outruns the one of the pc.

What I'd really like to know is how much difference it would make if I'd turn the hybrid sleep mode off and leave the pc on without any energy saving plan. Did any of you ever look into this matter? I know there are ways to determine the exact power usage of the pc but I'm more interested in a general answer, like it'll be 10% more or whatever it may be. It also depends on the power of the processor, I read. Could you help me find the relevant information for my pc and come to some conclusion?

Also, I do turn off the display all the time when I leave the pc for a while, either by setting the control panel or by using the on/off button. I read different things about this. Some say turning it off saves a lot of energy, others just a bit. I have a BenQ VW2430 LED monitor. What do you say?

But I assume the bulk of the power usage goes to the desktop. As far as I know now, I'd go for option 3.

As always, being thankful for your help,
Lady

[Boggin]

I don't think you need to worry about the SSD - http://techreport.com/review/27909/the-ssd-endurance-experiment-theyre-all-dead but if you want to keep a check on its health, then download the 30 Day trial version of HD Sentinel and then uninstall it after the check so that will stop the clock to use it again as and when from your Downloads folder.

Hit the green Download button - http://www.hdsentinel.com/

[Lady]

Thanks Boggin! Really good to know SSDs perform much better than is generally assumed.

So my feeling of staying with the third option was correct.

[Boggin]

I think the technology has improved a lot since they first came out - I'm quite happy with my mechanical one that came with the laptop though

[Lady]

Boggin, I did the test with HD Sentinel and my SSD, internal HD and 2 external HDs came out 100% perfect! Except the SSD had 99% on condition (I'm not sure if condition is the right word, got the Dutch version although I clicked on English). Isn't that great?  After three years and so many problems?! We did a lot of good things, didn't we?

Is there anything you can come up with to check while it's still running today before I uninstall it? I saved the report but it's easier this way.

Before I forget, after uninstalling, do I have to keep both the setup file and the zip archive? Or only the setup.exe?

[Boggin]

I just keep the .zip and file folders in my Downloads folder to install again as and when.

HD Sentinel gives you a % value for Performance and Health if I remember rightly but it also gives you a written assessment.

Did it comment on the 99% ?

[Lady]

BTW, so no damage after three years of using the hybrid sleep state. Another proof that SSDs are strong! 

I just keep the .zip and file folders

I'm sorry, I don't understand which file you mean. Do you mean the setup.exe file?

So the word wasn't "condition" but "health".

I looked around a bit but there's a bunch of information. I managed to change the language to English, so I can just give you a screenshot of the overview. I have a feeling you mean the text under the percentages.

At the top it says (still in Dutch) "unregistered version, please register", but I don't have to, right?

[Boggin]

I just close that register window.

That report has answered a question as to whether TRIM is enabled.

While it says no action required, click on S.M.A.R.T to see if there are any red buttons down the left side - there must be a reason why it is only at 99%, although I'll have to Google for an explanation for any red buttons

[Lady]

I just close that register window.

What do you mean by this?

Please answer the other 2 questions.

No red buttons under S.M.A.R.T.

[Boggin]

close the please register window.

What other two questions ?

Good news about no red buttons.

[Lady]

Oh right, the registration thing. It isn't a window, it's a link. But I'll ignore it then. That's one question solved. One to go.

I just keep the .zip and file folders

I'm sorry, I don't understand which file you mean. Do you mean the setup.exe file?

[Boggin]

When you download HDSentinel it puts a .zip folder into your Downloads folder which you then extract to access the setup.exe application.

I just leave those in my downloads folder so that should the setup.exe become corrupt, you can extract it again from the .zip file.

[Lady]

Yes, that's what I thought initially but your answer confused me.

Thanks Boggin! It seems we've managed that one nicely again. I assume the 99% cannot be made into 100%. I'm already VERY pleased with the 99%.

[Boggin]

Unfortunately the 99% won't get better, although I don't know what the rate of degradation is for a SSD but you can keep an eye on it with HD Sentinel now and again.

[Lady]

Yes, good idea. Then I will now uninstall HD Sentinel.

Have some more things to ask. You'll see.