SSD's

scubapro · 20 Jun 2009 at 11:51

Hey guys

I'm in the middle of building a computer system and in it i have a 1tb samsung spinpoint and i have been hearing a lot about solid state drives and how they can speen up access times and trnasfer rates, however im not too sure i understand where i should put it into my system.

Am i right in thinking i can get one or two, put them in raid0 (if i got two) and put it along side my hdd and that would speed up my computer? i hear people using solid state instead of hdd but i need quite a lot of space for my music and applications

Please help

Cheers
Murphy

Stonedofmoo · 20 Jun 2009 at 12:00

Basically SSD's are very fast compared to hard disks when used as an OS drive, and for installing applications and games on. They're completely wasted as a storage drive.

Your best bet is to buy one of the better SSDs like a 60/120Gb G.Skill Falcon, OCZ Vertex or Agility drive and use that for windows and your installs. Next buy a large 1Tb+ drive purely for storing your files on, this doesn't have to be fast as files just get loaded sequentially anyhow so go for something reasonably priced.

As for RAID that's up to you. Personally I'm of the opinion that RAID'ing SSD drives is a waste of time as they're very fast already, but I'm sure people who live by benchmarks or shaving that 1 second off the windows boot time will tell you otherwise. It's your money though

scubapro · 20 Jun 2009 at 12:03

so you think i should create the computer with the ssd in, install the OS on it, and then add the hdd afterwards?

dntbloodshot · 20 Jun 2009 at 12:06

You can put them all in from the beginning, just use the SSD as the OS drive.

Zarf · 20 Jun 2009 at 12:10

scubapro said:
so you think i should create the computer with the ssd in, install the OS on it, and then add the hdd afterwards?

It makes no difference if you add the storage drive before or after install.

My recommendation would be to grab a couple of the cheap £90 64GB Samsung drives, and put them in RAID0. This will let you experience the advantages of SSD's with regards to a "snappy feel" without spending too much or having to worry about uninstalling stuff to keep space free.

This time next year, upgrade again. SSD tech is moving too fast to go spending money on a top end setup now, it'll seem obsolete in a year so just get a good value solution.

wupwup · 20 Jun 2009 at 12:13

that would help. it would speed up boot and most thing and stop your os getting so cluttered.

scubapro · 20 Jun 2009 at 12:37

ah ok that helps a lot, i was thinking of getting two 64gb samsung ones anyway which zarf suggested. i know this may be noobish and in the wrong area but say i have them in my system from the beginning, how do i put them in raid0?

rixarena · 20 Jun 2009 at 13:00

What motherboard do you have? setting up raid can be a fairly simple process and should be documented in your motherboard manual if you know the model number i can show you have to do it.

Also if you can stretch to it id go for 2 64Gb samsung drives as they use multi-level chips and are a lot faster than the cheaper drivers.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HD-079-SA&groupid=701&catid=14&subcat=910

Regards Sam

scubapro · 20 Jun 2009 at 20:40

i have a Asus P6T x58 motherboard. and that ssd was the one i was looking at actaully. good stuff

Ghost-Reaper · 20 Jun 2009 at 21:50

SSD as the os drive is the way forward, the access times make the whole systems feel quite fast and responsive. There is a fair bit if tweaking involved to set them up and maintain them regarding turning off defrag, prefetch, pagefile etc. The ocz drives have a really good support forum and regular updates to improve the drives (if you get one of theirs)

scubapro · 21 Jun 2009 at 00:31

now is it worth getting two 64gb and putting them in raid 0 or just get one 128/120gb. which would be faster?

scubapro · 21 Jun 2009 at 11:54

can anyone answer my earlier question which is which would be faster, 2 64gb ssd in raid 0 or a single 120/128gb ssd?

can anybody help?
cheers

Method · 21 Jun 2009 at 11:56

interesting topic this, how small of an SSD can you install an OS on?

scubapro · 21 Jun 2009 at 12:24

well it would just be the OS on it, it would be some applications as well just so they run faster.

but anyone have a clue on which is faster?
cheers

siege2 · 21 Jun 2009 at 13:38

2 in raid 0 is faster than the single one, not in raid 0, the size off, does not make them go faster.

scubapro · 21 Jun 2009 at 13:46

so your saying if i got 2 Samsung PB22-J 64GB in raid 0, would be faster then a single OCZ Vertex Series 120GB?

D D Danneh · 21 Jun 2009 at 13:49

siege2 said:
2 in raid 0 is faster than the single one, not in raid 0, the size off, does not make them go faster.

Well some of the 128GB drives are faster than their respective 64GB versions, but not usually twice as fast. So yes, I would go for RAID0 64GB drives. SSD's are hard to break anyway, so you don't need to worry about one failing.

miniyazz · 21 Jun 2009 at 13:51

Depends on your usage.. if the rated transfer speeds for the Samsungs put together are higher than that of the single Vertex, then you might get a small improvement in moving large files. If you're going to fill up the drives fairly quickly, the Vertex will let you maintain their speed with TRIM.

Most likely you will get better performance with the Vertex for normal usage.

scubapro · 21 Jun 2009 at 13:54

mmmm i was all set on 2 64gb but after miniyazz's comment im still stuck. dam you (shakes fist) but thanks for the advice.

i was looking at 2 64's originally cuz i thought it would be cheaper, but its roughly the same cost. grrrr
anyone else know any more?
cheers

siege2 · 21 Jun 2009 at 13:56

yes 2 off 64gb's in raid 0 will be faster than the single 128gb ssd drive.