256 SSD or 2x 128GB w/ RAID0??

[huntrik]

Hey guys,

Question, I was going to buy the SAMSUNG 830 Series MZ-7PC256D/AM 2.5" 256GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) Desktop Upgrade Kit http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147135 for $249 after $70 instant rebate. But there is a sale tonight for the 128GB version and I was wondering if it would be better to get 2x 128GB and RAID0 them (not to mention save $48) or should I just stick with the 256GB?? Thanks

Hunt

 

[Dereck47]

Stick with the 256GB drive. You probably wouldn't notice any real world difference in performance with 2 drives in RAID-0.

 

[huntrik]

So get the 256GB for $248 and skip the 2x 126GB for $99 each? The 256GB is worth the extra $48?

 

[Dereck47]

Tough call. You lose TRIM with drives in a RAID array (not that big of a deal though with current generation SSDs), and there's no fault tolerance, so if one of your drives dies then you lose all of your data.

I like tinkering, upgrading & benchmarking my system so personally I would set up the RAID array, but I don't recommend RAID to regular users since most of the time they're not using their system in a way that would benefit with RAID.

 

[huntrik]

I currently have 2x 300gb raptors in raid 0 on my old rig so Im familiar with the whole losing all info but I only keep OS and 1 or 2 games on those HDDs and the rest on a storage drive

 

[Dereck47]

In that case go with the RAID-0 array.

Since you won't have TRIM Log off (not Shut down) overnight once every couple of weeks or so to allow Garbage Collection to maintain drive performance.

Use your Raptors as a backup drive.

 

[huntrik]

What is TRIM? Of the last 3 years its been since I built a computer I have spent 18 months of that in a combat zone and am now out of the loop on a lot of ***.

Raptor drives will stay in this machine for my son, Im just going to do a 3TB storage drive in my new rig

 

[Dereck47]

Short description: TRIM & Garbage Collection are used by SSDs to maintain drive performance.
SSDs can use TRIM while you are using your system. Garbage Collection normally is activated when your system is idle.

Detailed description: http://thessdreview.com/daily-news/latest-buzz/garbage-collection-and-trim-in-ssds-explained-an-ssd-primer/

 

[Proximon]

I hate to jump in where I'm not on solid ground, but I think that is incorrect. You will lose storage space over time without trim because garbage collection won't clean up everything.
Also keep in mind that you probably don't have the bandwidth to utilize any speed advantage raid 0 would provide.... then there is the increased likely hood of failure with two drives.

 

[huntrik]

Ok, so 1 256 or 2x 128? I am adding everything to cart on newegg right now and ready to buy. Just spent 6 months in Afghanistan and ready to get this thing built 😀

 

[Proximon]

give me a few and I'll get another opinion.

 

[Dereck47]

I've had 2 60GB SATA II SSDs in RAID-0 since late 2009 and I haven't lost any space.

If you're unsure what to do then go for the 256GB drive.

 

[tecmo34]

I hate to jump in where I'm not on solid ground, but I think that is incorrect. You will lose storage space over time without trim because garbage collection won't clean up everything.
Also keep in mind that you probably don't have the bandwidth to utilize any speed advantage raid 0 would provide.... then there is the increased likely hood of failure with two drives.

With news SSDs like the Samsung 830, the firmware for GC does a great job handling the clean up process just fine without TRIM. TRIM just:
■Lower write amplification. Less data is re-written and more free space is available during GC (more space to write equals fewer writes needed);
■Higher throughput. With the TRIM command, there is less data to move during GC and the drive runs faster. Throughput is bottlenecked at the flash – an SSD is only as fast as it can write to the flash memory. During the time it is doing GC, the drive has to stop some of the data transfer from the host while it moves data around. This is why it’s beneficial for the SSD to know which data is invalid – so it doesn’t have to be moved during GC.
■Improved endurance, because the drive is writing less to the flash by not rewriting invalid data." .

TRIM played a bigger role in original SSDs but the new SSD's firmware doesn't rely on TRIM to properly conduct its GC. Just as stated, you need to allow for some ideal time for the GC to do its job. You are not impacted by lost space overtime.

I agree with you on the bandwidth, specially if running on a SATA II motherboard. Even with SATA III, the speed is faster than the bandwidth, so you won't be able to "use" all that speed.

 

[Proximon]

Thanks! That's good news.