Samsung 64GB 2.5" SATA-II MLC Solid State Hard Drive

[[timko]]

Vortex, here's a slightly simpler way of achieving the same thing but without the need for searching for your profile folder, creating the js file, saving the .js file with a .txt extension despite telling Notepad user.js. Notepad by default saves files with .txt unless the user drops down the file type box in the save dialog and chooses All Files *.*. Otherwise they will get user.js.txt! To avoid that potential mishap, do the following instead

1) Open Firefox

2) Type about:config in the address bar

3) Right click any existing entry and choosing New -> String

4) Enter browser.cache.disk.parent_directory

5) Enter the full path to an existing folder on your mechanical drive for Firefox-3 to use for the disk cache. You can alt-tab away and create the folder if you haven't already created one and the alt-tab back.

6) Restart Firefox and load up a a website or two.

7) View the folder you created to ensure there are some new created cache files and folders etc. Job done!

8) If nothing appears in the folder then type about:config in the address bar again

9) In the Filter field below the tabs bar, type browser.cache and press enter. This will filter out most of the entries and show you the ones beginning with browser.cache.

10) Look for browser.cache.disk.parent_directory and then right click it and select Modify and change it accordingly. Remember to restart firefox again.

 

[Bane]

To maximising the drive life span I was going to use Microsoft's Steadystate as per this OCZ thread and the two partition option. Question is do you have to provide an offset when aligning for both partitions?

 

[dirtydog]

To maximising the drive life span I was going to use Microsoft's Steadystate as per this OCZ thread and the two partition option. Question is do you have to provide an offset when aligning for both partitions?

I don't know whether you are meant to, but I made two partitions on my drive and only specified an offset for the first partition. For the second one I left the parameter out altogether and it set it itself. Whether it set it optimally, I can't say except that it seems to work fine. Not very scientific I know

 

[VortexA1]

Ok thanks for that info about firefox.
I can't set up raid for the two of them..freezes on Intel Matrix Storage Manager (Abit ip35 pro) on Bios Select screen..well no buttons work.

Going now lol..going to get the one configured

 

[oggiet]

Ok thanks for that info about firefox.
I can't set up raid for the two of them..freezes on Intel Matrix Storage Manager (Abit ip35 pro) on Bios Select screen..well no buttons work.

Going now lol..going to get the one configured

Have you tried latest BIOS mate ??

 

[Bane]

I don't know whether you are meant to, but I made two partitions on my drive and only specified an offset for the first partition. For the second one I left the parameter out altogether and it set it itself. Whether it set it optimally, I can't say except that it seems to work fine. Not very scientific I know

Looks like you are fine. Found the below post on OCZ

I have some questions;

When you align the first partition, do you have to align all the others after that? I.e., align each and every partition on the SSD?

If so, how does one know "where on the SSD" to create the second partition? I.e., when you create the second partition, what do you specify as the starting block/cylinder?

Reply by AGlobalThreatsK
No, as already stated in this thread (or another one of the many threads on this forum) once you align the first partition, the others fall into place, "just like you're building a brick wall".

 

[dirtydog]

Nice I had a hopeful feeling it might work like that.

 

[shine]

snip

Worked first time - thanks.

 

[[timko]]

Time to add some results of my own...

As stated in the screenshot: 2 x 64Gb Samsung MLC Raid-0 ICH10R 128k Stripe + 128k offset. The drives are blank as the install of WinXP 64Bit is on a HDD.

I just looked over the Vertex results thread ( http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=17983387 ) and have arrived at the following noteworthy comparisons to my Raid-0 setup:

1) A single Vertex can pull just ahead on read rates.

2) Write rates on the single Vertex is about 30% lower.

The two 64Gb Samsung SSDs here cost slightly less than the single 60Gb Vertex (£218inc vat at OCuk) and performs almost as well with double the available capacity but has the slight added complexity of Raid-0.

For those with notebooks (or other situations where only a single drive bay/port is available) then the Vertex is definitely the way forward if this level of performance is required. When the price on the Vertex drops I'll be sure to grab a pair of those to get over 400MB/sec read rates in Raid-0

 

[Well Splattered]

Time to add some results of my own...

