A couple of SSD related questions

Baddass

Baddass

Baddass

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Hi all, couple of quick questions about SSD. I've read the sticky, but SSD hard drives are new to me!

- do they need any special connector or are they just SATA II interfaces?

- I see most people seem to use SSD for their operating system. how much of a differnece would you notice installing Win 7 on an SSD compared with a decent SATA 150 hard drive such as a Raptor 10,000rpm for instance (assuming motherboard can support SATA II)


thanks
 
It depends on the SSD, 6GB/s ones start to get more complex, but mose of them are fine for SATA II interface. I'm also pretty sure that 6GB/S can be plugged into SATA II as well, you just don't get quite the same speeds...

As for how much difference it makes... Well it depends on a couple of things. I'm currently having issues with my SSD, so installed a HDD whilst I look into the possible problems. Admitedly it's only a 7200 drive, but it's still hardly a slouch... The difference is honestly so noticeable for me... I don't think you notice it until you've used a SSD, but yeah, I kind of wonder how people cope without one having gone back to HDD...

kd
 
The SATA SSDs are normal sata interfaces for both power & data.

They are quicker than a raptor, but your usage would dictate if it was worthwhile.


Edit: I currently have a crucial M4 on a sata II interface and allough my sequential read speeds are limited to ~250, I still see a large performance increase around windows & commonly used apps.
 
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thanks guys. well i only really use my PC for general windows/office type stuff, not gaming. if there's a decent improvement in windows load times, application loads etc then i might consider one :)

i notice in sticky it talks about multi-cell / single cell, is there any more consensus on a type / particular SSD to go for?
 
You should notice a massive difference in startup/app loading times. Most SLC Drives are expensive enterprise level stuff so just go for an MLC one. Intel are the most reliable and OCZ pretty much the fastest (Vertex 3), though coming from a Mechanical HD any SSD will seem rapid.
 
You'll notice a massive difference in both loading times and general performance. Even more so when you enable ACHI in the BIOS. This may need you to re-install windows. Speaking of which, you will need windows 7 to enable TRIM, which you suggest you're using anyway. Trim handles garbage collection helping free up data blocks that are no longer used. I'm sure you knew that anyway.
 
Admiral Huddy said:
Trim handles garbage collection helping free up data blocks that are no longer used.
Click to expand...
Actually TRIM apparently helps garbage collection. OCZ aren't entirely clear on this but from what they've said, it can be reasoned that TRIM telling the drive which blocks are empty makes garbage collection more efficient (than needing to search the entire drive).

Garbage collection in the newest drives (Vertex 3/Agility 3/Corsair Force 3/Crucial M4) seems to be a fair bit more efficient than the previous two generations, which is nice.
 
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So what would be a good smallish size SSD to go for do you think? Mainly for windows and program installs with all files /docs on a separate HD
 
Ok been doing a bit more research. I want to get a new SSD to connect into this motherboard /system

It will run on new install of windows 7 64-bit and I don't want a massive drive so not looking to break the bank. The mobo supports SATA II

Which 60gb ish sized drive would you recommend? Anything I need to consider at all when I set it up? Will the onboard controllers be sufficient?
 
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