Having spend some 24 hours this weekend reading up on SSD technology i still feel quite confused on some subjects. First i wanted a vortex series 2 for OS. However it seems to be a no go due to the fact that i want to run it on XP. ( Since im still running ATI crossfire with x1950 pro that wont be supported by win7 ). And updating both GPU / OS and probably Mobo would be an investment to high for what i need it for. 1. However, how bad is the performance over time running an SSD wtih win XP if i install the sofware i need from scratch, and then keep the disk "clean" from to many new installs / uninstalls ? 2. I see a lot of people talking of lifetime of SSD´s. Are we talking certain dead or is it just a matter of formating it to resurrect it ? 3. I also wanted one for a silent drive to have all my music on. Im thinking, since i will only write the tracks ( MP3 / flacs / MKV vidoes ) onto it once, not deleting them again, this wont make the drive perform slower with time ? 4. I also thought of getting one for 24/7 maintainance of a server im running ( Still talking XP ). This is where the lifetime issue is up for debate ? Lets start with this. Im still having loads of questions in my head im not really sure if i got right. All these hours of reading about SSD´s in forums and tessts made me quite confused. Thx in advance. PS: And oh, my build is back on track. Just working my way towards a proper stunning update !
I personally think that SSD's are good enough now to be a viable system drive. The only thing you should consider is moving the pagefile to a standard HDD so as to not wear out the SSD too soon. Of coarse this defeats the object a little when it comes to wanting a silent drive system.
Don't bother with an SSD. For an XP user it's pretty pointless. in my opinion, just get a Spinpoint F3 instead and save your money for a new build later on.
I appreciate your answers. But i would really enjoy some indept inputs on point 2. - 4. Guess that answers point 1. ! Then again, im still curious about how people using SSD´s on XP already, is experiencing performance. Again Thx in advance folks.
Dead is dead for an SSD. It won't suddenly turn 'read-only' unless one means that it will detect when data loss begins to occur and disables any further writes. I don't know of any SSD which does this, though. Controller failure is also a relatively common thing with SSDs, resulting in complete and sudden data loss, comparable to a head crash with an HDD. Depends. There was this big thing with Intel drives which got dramatically slower over time. It really depends on the implementation of and algorithms used. This seems like a pointless use of an SSD, though, as they're so expensive per GB and HDDs are pretty silent already unless you want a completely passive system (no fans anywhere either). Unless you're using the server for database query caching or similar high IOPS operations, it'll be a waste of money. Durability depends on what kind of usage the drive sees.
Except you'll have to reformat every three months to keep the performance because XP doesn't support TRIM.
If you use the SSD for System and use another HDD for data and pagefile then surely you wouldn't have so much deleting and writing to cause such fragmentation problems?
But then its pointless, as to stick to this all your apps will have to be on the HDD, including web browsers. Which means the only time you'll see its effects will be at boot and nothing else will be effected. Some SSD's come with basic garbage cleaning systems in place, but these are nowhere near as effective as TRIM. I think an SSD would be a waste, as to use it you'd kill performance. The bottom line is, without TRIM SSD's are useless.
Ah! Sorry, I forgot he was on XP. Just another reason to get Windows 7 eh? Even the peripheral manufacturers are against you staying on XP(which makes sense really).
Why not? I was running my 7600GT on Windows 7 RC1 and it is the same generation I think. If Vista has a driver then use that for Windows 7.
'Since im still running ATI crossfire with x1950 pro that wont be supported by win7' *shrug* Why is this M.Ø.J??
I think the only thing you need to worry about is the lack of TRIM support. The 3 things that are stopping people from adopting SSDs are price, TRIM support and FUD. MTBF is LONGER than a HDD, noise and heat are non-existant. I'm the world's biggest SSD fangoon, but without TRIM I would stay away.
how long can you expect one to last before speed or other issues become a problem with windows 7 as im thinking of buying a small one to house my os and 1/2 of my more demanding games
Remember if you buy an indilinx based SSD, OCZ Vertex, Agility, Patriot Torqx, Corsair X-series etc. You can run a program called 'Indilinx Wiper Tool' which essentially issues the TRIM command to the SSD manually as opposed to having it carried out if you use Windows 7. This allows windows XP and Vista users to have SSD's and still utilize TRIM, thus retaining the performance of their drive. Running the command once a month or so would probably suffice in keeping your performance at a suitable level. I'm not sure if a tool like this is available for sandforce based drives like the Vertex 2 you mentioned, but if it were me, spending the extra cash for a Vertex 2 over a Vertex 1 is a waste as it would give next to no tangible benefit for the majority of users. Speaking from experience after having an SSD die on me after just over one years usage, formatting it is not possible and the drive was completely unusable, the upside is most manufacturers offer pretty hefty warranty's (in some cases up to 5 years) for a drive, I returned mine to OCZ and received a replacement under warranty and the new one has been running fine for the past couple of months.
There aren't any real downsides to SSDs. If the technology advances to the point where it can challenge mechanical drives for £/GB, then SSDs would seize the market overnight. The only issue can be if your running an obsolete operating system such as Windows XP, which is really your issue, not a problem with SSDs.
