For anyone thinking that an SSD will improve a Netbook’s performance, there are some things to consider beforehand, especially if the person is debating on whether to get an SSD or a more powerful Netbook or even an ultra-portable laptop.
When it comes to a full boot up into Windows, installing software and Windows updates, an SSD does very little to improve the performance of these tasks on a Netbook, at least those with the single core Atom based on my testing. At best, I saw a few seconds saved off the lengthy boot up time and just 3.5 minutes taken off the tedious 27 minutes of .Net Framework Windows updates.
However, when it comes to getting the Netbook switched on to on the web, an SSD cuts roughly a third off the resume time from hibernation and even coming out of Standby is a lot quicker. I’m sure this would be half the time of the original 5400RPM HDD the Samsung Netbook came with. Even for launching applications, the SSD is noticeably quicker than even the hybrid HDD and there is also no longer the annoying lag each time the HDD had to spin up after idle spin-down, since there are no moving parts in an SSD.
Other improvements I noticed included an hour of extra battery time on the battery meter and the elimination of humming when the Netbook is placed on a hard surface.