SSD feels no faster than my Raptor

sunama · 30 Sep 2011 at 17:21

Surely, the issue here is not the boot up time.
Does it really make any difference how fast you can boot up your PC?

The main issue is how the SSD "feels" when you use your computer, after boot up is complete.

I mean seriously, who cares how long it takes to boot up? My mechanical HD based PCs take approximately 1-2 minutes to boot up.

If I want a sub 10 second boot up then I can put my PC into hibernation.

Can somebody explain to me why a boot up time is so important? Is there some weird game people play which involves them restarting their computers 100s of times/day?

To switch from SSD to HD (less space and more cost), the buyer needs to feel an actual performance gain while the computer is running (after boot up).

My question to the OP is, after bootup, does the PC feel faster in use? Can you tell the difference? Was it worth the money you paid?

smogsy · 30 Sep 2011 at 18:00

sunama said:
Surely, the issue here is not the boot up time.
Does it really make any difference how fast you can boot up your PC?

The main issue is how the SSD "feels" when you use your computer, after boot up is complete.

I mean seriously, who cares how long it takes to boot up? My mechanical HD based PCs take approximately 1-2 minutes to boot up.

If I want a sub 10 second boot up then I can put my PC into hibernation.

Can somebody explain to me why a boot up time is so important? Is there some weird game people play which involves them restarting their computers 100s of times/day?

To switch from SSD to HD (less space and more cost), the buyer needs to feel an actual performance gain while the computer is running (after boot up).

My question to the OP is, after bootup, does the PC feel faster in use? Can you tell the difference? Was it worth the money you paid?

it doesnt feel much different at all. Firefox may load 0.5 seconds faster.

But the fact is all i use on the OS is the OS+Firefox+MSI afterburn

i dont run any other apps on the SSD this why i made a topic (http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18322429&highlight=smogsy) asking what to upgrade, everyone shouted SSD i got one. made very little difference, becuase all i do on this PC is play games.

It is worth the money?
Well as it was Free, i guess Yes. If i paid for it. Then No.
sold my PS3 for £150 + Speakers £50 = 200 SSD £140
Can i tell the difference
No not really.

sunama · 30 Sep 2011 at 18:14

smogsy said:
It is worth the money?
Well as it was Free, i guess Yes. If i paid for it. Then No.
sold my PS3 for £150 + Speakers £50 = 200 SSD £140
Can i tell the difference
No not really.

That's what I wanted to know. Thanks.

In virtually all threads about SSD vs HD debate, it all seems to boil down to Windows bootup times, but I leave my main PC on 24/7, so Windows bootup counts for nothing, for me. I want to know about performance, while the PC is up and running.

And for those who bootup their pc many times/day, why don't you just put your PC into hibernate?

This boot up obsession makes no sense to me. Hopefully someone can explain it to me?

smogsy · 30 Sep 2011 at 19:25

i could see the benefit if you used photoshop moving large files or things that require fast disk access but for firefox no.

sachinbadiani · 30 Sep 2011 at 19:30

I have two machines side by side - one with raptor in raid 1 and the other with the m4 64gb sad. I have not done benchmarks, but yes the ssd is pin silent, and feels and boots very fast. Not upgraded to latest firmware yet either and on sata 2.

Jakus · 1 Oct 2011 at 11:57

Let Me try and straighten this out and cut through the bull !

Forget benchmarks and boot times a Quality SSD is faster than any mechanical harddrive setup in real word feel and response.

A single SSD as a boot/windows drive..... A total waste of time unless it's big enough to contain all your major apps and games etc..

Best Make, I've owned Corsair,Ocz,Crucial and Intel, I would Say Intel 100% compatibility and reliability

Experience, I have 4 Intels, 2 x 80gb Gen 2's that I have run in Raid 0 for 2 Years, Multibooting operating systems in 25gb partitions which have often been run out of disk space...they never noticeably slowed down (no trim etc) all I ever did was Defrag and wipe the free space occasionally.
I have Just replaced them with 2x 128gb M4's which on paper should be 3 times quicker

sadly they don't feel much quicker really, but OCUK had a good deal on and I needed the extra space. Let's hope they are as reliable as the Intels.

