256GB SSD or 2x 128GB - pros & cons?

blackninja · 4 Dec 2011 at 12:41

I have a 128GB drive for OS/Games and now adding more SSD space to my rig and 256GB space will do for what i need - do I go for 2x128GB and RAID 0 or a single 256GB one? Which drive(s) should I go for?

Mobo is a Gigabyte X58-UD5 so SATA 2

panyan · 4 Dec 2011 at 12:49

personally i;d wait and see what this intel raid 0 trim thing is like before making your decision

reygjabla · 5 Dec 2011 at 15:00

I've done SSD Raid O before as some of the guys here. To be honest, you can't even tell the difference outside benchmark. With Raid on SSD, you need to at least re-image your system every 6 months as there's no TRIM support yet. I got tired of it, so, I ditched my Raid set-up and now i'm running my system on an Intel Elmcrest 256GB and never look back. Intel SSD Tools does the maintenance for me.

Essexraptor · 5 Dec 2011 at 15:13

^^^^^^^^^

Agree with this

Totally have not bothered with this idea at all. You just collect epreen points for the setup... but that's all

Depends on your amount of games that you have installed/run really? I belong to a testing group for one MMO and even a 256Gb SSD would not even touch the sides of my gaming requirements. With 3 different clients of one game alone it's a complete waste of time. I don't suffer any gaming issues with all the gaming stuff based on a good, high speed mechanical drive. Even a couple of Sammy F4 320Gb in RAID 0 would give you more than enough performance.

Buchanan0204 · 5 Dec 2011 at 15:42

I run SSD Raid 0. Two Vertex 2E 60GB.

Well... I wouldn't do it again, put it that way.

-=Vect0r=- · 5 Dec 2011 at 20:30

blackninja said:
I have a 128GB drive for OS/Games and now adding more SSD space to my rig and 256GB space will do for what i need - do I go for 2x128GB and RAID 0 or a single 256GB one? Which drive(s) should I go for?

Mobo is a Gigabyte X58-UD5 so SATA 2

You won't benefit from RAID0 due to being limited to SATA2 which maxes out at approx 285Mbs which one SSD will do on its own!

-=Vect0r=- · 5 Dec 2011 at 20:32

blackninja said:
I have a 128GB drive for OS/Games and now adding more SSD space to my rig and 256GB space will do for what i need - do I go for 2x128GB and RAID 0 or a single 256GB one? Which drive(s) should I go for?

Mobo is a Gigabyte X58-UD5 so SATA 2

You won't benefit from RAID0 due to being limited to SATA2 which maxes out at approx 285MBs which one SSD will do on its own!

Voicon · 6 Dec 2011 at 07:10

I just bought one of these for my X58 mobo, it runs at 5Gbps not 6 but it's the best you can do without a new mobo. I put a single SSD on it and it way out performs 2 X 7200rpm drives I had in a RAID 0.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CC-004-SR&tool=3

Looks like it is OOS at the moment

TwsT · 6 Dec 2011 at 08:53

I am running 2 64gb crucial M4 in Raid 0 and the access time only really shows up when playing BF3 or other games, I am pretty much first on the server everytime and load times are very minimal.

Utterly unnecessary but I already had one and couldn't justify buying a 128gb at the time. and 64gb isn't enough for my steam folder so the logical step was to combine 2. So far I've had no problems but I imagine it depends entirely on how and what you use your system for. I use mine for gaming I don't install massive amounts just the games I play a lot. Games I won't play much or am likely to un-install as soon as completed will go on my mechanical.

eyetrip · 6 Dec 2011 at 09:32

Have 2 x 64gb crucial m4's, but as with Twst, is only cause I already had one, and couldn't be bothered trying to sell one and get a 128gb.

The raid setup itself has not caused me any issues itself, but my system image software restore disc doesn't support it, so have to jump through a few extra hoops.

I might actually just change to using them for cache disks, but that will leave me with my corsair nova spare...

blackninja · 6 Dec 2011 at 21:02

Single SSD it is then. Any reason I should get one other than this one (Other than the fact it aint 256GB

):

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HD-077-OC&groupid=701&catid=2104&subcat=1427

Buchanan0204 · 7 Dec 2011 at 07:30

-=Vect0r=- said:
You won't benefit from RAID0 due to being limited to SATA2 which maxes out at approx 285Mbs which one SSD will do on its own!

Your mistaken I'm afraid.

nathanc · 7 Dec 2011 at 08:52

-=Vect0r=- said:
You won't benefit from RAID0 due to being limited to SATA2 which maxes out at approx 285Mbs which one SSD will do on its own!

In fact the opposite... this is a very good reason to Raid two drives.
You get the SATA 2 bandwidth on each drive!

I am going to get an SSD for my SATA 2 system in the next month or two and have considered this as an option.

If it wasn't for the lack of Trim, this would be an obvious way forwards... but as others point out, in reality, compared to a mechanical hard drive, I doubt one would notice the difference in real terms between a single SATA 2, SATA 2 RAID 0 or a SATA 3 SSD, and the convenience of a single drive with Trim out weighs the improved benchmark scores!

vintage-x · 7 Dec 2011 at 10:20

I thought garbage collection on vertex ssds was a good enough alternative for trim?

Buchanan0204 · 7 Dec 2011 at 15:45

vintage-x said:
I thought garbage collection on vertex ssds was a good enough alternative for trim?

Perhaps in theory. However, it definitely isn't the case for me. Yes the system is still more than usable... but things do slow down.

For e.g. On a fresh install on newly updated SSD's the Windows logo doesn't even complete it's animation before the desktop is loaded up.

A month later, it completes and stays for a bit... then loads the desktop.

WEI also knocks it down to 5.9 from 7.9... which is rather strange.

It's a pain in .****