Upgrade old laptop w/SSD

Hardware Hub Storage
1

As the title says, this is something I want to try out this summer. The laptop has a 750gb HDD that I've used less than 100gb on, so that was an over buy. Also, the thing BLAZES like the furnace of Hell and is as slow as a slug. It doesn't help that there is like a 2 inch fan that cools the whole lappy.

I think an SSD for a new boot and media drive would be a great upgrade for this old thing. Less power, less noise, much faster, and yeah, maybe a bit less storage. However, I want to replace Windows with Linux, so does that mean there are some restrictions as to the SSD of my choice? Just curious.

Also, should I worry about the trackpad drivers and other bloatware that come pre-installed, or can I just download those again off the manufacturers website?

Specs: (if relevant)

i7-2670QM @ 2.20 GHz

Nvidia GT 550M

2

You can re-install the trackpad drivers easily and other bloatwares are generally replaceable and such. I'm sure you'll get a massive performance boost with an SSD since it's likely slow because of the HDD being either a low RPM drive or just being old. If heat's an issue the laptop cooler pads do a decent amount of work aiding the airflow.