2x vertex 2 sata2 raid 0 or 2 vertex 3 sata3 non raid?

[stocovick]

Hi everyone! I currently own two intel 80gb ssds ina raid 0 config on my asus p6x58d premium motherboard. This motherboard only accpets raid configs using it´s sata2 connection. To use sata3 you can´t use raid. So I´m looking to upgrade to a vertex drive. Is it better to have two vertex 2 sata2 using raid 0 or two vertex 3 using sata3 non raid? And most important of all, will one of this options be way better than what I have today, or I´ll probably not even notice?

 

[ssddx]

2x vertex2 in raid 0 should be faster performing then a non-raid0 solution. most ssds cannot tap out sata2 so i doubt that most average drives can fully take advantage of sata3. i dont know the individual specs but you can easily find them online (perhaps even on toms).

the thing with raid 0 is that if one hard drive fails... you are completely screwed. you gain speed but that is it. regular backups are highly suggested. if you want the fastest performing system you can, raid0 is the way to go.

if you have individual drives you still only have 1 drive running the os and one drive for storage. if either one fails you're still screwed but at least your programs or your windows install would survive. backups are still highly suggested. you can save backups to your other drive and not be screwed if you get a failure.

raid1 has the same performance level of one drive but essentially does the same thing as backing up your data every single time you make a write. the downside is that if you have two drives, you only have the space of one drive. the upside is that if there is a failure you can just keep chugging along and just add in a new drive to replace a failed one without losing any sleep.

 

[stocovick]

Thank you for answer ssddx, but i keep backups of my data in several places and i´m constantly backing up so what i´m looking for is speed!

 

[ssddx]

this is a good thing.

you should be pursuing the raid-0 solution then. it would be a good idea to look at the graphs on vertex3 speeds but i doubt it can compete with raid-0.

 

[stocovick]

thank you ssddx! i´ll look into that!

 

[groberts101]

best case with that board would be 2 x V3's in R0. The controller is much improved all around(yes.. even on sata2), especially at garbage collection and throttling reductions.

next would be to run 2 smaller V2's in R0 for about the same price as a V3 and add another V3 for storage(though they seem a bit pricy for that). Faster speed for the OS and decent enough for storage.

Then would be the 2 seperate single drives running independantly. I can't see wasting the potential of R0 but i am more of the power user type so ymmv.

as for the large difference between the Intel and Sandforce raid?.. a difference?.. yes.. but not like going from HDD to SSD by any stretch. Is like comparing an apple to a bigger apple. They both taste the same but you may still want more when your done eating the smaller one. lol

 

[stocovick]

That´s exactly how i feel! I just can´t get enough of these apples! I do want a bigger one! Do you know any tests that were made with sata 3 ssds comparing their performance when plugged to a sata 2 connection? I can´t find anything...

 

[groberts101]

many to pick through here and all over that forum.
http://www.ocztechnologyforum.com/forum/showthread.php?85336-Vertex-3-Reviews

 

[stocovick]

one of the sites showed the performance halved when using sata2. maybe it´s not the best idea to put two vertex 3 on a sata2 even if its raid 0 since it would be the same as two vertex 2! I was also looking into the revo drive x2, it looks like a good option for less then if i buy two vertex 3.

 

[groberts101]

pro's and con's however you go these days. All I can tell you is that the Vertex 3 is stronger all around regardless of being bottlenecked by SATA2.

Stronger recycling engine, less throttling than previous gen SF drives(including the Revo) and better write performance when using incompressible data.

 

[stocovick]

Best answer selected by stocovick.