[MysticLlama]

An Intel SSD for a couple hundred dollars is the best single upgrade you can do to a machine for that price, given a reasonably recent processor/memory. i.e. at least a Core2Duo and 2GB of RAM or higher.

SSDs are not all created alike, only the Intel and some quite new higher end ones have the speed advantage, $100 isn't going to do it.

Unfortunately, most OEMs, Dell, HP, maybe Apple, run with Samsungs. reliable, but quite expensive and just a bit faster than the 7200.

I have a fair amount of experience with them in different circumstances, have an Intel in my full PC, my personal laptop, two work laptops that run POS databases (I went with laptops for the onboard battery backup angle), and higher-end OCZs in the company Controller's laptop and another personal laptop. The OCZs in real life are much better than spindle disks, but aren't as fast as the Intels, even though the benchmarks are faster.

So I'd go with the advice above, buy an Intel from Newegg, use that, the the other drive in an external box as a backup.