Hi For those that have a Z68 or Z77 Motherboard, and want to add in a Caching SSD, it does not seem very easy to find these drives. Some Retailers like Overclockers, have a sub-catagorie listing Cache SSD`s, whilst others like Scan dont. Now when i compare various drives, i`m a little confused as to what the difference is between using a normal SSD of the same read & write performance, as opposed to a drive where the manufacturer has stated it is sold as a cache drive. Some retailers claim they all boost drive performance when paired with another, how in a Raid ? I think some come with installation software ? and there is a different bus type ? i`m not sure. If someone has installed an extra SSD with the Z68 / Z77 motherboard, to boost CPU performance, could you please tell me if i could purchase a normal SSD. The reason i ask, is cos a 128 Gb 550 read drive can be bought for only £20 extra then a 64 gb Cache drive. Could i partition it into 2, use one half for cpu boost, and the other half as a programme installation drive. Thanks
are these the ones you mean? http://www.scan.co.uk/products/30gb...-s-ssd-cache-drive-read-280mb-s-write-250mb-s
No thats not the one. Why pay £40 for a read speed of 280 mbs when you can spend an extra £20 for a drive with 550 mbs, and twice the capacity. These drives where Corsairs first attempt, and personaly i dont think they selling well. But clearly i`m not the only one confused with this issue. Bi-Tech, this would make a good informative article i think. Lets not only have a performance test, but also a installation instruction, and possibly the alternative choice i suspect someone can do, that would be great, thanks
Keeping things (fairly) simple, what you have are 2 ways of dealing with a cached SSD - 1. using a Z68/Z77 board, you have 'inbuilt' SSD caching... 2. ...& using any other board, you have SSDs that come with Nvelo's Dataplex software. Now, since you have 1, this means that you can choose any SSD that you like... ...however, one thing that is *very* important with caching SSDs is over provisioning since it will basically fill up any space that you give it to use. To give 2 examples of SSDs sold for caching (with Dataplex) - 1. The 50GB Crucial Adrenaline is, as near as makes no odds, a 64GB M4 which has been given an alt f/w to reduce the capacity by almost 22% (assuming i can add up tonight). 2. & the OCZ Synapses, basically Agility 3s, come with 64 or 128GB of nand but the available capacities are reduced by 50%. Now, whilst i personally wouldn't go for a caching option at all, my perspective is that the Crucial option does not provide enough extra OP for what it's trying to do - but it illustrates the point that 2 different manufacturers using 2 different controllers both see this as being essential. As to the idea of splitting the SSD into 2 to install apps on part of it, i really don't think that this is a great option... Well, at that point you'd have to be looking at at least a 128GB SSD to make it anything like sensible, &... ...whilst caching using SSDs is an interesting idea, i really don't think that it's either great value for money or the best way to use a SSD... Not that it wouldn't make things quicker than no SSD at all but, esp given that you can get a 128GB 830 for ~£80, if you couldn't afford any more then you'd be much better off using that for your OS/Apps/etc... ...than arsing about with caching. [Edit] Just as a quick note, afaik, Dataplex only works with Win7... ...whilst intel's SRT works with Vista & Win7... Though 'apparently' Dataplex is faster (naturally Nvelo would say that) - see page 13. [Edit 2] Just to note, i wasn't saying that you *should* buy a 128GB 830... Well, as the 256GB model is significantly faster (the 256GB SSDs always are on a model to model basis) & less than £150 then it'd be a much better buy for a standalone/non-caching SSD - if you've got the cash spare of course.
Hi PocketDemon Thanks for your feedback. I have a crucial C300 with progs and OS, and was looking at the new OCZ synapse 64gb 550 mbs to improve cache performance, and would like to see the CPU go up 100 Mhz as another claimed recently somewhere. As i have a Maximus Gene Z68 board, i dont see anything in the manual with regards to installing an extra SSD for this purpose. But from what i understand you saying, is that i could buy any old SSD, plug it in, and install this Dataplex software, or use Intels storage software that comes with the mainboard, and boom it should come to life. But for only an extra £20, i could get a 128 Gb SSD also 550 Mbs. But from what you saying, it doesnt seem like it is wise to create 2 partitions on a Caching drive. The other problem i have is i need to update the firmware, and format the drive my OS is on, bummer, dont know if its worth it, i`v spent along time sorting out the software. Could you suggest a good cloning app ? Thanks alot xxx
No problem... Afaik, the Dataplex software only comes with SSDs specifically sold for caching, rather than it being available to buy as an end user. isrt just needs a compatible mobo & drivers - the guide for using it is here though - not too complicated imho. Having said that, 'if' you're talking about having a SSD & a caching SSD then it's going to be a bit odd... Well, (effectively) anything that you access will be cached so unless you used the first SSD as data storage you'd be caching x amount of the data from the SSD - not the HDDs - which seems a little pointless. Otherwise, whilst i personally never clone (though you're going from SSD to SSD so, providing you set stuff up properly originally, there should be no real issue), the only thing i can recommend, on the basis of using it for backing stuff up, is Acronis' Trueimage (2011 or later)... ...though 'if' you bought an 830 then, depending on the package bought (i'm not 100% that all options come with it), you get Norton Ghost... ...which i imagine will do the job.
