>I am going to need a new SSD for my laptop. There are quite some price differences when it comes to SATA II or SATA III, and also depending on the brand etc. What I am looking for is fast and reliable and long living. But does it make sense to spend more money or are they all basically the same in the end?

Depends a lot on how much you write to it. Minimum size IMO is 256MB - smaller ones are slower as well due to internal layout. 512 gives you nearly the same price/GB and speeds still enhanced, but less markedly. Samsung gets great reviews for 840 series everywhere, tomshardware thinks crucial not bad as well.