Hello Linux Community,
I am using a Geonix Gold 128GB SATA SSD. Due to high SSD prices in the market right now, I cannot afford a replacement and need this drive to last for another 2 to 3 years.
Current SMART Attributes Breakdown:
Power-On Time: ~1,088 Hours
Self-Test Logs: All 19 Extended/Short self-tests completed without error (100% success).
Available Reserved Space: 100% intact.
Overall Health Assessment: PASSED
However, I notice previous high bad block attributes in past readings, though the reserved space is full. Given that I am on Linux Mint now and my usage involves mostly Hindi typing and regular web browsing/video streaming, do you think this drive can safely pull through for the next 2-4 years?
Any advice on tweaking Linux to minimize disk writes (like managing browser cache or swappiness) would be highly appreciated. Thank you!
In my Opinion it should work when You don't have a lot of Writing Actions. So moving or copying a lot of Data or big Data.
But because Tec is Tec, it wouldn't be wrong to have a Backup and a Disk in Reserve. I don't say that You should now imediately run in the next Store and buy something but when You should see someting in a Sale for Example and Your Money allows the Buy, buy it then.
What I definetely wound't recommend is to buy a used Drive. Simply because it is used. And You don't know how intense it was used.
For my first experiments with Linux last year, I bought a used 128 GiB Samsung Pro SATA SSD for 10-15 Euro from a private seller on eBay Classifieds for my old Dell Latitude. It wasn’t in very good condition, as advertised, and already had quite a few write cycles and hours of operation under its belt, but I have to say, it’s been running flawlessly for over a year now and is in daily use.
That would be too risky for my main system and important data, but for this computer, I didn’t want to buy an expensive new SATA SSD, which can’t even be installed in newer laptops anymore.
Thanks for the advice! I completely understand your point about minimizing writing actions and keeping an eye out for a sale.
To clarify, this Geonix SSD is actually brand new—I bought it just 1 year ago! I would never buy a used drive either. The reason it has so many bad blocks in just one year is because of the crazy testing and torture it went through.
When Windows 10 support ended, I got totally confused about where to go. So, I started exploring the Linux world. In just one year, I have downloaded and deleted operating systems over 121 times! I hopped through Zorin OS, Linux Mint, Ubuntu, Kubuntu, MX Linux, Deepin, Ubuntu MATE, Big Linux, and even Red Star OS. I also installed and removed Windows 11 about 6 times. On top of that, I did some very heavy gaming during this period.
Currently, SSD prices in India are extremely high, and because of my budget, I really cannot afford to buy a new one right now. Given that I am now permanently sticking to Linux Mint, minimizing write actions, and my available reserved space is still at 100%, do you think this drive can realistically pull through and last for another 2 to 3 years?
Just to be absolutely clear, my Geonix SSD is NOT a used or second-hand drive like the one you mentioned. I bought it brand new just 1 year ago.
The 5,476 bad blocks didn't come from old age—they are the result of what I intentionally did to it over the past year. When Windows 10 support ended, I started testing different Linux distributions to see what fits me. In just one year, I have downloaded, installed, and deleted operating systems over 121 times! I hopped through Zorin OS, Linux Mint, Ubuntu, Kubuntu, MX Linux, Deepin, Ubuntu MATE, Big Linux, and Red Star OS, along with installing Windows 11 about 6 times. On top of that, I did some extremely heavy gaming on this drive.
So this brand-new budget drive has survived a brutal 1-year torture test of constant formatting and heavy writing. Now I am permanently on Linux Mint and stopping all experiments. Since my available reserved space is still 100%, I expect this new drive to pull through for another 2 to 3 years without any issues.
Okay, it isn't so old. But You used it for Trying a bit more intense. I understand it now better.
I would think when You from now on don't use it as intense as described before, it could come so far. Of Course, I can't give You a 100% Guarantee for it. Sometimes Tec has it's own Mind.
Thank you so much for understanding my situation and for your valuable advice!
I completely agree with you—technology can be unpredictable, so I won't expect a 100% guarantee. However, your reassurance gives me a lot of confidence. I promise I am done with my "distro-hopping" experiments and will permanently stay on Linux Mint now to avoid any heavy writing or formatting. I will also make sure to keep a regular backup of my important data on an external drive.
Thanks again to you and the entire community for helping me out!
