SSD - Making the Move

[FLS]

If the P5Q gives you an intrusion alarm message and refuses to boot just reset the CMOS and the intrusion alarm jumper.

[Ghastly]

Onboard controllers are almost without exception 'fake' raids i.e. they don't have an own controller chip. They just provide an interface to the OS to handle raid similarly as linux does soft raid natively.

If you get a $300 raid card with it's own processor it offloads I/O functions from the processor and gives you a slight performance benefit if you use an app that has heavy I/O functions.

One of the biggest advantages to using an additional controller for your RAID array is something that's rarely mentioned - it's not performance (although MrRiplEy is spot on), it's not functionality - it's that you can move the drive array to almost any other computer that will allow you to plug in the card and keep your RAID Array intact.   A failing motherboard in a system (or a simple desire to upgrade) is no where near as big of a deal.

FWIW, I don't see any reason to even bother with RAID 5 any more.  Disks are so cheap, and RAID 10 performs so much better, it's just a no brainer.

But SSD - even SSD RAID - is IMO just not worth the 10x+ cost.  And given that folks I trust (like Skuzzy) are stating that the current crop of SSD's are prone to catastrophic failure put's a done deal on them in my book.

<S>

[Krusty]

Well, Ghastly, SOMEbody's gotta test it, right?

[Chalenge]

Its not ten times the expense I dont care how you calc it (unless I see catastrophic failures). I will keep you up to date. 

[Bino]

Hey, Challenge, how's the SSD working out for you?  I'm thinking of using one in my next build.  Seems like all the reviews I can find out there on the i-net call it the best single go-fast tweak around.

[Chalenge]

Dont do it is all I can recommend. It worked for me... for awhile... and then it slowed WAY down. Vista might have been to blame but I think the technology just isnt there yet. The faster setup is Velociraptors or even 7200 rpm hard drives in RAID either one. A good RAID card is the best way to go also... instead of onboard controllers I mean. By good I mean expensive since I didnt find a cheap one that had happy users and I finally settled on Adaptec.

[Gatr]

I am runnin an SSD... the speed is really good w/ standard windows settings...
But if you do some lookin around and tweak up some drive settings and reg settings..
THEY SCREAM!!!
I have an OCZ they have a great tips page on windows SSD tweaks....
Check your SSD's site for tips on set up....
IT MAKES A MONSTER IMPROVEMENT!!!
Gatr

[Bino]

Thanks for the update! 

This recent article at Anandtech on SSD piqued my interest.  He goes into some detail on just why these drives slow down after a while.  A good read, IMHO.

But the Intel SSD prices are nuts, at something like 350-400 for a measly 80 GB drive. 

[MrRiplEy[H]]

Thanks for the update! 

This recent article at Anandtech on SSD piqued my interest.  He goes into some detail on just why these drives slow down after a while.  A good read, IMHO.

But the Intel SSD prices are nuts, at something like 350-400 for a measly 80 GB drive. 

If you want I/O Violin is the way to go. Beats the crap out of SSD and won't slow down.

[Bino]

If you want I/O Violin is the way to go. Beats the crap out of SSD and won't slow down.

Well, yeah... but I'm building one little desktop machine, not a corporate data center.   

Still, really nice technology, for sure!

[Krusty]

Whoa... I read that article you linked... Geez, I had no idea the entire system was flawed like that. I was entertaining the idea of MAYBE having a boot drive as SSD and a secondary as a normal HD, but now I think my next computer will just have a fast HD.

I think I'll wait til holographic storage drives are out

[68Wooley]

Stay away from RAID5 - its performance sucks.

If you want safety, go RAID1. If you want performance, go RAID0. If you want  both, go RAID10.