SSD\SSD Cache Drive

whiteshadow

whiteshadow

whiteshadow

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29 Nov 2012
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Can someone explain how an SSD cache drive works and the difference in performance between using a cache drive opposed to a SSD being used as a high speed drive.

Thanks. :)
 
No moving parts whic means it will last longer and no noise.
Very fast, boot time, programs etc. Will boot up much faster.
 
a cache is when it stores the most used programs/data on the ssd ect and reads/writes to and from that giving you ssd speeds,it writes the data to the hdd if you close the cache or at specific intervals

its as fast as having the os on the ssd in everyway apart from boot ups,in caching mode its slightly slower,around 5-8 seconds
 
Ah.

If the boot up speed isn't a major issue then I'm better off getting a cache drive I guess as I'll be able to speed up every program, rather than just the programs I have on my SSD?

A SSD cache drive is physically different from a standard SSD then I guess?

Thanks for the help.
 
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you only need a caching ssd(with its own software) if you have a motherboard below a z68/z77

it comes with its own software to let you use caching

if you have a z68/z77 board then you can use any ssd upto 64gb to cache any hdd

its just as fast at loading programs,only thing its slower on is startup,ive used both methods caching and the os on the ssd itself,both work well
 
My mobo is pretty old, I'm assuming those are chipsets you're referring to?

I guess mine is below them.

http://www.asrock.com/mb/NVIDIA/K10N78/

Did Windows operate faster when it was installed on the SSD or was there not really that much difference when you were using SSD to cache the data instead?

Here's my current setup .....

AMD Phenom II 965 3.4 Ghz Black Edition
4Gb DDR2 RAM
WD Caviar Black 1TB hard drive (almost full ....... although I've got loads of rubbish on it I should probably trying sifting through to get some more space)
Focusrite Sapphire LE External Music Soundcard

I'm possibly going to get a new mobo, maybe even a CPU too, on top of an SSD at some point, so I'm trying to figure out wether a cache drive is better for me than using an SSD as a drive in it's own right.

I record music and game a lot too.
 
Addicted said:
I personally don't see the point in an SSD cache, why not just speed up everything instead of just a few things?
Click to expand...

I agree with you just music takes up a lot of space and I own a lot of games. I'd need to spend a heck of a lot to get a SSD with enough space to put everything on it, although I guess I could just put on the most important programs and just move back and forth any other stuff.

That's how you'd do it I guess?
 
yes it was fast,faster than any mechanical hdd

but if i were you considering the price of the specialised caching ssd's as apposed to the regular ssd's id buy a regular one and stick windows onto it

one like the samsung 830 or 840 128gb ssd would suit you imo,just unplugg your other hdd's plug in the ssd,set to ahci mode in the bios for the sata ports and do a clean install of windows on the ssd,then once done plug back in the hdd and set the ssd as first boot device in the bios and use the 1tb as your storage hdd,you can even leave the old windows install on there just use what you need off the drive ect and re install and games/programs that wont work

thats how i have mine setup i use a 60gb ssd for windows and a big 2tb hdd for my games/music/films/programs ect,you can choose where to install each program if you select custom and point it to the hdd

then if you update the mb in the future you can take advantage of either caching mode or be able to use the full sata3 speeds of the drive,on that board youll see sata2 speeds which are around 250-260mb per second read/write

it will still transform your pc's performance

EDIT: you have to get your head around the fact that you only want windows operating system on the ssd and everything else,games/programs on the mechanical hdd,then space isnt a problem
 
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its seems daunting at first,but once youve set it up youll get used to it and it becomes second nature

the 256gb samsung 830 isnt bad value either if you wanted to stretch your budget,otherwise a 128gb would be plenty
 
So if you need to put music on a drive, keep it on your mechanical drive - you aren't going to benefit by it being on an SSD.

I would do the following:

SSD - main stuff (including windows) and most used programs/games.
HDD - stuff for data like photos/music and programs you don't use so often.

Depending how big your HDD's are so far, and how big of an SSD you get will obviously determine what goes where.
 
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