Trevor,
Regarding your question of how easy it is.
I bought a 512GB Crucial M4 with data transfer kit (cable). I did not reinstall windows, the cable and associated program simply cloned my old HDD contents to the new SSD. Highly recommended approach unless you have need to spend the time re-installing and reconfiguring operating system. For my 320GB HDD it took about 3 hours to clone, I then switched the drives over (15 minute procedure for my laptop), and it's worked fine since.
http://www.amazon.com/Crucial-2-5-In...ref=pd_cp_pc_2
I see Crucial have desktop PC kits that include a mounting bracket and cable, and they have the transfer cable available separately I think.
Regards,
Roger.