Quantcast

Maximum PC
It is currently Wed Jun 19, 2013 12:19 pm

View unanswered posts | View active topics


Board index » Hardware » Nuts & Bolts

All times are UTC - 8 hours




Post new topic Reply to topic  Page 1 of 1
  [ 4 posts ] 
  Print view Previous topic | Next topic 
Author Message
MdX MaxX
 Post subject: Best Way to Take Advantage of Intel Smart Response?
PostPosted: Sun Jun 26, 2011 9:48 am 
8086
8086

Joined: Sun Aug 16, 2009 11:35 am
Posts: 81
I'm going to be building a PC soon using the Z68 chipset. My build will include an SSD. Therefore, I want to take advantage of Smart Response.

Here's my question. With Smart Response, is there still any reason to use an SSD as a straight-up boot drive?

Originally, I planned to use half the SSD as a straight-up boot/OS partition, maybe install Chrome on it, then use the other half with Smart Response.

But then I figured this: won't Smart Response put boot files on the SSD anyway? Maybe boot times won't be very different between an SSD-only config and an HDD+SSD-cache config.

I use Chrome every day, so won't Smart Response put it on the SSD as well? Then maybe there's no reason to have a dedicated SSD-only partition.

Thoughts? Is my logic correct?
Top
  Profile  
 
kleinkinstein
 Post subject: Re: Best Way to Take Advantage of Intel Smart Response?
PostPosted: Sun Jun 26, 2011 2:12 pm 
Clawhammer
Clawhammer
User avatar

Joined: Fri Sep 23, 2005 6:22 pm
Posts: 4406
Location: In the closet
There were a few instances in which SRT will have a negative impact on performance but this is because SRT only caches the most used data. This means benchmarks that measure performance by reading all sectors of the drive will not benefit from SRT like the sequential write test in CrystalDiskMark. One of the main issues with SRT is that the performance improvements are not consistent and aren’t anywhere near as great for applications and processes that you don’t use very often. If you use a SSD on its own in your system, the performance improvements will be noticeable all around, not just in your most frequently used applications and processes.

It doesn't take much to kick some of that data out of the cache. So a pure SSD setup is going to give you predictable performance across the board regardless of what you do, whereas SRT is more useful in improving performance in more limited, repetitive usage models. Is sounds like you as well as most users probably fall into the latter category,

In my use I've only noticed two reliability issues with SRT. The first issue was with an early BIOS/driver combination where I rebooted my system (SSD cache was set to maximized) and my bootloader had disappeared. The other issue was a corrupt portion of my Portal 2 install, which only appeared after I disabled by SSD cache. I haven't been able to replicate either issue and I can't say for sure that they are even caused by SRT, but I feel compelled to share them nevertheless. As with any new technology, I'd approach SRT with caution—and lots of backups.
Top
  Profile  
 
MdX MaxX
 Post subject: Re: Best Way to Take Advantage of Intel Smart Response?
PostPosted: Sun Jun 26, 2011 3:35 pm 
8086
8086

Joined: Sun Aug 16, 2009 11:35 am
Posts: 81
Hmm, okay. I would prefer all-around performance gains, but I don't have the budget for a capacious SSD.

I'm pretty sure I'll be getting a 64GB SSD. Say I put half toward SRT and half toward the OS, Chrome, GIMP, and some other small applications. Would that be the optimal setup? The applications I want to be fast will always be fast, and stuff on the HDD, such as games, will still get a speed boost.

And I'll be sure to do frequent backups.
Top
  Profile  
 
Airheadq
 Post subject: Re: Best Way to Take Advantage of Intel Smart Response?
PostPosted: Mon Jun 27, 2011 6:54 am 
Million Club - 2 Plus
Million Club - 2 Plus
User avatar

Joined: Wed Nov 01, 2006 11:44 am
Posts: 2668
Location: Up in you attic...Wi-Fi is delicious
Another option would be to use the Silverstone HDDBoost.
Top
  Profile  
 
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  Page 1 of 1
  [ 4 posts ] 

Board index » Hardware » Nuts & Bolts

All times are UTC - 8 hours


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 3 guests

You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot post attachments in this forum

Search for:
Jump to:  
Powered by phpBB © 2000, 2002, 2005, 2007 phpBB Group