Solid-State drives (SSD's) are maturing fast.  Only a year ago they suffered from tiny capacities and high prices, and many models were barely faster than a mechanical drive.

Price are tumbling, while capacities and performance continue to improve.  Durability has become better too.  Thanks to improved manufacturing and wear-levelling techiques, write endurance is a non-issue for desktop drive.

All told, if you have been hankering after an SSD for your home PC/laptop, the upgrade is starting to look eminently realistic.

Before you dive in, it's worth noting that an SSD won't make your programs run any faster, it will, however, make your system feel more responsive.

Windows boots more quickly from an SSD, applications start in the blink of an eye and, thanks to the hige bandwidth and near-instant access time of modern solid-state drives, multitasking feel distinctly smoother.