Best Advice, Don't go by reviews and posts from people who have only had stuff for a few days :rolleyes:

sunama · 1 Oct 2011 at 12:07

Intel SSDs may well be the best (they do seem to score high when it comes to reliability), but they are also very pricey.

My understanding is that where SSDs show real world improvements (ie. beyond benchmarking programs), is the access time, due to their lower latency. The drives which offer ultra high transfer rates may need benchmarking programs to show their performance.

This is why, when people suggest buying the SSD with the highest transfer rate (for a high price premium)...I'm usually dubious about this.

I think the key thing you stated in your posts is that all apps and OS must be installed on the SSD. There seems to be no point in placing your OS on the SSD and then all your applications and saved data on a mechanical HD. This means that it is essential to buy a BIG SSD, if you do decide to got the SSD route.

Jakus · 1 Oct 2011 at 13:17

Sadly Reliability is boring part of the subject, but it's also the beginning and end of the subject

I would say You would struggle with less than a 80gb drive allowing only 25gb for the operating system and apps and the rest partitioned for a couple of the latest games etc

For Many who don't/can't optimise and manage Windows and data, best forget about SSD's until they become very much cheaper

The only Place an SSD is 100% essential is a Laptop that is anything other than screwed to a desk (still amazes Me people think they can move a laptop when its switched on )

mikeo · 1 Oct 2011 at 21:19

JAKUS said:
...... all I ever did was Defrag and wipe the free space occasionally.
...

No disrespect intended. But I thought that one of the things that you were recommended never to do with an SSD, was to defrag it! Isn't storage management etc. handled by the firmware in the the SSD :confused:

Jakus · 1 Oct 2011 at 22:37

mikeo said:
No disrespect intended. But I thought that one of the things that you were recommended never to do with an SSD, was to defrag it! Isn't storage management etc. handled by the firmware in the the SSD

You are essentially correct

but to clear the cells they have to be free of data and I can not see how anything that manages free space and delete marked files can do much else than shuffle up the good date to one end and wipe the rest of the cells.
I know of no automated app that works in raid configurations, so I run a good defrager that consolidates free space then this little app (I found on OCZ forums) to clear the cells...it does work, but as I say the 80gb intels I used seemed remarkably good at sorting themself's out regardless of how I abused them (a few times I ran the OS partition totally out of disk space)

I hope the answer makes sense to You :cool:

FragnaticDeath · 2 Oct 2011 at 00:28

I have a laptop and an SSD is so noticeable. SO MUCH FASTER!!!! my hardisk has 3gb left on it and it loads up like in 20 seconds.

Anyhow as for your problem, when I connect external hardisks, keyboard, mouse they usually tend to make my laptop load up slow. So be sure and check if you have any of those on

hideki · 2 Oct 2011 at 01:04

look on the bright side, its a lot quieter, cooler and draws less power

kona786 · 2 Oct 2011 at 05:33

My year old 60gb vertex2E is only half full with W7 and all the apps I want on it - no games tho as I'm not a PC gamer.

Rest of my stuff - pics/vids/songs are on the other 5TB of mechanical storage.

mikeo · 2 Oct 2011 at 11:43

JAKUS said:
You are essentially correct but to clear the cells they have to be free of data and I can not see how anything that manages free space and delete marked files can do much else than shuffle up the good date to one end and wipe the rest of the cells.
I know of no automated app that works in raid configurations, so I run a good defrager that consolidates free space then this little app (I found on OCZ forums) to clear the cells...it does work, but as I say the 80gb intels I used seemed remarkably good at sorting themself's out regardless of how I abused them (a few times I ran the OS partition totally out of disk space)

I hope the answer makes sense to You

Interesting. A complex subject as you say. Especially when you take into account how radically different the firmware in the different controllers try to handle these sorts of things.

Jakus · 2 Oct 2011 at 17:04

mikeo said:
Interesting. A complex subject as you say. Especially when you take into account how radically different the firmware in the different controllers try to handle these sorts of things.

Yes, I'm sure some of the controllers have advance algorithms to shuffle the data just required to allow complete blocks to be erased...Obviously I'm guessing here

to limit rewrite cycles.