{"id":121399,"date":"2026-04-04T21:28:29","date_gmt":"2026-04-04T21:28:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2026\/04\/04\/dont-throw-away-your-old-120gb-sata-ssd-heres-what-i-actually-use-mine-for\/"},"modified":"2026-04-04T21:29:30","modified_gmt":"2026-04-04T21:29:30","slug":"dont-throw-away-your-old-120gb-sata-ssd-heres-what-i-actually-use-mine-for","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2026\/04\/04\/dont-throw-away-your-old-120gb-sata-ssd-heres-what-i-actually-use-mine-for\/","title":{"rendered":"Don’t throw away your old 120GB SATA SSD\u2014here’s what I actually use mine for"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Repurposing a 1TB or 2TB SSD is simple sufficient. There’s all the time one thing you are able to do with these, from sport drives to exterior drives for backups. However relating to issues like 250GB HDDs<\/a> or 120GB SATA drives, it would look like we’re not as spoiled for selection.<\/p>\n

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Fallacious! There are many methods to search out makes use of even for these outdated, gradual(ish), and tiny SATA drives that have been most likely your boot drive a decade in the past. Here is what I do with mine.<\/p>\n

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\n A 120GB SATA SSD is just too small for a lot of jobs, however not for all jobs
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\n Tiny by fashionable requirements, however nonetheless quick sufficient to be an improve
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My first SATA SSD was 64GB or someplace near it. I received it used as a hand-me-down, and I used to be over the moon once I put in Home windows on it. The distinction between an HDD and an SSD, even a gradual SATA drive, was like night time and day.<\/p>\n

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\n \"How-To
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8 Questions \u00b7 Take a look at Your Data<\/span><\/p>\n

Storage By the Ages
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From historical clay tablets to fashionable SSDs \u2014 how a lot do you actually know in regards to the wild historical past and quirky details of knowledge storage?<\/p>\n

Historical past<\/span>{Hardware}<\/span>Capability<\/span>Oddities<\/span>Trendy Tech<\/span><\/p>\n

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What was the storage capability of the very first commercially bought arduous disk drive, IBM’s 350 RAMAC launched in 1956?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Right! The IBM 350 RAMAC saved a whopping 5 megabytes \u2014 and weighed over a ton. It was the scale of two fridges and leased for round $3,200 monthly, which is roughly $35,000 in right now’s cash.<\/p>\n

Not fairly. The IBM 350 RAMAC, launched in 1956, saved simply 5 megabytes of knowledge. Regardless of that tiny capability by fashionable requirements, it was a revolutionary machine that stuffed a complete room and value hundreds monthly to lease.<\/p>\n

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Which of those has genuinely been used as an information storage medium by researchers and engineers?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Right! DNA storage is an actual and quickly advancing area. Researchers have efficiently encoded total books, photos, and even working programs into artificial DNA strands, which might theoretically retailer 215 petabytes per gram of fabric.<\/p>\n

Not fairly. The reply is DNA molecules. Scientists have encoded films, books, and even malware into artificial DNA strands. DNA storage is very dense \u2014 theoretically able to holding 215 petabytes per gram \u2014 making it one of the crucial promising future storage applied sciences.<\/p>\n

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What does the ‘SSD’ in SSD storage stand for?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Right! SSD stands for Strong State Drive. The ‘strong state’ refers to the truth that it makes use of solid-state electronics \u2014 NAND flash reminiscence chips \u2014 with no shifting mechanical elements, not like conventional spinning arduous disk drives.<\/p>\n

Not fairly. SSD stands for Strong State Drive. The time period ‘strong state’ comes from electronics jargon which means the gadget makes use of semiconductor parts slightly than shifting mechanical elements, which is why SSDs are sooner, quieter, and extra sturdy than HDDs.<\/p>\n

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Roughly what number of normal 1.44 MB floppy disks would you want to match the storage of a single fashionable 1 terabyte arduous drive?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Right! One terabyte equals roughly 1,048,576 megabytes, and dividing by 1.44 MB per floppy offers you about 728,000 disks. Stacked, that pile could be taller than most skyscrapers \u2014 a humbling reminder of how far storage has come.<\/p>\n

