2x 64 gb ssd in Raid 0 vs 128 gb ssd

Aulex · 11-15-2011, 04:56 PM

Im planning on purchasing an ssd during christmas for windows and my games, I have 200 dollars to spend and so im wondering should I get 2 64 gb ssd and put them in raid 0 and use my current hard drive's C drive as a back drive (ill obviously change the letter) or should I stick with 1 128 gb drive, also what drives should I get, I was originally going to get this ssd http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820227706,

but I heard the sandforce chipset is really screwy and also OCZ has horrible support, if you guys would please first answer my first question so i know what I'm looking for then suggest some drives.

Edit: So I was reading up a bit on the difference, apparently you lose trim support when you put the ssd's in the raid, is it worth it?

Burro Loco · 11-15-2011, 05:04 PM

The only SSD I would recommend are Intel's.
I wouldn't buy an OCZ product if there's another brand.

And going RAID 0 is cool but, as you said, you will lose trim since trim is not supported on RAID. Also, remember that RAID 0 is much more prone to failure, remember that SSD drives fail more than standard HDD.

I've been using two SSD (separate drives, no RAID) for over a year now and I'm happy. They are faster than my previous HDD RAID 0.

dosbox · 11-15-2011, 05:16 PM

Get a single, large SSD. They run faster than the smaller sizes anyway.

As for Sandforce, yes, avoid for now if you care about reliability. The most recent firmware is supposed to have fixed their issues, but that's what they've claimed many times before. At the very least wait a month or two before buying them in case it turns out the "fix" isn't.

Intel 320 and Crucial drives m4 have better reliability records, but slower benchmark numbers. The performance difference in the real world is small: http://techreport.com/articles.x/21672/11

DARKNIGHT · 11-15-2011, 05:56 PM

I used to get lock ups with my OCZ Agility 3 ssd, but somehow after installing the intel sata drivers for my Asus P6t deluxe v2 mobo, it stopped locking up.

For now im going to recommend anyone with an sandforce ssd to download the latest sata drivers for their mobo for windows and just install it, it might help for some people, and not for others. This may indicate a problem in the standard windows drivers as well, although i cant say that for sure.

Bad_Motha · 11-15-2011, 07:06 PM

Keeping up to date with motherboard chipset, ahci sata, raid drivers, etc. is always a good idea as it can help fixed previously unresolved software bugs that were hindering performance on the entire system. People often overlook these and forget to update them, or even look for updates for them.

DARKNIGHT · 11-15-2011, 07:35 PM

Yeah i prettymuch never installed the sata drivers before i had an ssd, because i figured the windows one would be good enough, and it was untill i bought an ssd.

11-15-2011, 04:56 PM	#1
Aulex Join Date: Aug 2011 Reputation: 113 Posts: 500	2x 64 gb ssd in Raid 0 vs 128 gb ssd Im planning on purchasing an ssd during christmas for windows and my games, I have 200 dollars to spend and so im wondering should I get 2 64 gb ssd and put them in raid 0 and use my current hard drive's C drive as a back drive (ill obviously change the letter) or should I stick with 1 128 gb drive, also what drives should I get, I was originally going to get this ssd http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820227706, but I heard the sandforce chipset is really screwy and also OCZ has horrible support, if you guys would please first answer my first question so i know what I'm looking for then suggest some drives. Edit: So I was reading up a bit on the difference, apparently you lose trim support when you put the ssd's in the raid, is it worth it?

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11-15-2011, 05:04 PM	#2
Burro Loco Join Date: Aug 2011 Reputation: 141 Posts: 676	The only SSD I would recommend are Intel's. I wouldn't buy an OCZ product if there's another brand. And going RAID 0 is cool but, as you said, you will lose trim since trim is not supported on RAID. Also, remember that RAID 0 is much more prone to failure, remember that SSD drives fail more than standard HDD. I've been using two SSD (separate drives, no RAID) for over a year now and I'm happy. They are faster than my previous HDD RAID 0.

11-15-2011, 05:16 PM	#3
dosbox Join Date: Mar 2005 Reputation: 2309 Posts: 8,460	Get a single, large SSD. They run faster than the smaller sizes anyway. As for Sandforce, yes, avoid for now if you care about reliability. The most recent firmware is supposed to have fixed their issues, but that's what they've claimed many times before. At the very least wait a month or two before buying them in case it turns out the "fix" isn't. Intel 320 and Crucial drives m4 have better reliability records, but slower benchmark numbers. The performance difference in the real world is small: http://techreport.com/articles.x/21672/11

11-15-2011, 05:56 PM	#4
DARKNIGHT Join Date: Jan 2004 Reputation: 1721 Posts: 5,159	I used to get lock ups with my OCZ Agility 3 ssd, but somehow after installing the intel sata drivers for my Asus P6t deluxe v2 mobo, it stopped locking up. For now im going to recommend anyone with an sandforce ssd to download the latest sata drivers for their mobo for windows and just install it, it might help for some people, and not for others. This may indicate a problem in the standard windows drivers as well, although i cant say that for sure.

11-15-2011, 07:06 PM	#5
Bad_Motha Join Date: Sep 2008 Reputation: 3133 Posts: 13,111	Keeping up to date with motherboard chipset, ahci sata, raid drivers, etc. is always a good idea as it can help fixed previously unresolved software bugs that were hindering performance on the entire system. People often overlook these and forget to update them, or even look for updates for them.

11-15-2011, 07:35 PM	#6
DARKNIGHT Join Date: Jan 2004 Reputation: 1721 Posts: 5,159	Yeah i prettymuch never installed the sata drivers before i had an ssd, because i figured the windows one would be good enough, and it was untill i bought an ssd.