Plextor PX-256M2S

Plextor PX-256M2S solid-state drive

The GB Plextor PX-256M2S solid-state drive (SSD) shares the same design and 256GB capacity cap as the Samsung 470. However, it supports the SATA 6Gbps standard and showed noticeable better performance in our testing, enough to justify its $600 price tag. If you have a high-end laptop, especially one that has a 6Gbps SATA storage controller, the Plextor PX-256M2S will make an excellent replacement for the computer's internal hard drive. If you want to spend about $100 less, the Samsung 470 will also make a decent choice. Those who are more financially constrained might want to skip these SSDs entirely and go with the Seagate Momentus XT hybrid drive, which offers somewhat similar performance, has a top capacity of 500GB, and costs only around $100. Like the Samsung 470, the Plextor PX-256M2S has the same shape, dimensions, and port design as any standard 9.5-millimeter, 2.5-inch internal hard drive. This means it will work in any application where hard drives are used. The Plextor PX-256M2S, like all SSDs, uses flash memory chips as its storage (as opposed to platters in traditional hard drives), and therefore has no moving parts.