Not fairly. You’d want roughly 700,000 floppy disks to match a single 1 TB drive. That stack of disks would attain over a mile excessive if laid flat, which is a staggering option to visualize the big leap in storage density over just some many years.<\/p>\n

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What storage medium did NASA use to retailer knowledge from the unique Apollo moon missions within the Nineteen Sixties and Nineteen Seventies?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Right! NASA relied closely on magnetic tape reels throughout the Apollo period. In actual fact, hundreds of authentic Apollo-era knowledge tapes have been finally misplaced or unintentionally erased and reused, main to an enormous archival effort years later to get better what footage remained.<\/p>\n

Not fairly. NASA used magnetic tape reels to retailer Apollo mission knowledge. Tragically, many of those authentic tapes have been later misplaced and even intentionally erased and reused as a consequence of tape shortages, which is why some authentic high-quality Apollo footage is gone ceaselessly.<\/p>\n

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What’s the identify of the method utilized in fashionable NAND flash storage that shops a number of bits per cell to extend density?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Right! QLC, or Quad-Stage Cell, shops 4 bits per cell and is utilized in high-capacity, budget-friendly SSDs. Whereas it provides nice density and decrease price, QLC NAND sometimes has decrease endurance and slower write speeds in comparison with TLC (3-bit) or MLC (2-bit) designs.<\/p>\n

Not fairly. QLC stands for Quad-Stage Cell, and it is an actual NAND flash expertise that shops 4 bits per cell. It permits for very excessive storage densities at decrease price, however trades off endurance and write efficiency in comparison with older, much less dense cell varieties like MLC or SLC.<\/p>\n

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The Svalbard International Seed Vault in Norway shops seeds for agricultural preservation \u2014 however what well-known tech firm additionally operates a close-by ‘Arctic Code Vault’ to protect software program?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Right! GitHub operates the Arctic Code Vault in Svalbard, Norway, the place they saved a snapshot of all lively public repositories on movie designed to final 1,000 years. The undertaking is a part of GitHub’s Arctic Vault Program to protect open-source software program for future generations.<\/p>\n

Not fairly. It is GitHub \u2014 owned by Microsoft \u2014 that runs the Arctic Code Vault. In February 2020, they photographed each lively public repository onto particular archival movie and saved it deep inside a decommissioned coal mine in Svalbard, designed to final a thousand years.<\/p>\n

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What was the first motive early floppy disks have been referred to as ‘floppy’?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Right! Early floppy disks \u2014 particularly the unique 8-inch selection from IBM in 1971 \u2014 used a skinny, genuinely versatile magnetic disk inside a comfortable protecting sleeve. You may actually flop the factor round. Later 3.5-inch variations got here in inflexible plastic circumstances, however saved the ‘floppy’ identify.<\/p>\n

Not fairly. The identify ‘floppy’ got here from the bodily flexibility of the magnetic disk contained in the sleeve. The unique 8-inch IBM floppy disks launched in 1971 had a noticeably limp, floppy disk that you could possibly bend. Even the rigid-cased 3.5-inch disks that adopted saved the long-lasting nickname.<\/p>\n

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Problem Full<\/span><\/p>\n

Your Rating<\/h2>\n

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Thanks for taking part in!<\/p>\n

Again then, I squeezed each final little bit of capability out of that drive, forcing it to deal with not simply Home windows, but in addition my fundamental sport of selection. On reflection, I do know that filling your SSD up to 100%<\/a> is a foul thought, however while you solely have one quick drive, it is arduous to withstand.<\/p>\n

Now? We’re all working SSDs, and people tiny SATA drives really feel tremendous out of date. However as an alternative of throwing them away, you may all the time redirect some smaller jobs their means, saving house in your fundamental drive and letting your outdated drives dwell on.<\/p>\n

One factor to recollect, although: do not depend on these getting old drives as your fundamental and solely supply of backups. They work nice for overflow jobs, but when some information are actually vital, it is best to entrust them to newer drives. Follow the 3-2-1 backup rule<\/a> to sleep soundly. Past that? Repurpose away!<\/p>\n