As stated in the screenshot: 2 x 64Gb Samsung MLC Raid-0 ICH10R 128k Stripe + 128k offset. The drives are blank as the install of WinXP 64Bit is on a HDD.

Compare with my 2 x 64Gb Samsung MLC Raid-0, now I have found a version of Atto that works! ICH9R 128k stripe. Didnt play with offset, left at Vista default.

[I just looked over the Vertex results thread ( http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=17983387 ) and have arrived at the following noteworthy comparisons to my Raid-0 setup:

1) A single Vertex can pull just ahead on read rates.

2) Write rates on the single Vertex is about 30% lower.

The two 64Gb Samsung SSDs here cost slightly less than the single 60Gb Vertex (£218inc vat at OCuk) and performs almost as well with double the available capacity but has the slight added complexity of Raid-0.

Same deduction I came too.

 

[John24]

Yeah I tried that but doesn't work with firefox 3. If you guys want the link I can post it for '3'.

I did it the other day and it worked fine for FF3... fyi the method you posted is the same thing, your just editing user.js directly instead of through about:config. Both methods work with FF3.

 

[[timko]]

Well Splattered I think you need to turn on write-back cache to bring up your read scores as well as read and write for the lower transfer values (0.5 to 16). Look at Lejimster's post below on how to do it in Vista...

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showpost.php?p=13613338&postcount=4

You need to look for the name you gave the raid setup in the BIOS. Lejim has left it at the default of VolumeX so unless you changed it (like I did) then you should look for that in Device manager as well

 

[VaderDSL]

Found a local fairly well known retailer in components here in Manchester that is charging

£389.31

for the 64Gb Samsung SSD, oh how I laughed!

 

[VortexA1]

Have you tried latest BIOS mate ??

No I haven't and when I try and do it ..I get into DOS with a bootable cd and the cursor flashes and whenever i press a key on the keyboard nothing comes up on screen

So at the mo only 1 ssd ..not in raid..even though I've bought 2.

 

[dirtydog]

I'm a bit confused about these ATTO benchmarks.

According to ATTO my 7200rpm Caviar Black drive murders it for write speeds and is also faster for reading, yet programs do load significantly quicker because I have a cloned install of Windows on both drives, and I timed various program loading times with a stopwatch. Is it simply because of the very low access time?

Caviar Black on the left, Samsung on the right.

 

[DanF]

Yeah the access times is what makes SSD's so fast, try running something like PCMark Vantage and you should see some real big differences, especially in Raid 0

Vertex real world tests

Those Caviar Blacks are pretty fast then, I ran ATTO on an older 500gb samsung drive and it averaged out to about 45mb/s read/write.

 

[VortexA1]

well all I can say 1 ssd is amazing. Some people have said 1 isn't worth it but I don't agree but I've paid for 2 lol. I might have to send back or sell the 2nd one.

 

[Bane]

Anyone installed software to extend life of these MLC drive?

I was going to follow this guide to install Enhanced Write Filter for Windows partition. Then something like Easyco Managed Flash for secondary partition, except Easyco MFT is expensive. Unless the beta is really unlimited timescale, but I think you got to request a temporary serial/activation code.

 

[dirtydog]

Seems to be as they say, write performance drops off as the drive fills up?

I have the single drive partitioned into two. The second volume's ATTO benchmark is above, this is the first partition, see how the write speeds are much slower. When I benched the whole drive from new, while it was empty, the whole drive scored higher in ATTO. I wonder if this will degrade further still? At least read speeds have held up which I guess is the most important thing.

Comparison:

1st partition vs 2nd partition

 

[oggiet]

well all I can say 1 ssd is amazing. Some people have said 1 isn't worth it but I don't agree but I've paid for 2 lol. I might have to send back or sell the 2nd one.

ah thats good to hear mate , after you nightmare with raid 0 i'm glad it was still worth the buy. my one should arrive today/tomorrow as it was posted yeasterday...do you mind letting me know what sort of applications did you install on SSd and what on your old HDD.