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\n 5 genuinely helpful methods you may repurpose your outdated 120GB SATA SSD
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\n Give them a job they’ll truly deal with
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It is true: your outdated SATA SSDs needn’t simply sit there, gathering mud and losing drawer house. Here is how I like to recommend utilizing them to boost your tech stack.<\/p>\n

\n 1. Flip it right into a sacrificial check bench for dumb concepts
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That is most likely my favourite use for a tiny outdated SSD, as a result of it offers me someplace to fiddle with out placing my fundamental drive in danger. If you wish to strive a beta app, set up a dodgy file, check a light-weight Linux distro, mess with mods, or usually mess around with software program, a 120GB SATA SSD suits completely. It is large enough for a stripped-down OS set up and a handful of experiments.<\/p>\n

It is a strong thought as a result of it attracts a transparent line between your fundamental SSD and this one, letting you retain your fundamental drive clear and protected, whereas the small SATA drive takes over the nonsense.<\/p>\n

\n 2. Make it your emergency restore drive
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I am an enormous fan of rescue drives<\/a>. These drives, whether or not they’re a brand new USB or an outdated SATA, can prevent in a pinch. A 120GB SATA SSD can be utilized for disk cloning software program, firmware instruments, {hardware} diagnostics, installers, BIOS information, OS ISO information, and anything you would possibly have to rescue a dying PC with minimal problem. That means, in case your main boot drive fails or your OS will get corrupted, you all the time have a working fallback available.<\/p>\n

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In order for you a rescue drive however haven’t got a SATA SSD you may belief, this SanDisk 1TB USB thumb drive can do the job. It is large, so it could possibly serve many roles at a semi-reasonable worth.<\/p>\n


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\n 3. Use it for non permanent junk
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Not each file deserves a house in your finest SSD. I like utilizing outdated small drives for all the temporary mess that piles up over time<\/a>, like downloads, installers, ZIP archives, extracted folders, switch batches, and random information I do know I’m most likely going to delete in every week. A 120GB SSD is simply large enough for that form of staging position, and it retains your fundamental drive from slowly filling up with low-priority junk.<\/p>\n

\n 4. Construct a compact retro sport drive
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Retro video games and indies do not take up a variety of house, so why not flip your tiny SATA SSD into the proper house for them? (Additional bonus for those who use an enclosure and make it external<\/a>.) 120GB is nowhere close to sufficient for contemporary AAA video games, until you are happy with actually having only one sport on this drive, but it surely’s loads sufficient for emulators, ROM libraries, and light-weight classics from GOG or Steam.<\/p>\n

\n 5. Flip it into an offline doc vault
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You probably have a variety of vital however small information, a 120GB SSD is greater than sufficient for an offline doc vault. I’m speaking about tax paperwork, scans of payments and contracts, exported emails, PDF manuals, outdated college work, warranties, home paperwork, and different information that matter however don’t take up a lot room.<\/p>\n

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Please by no means use an outdated SATA SSD as your solely backup for these vital information. Again them up elsewhere for peace of thoughts.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n

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\n A tiny SSD is beneficial for those who modify your expectations
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\n Nonetheless beats an HDD, anyway
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I am not going to drag wool over your eyes and let you know that having a 120GB SATA SSD is the perfect factor on this planet. It is true that the roles outlined above are small, however that makes them good for a tiny drive. With the best expectations, you will preserve your fundamental SSD from piling up junk and get some use out of one thing you already paid for. Win-win!<\/p>\n\n

I am a significant fan of discovering jobs for my outdated {hardware}. I do not like throwing stuff away, and disposing of storage drives is a ache, anyway. You probably have it, you would possibly as effectively use it. And for those who want a brand new drive? Purchase an NVMe SSD. Each varieties are overpriced proper now, so that you’re higher off shopping for the sooner one and utilizing your slower drives for much less vital duties.<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/dd>\n<\/p>\n

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Samsung’s 9100 Professional is a good selection if you wish to retire an older SSD (even perhaps a SATA?) and improve your fundamental drive in an enormous means. These SSDs are lightning-fast, and whereas not low-cost, they’re certain to final for years.<\/p>\n


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