Boot drive ssd AND msata

[joemama613]

Hi,

I know that mSata drives are used to cache and speed up boot HDDs using Intel's SRT tech, so, if my boot drive is an SSD, will adding an mSata using Intel SRT speed things up even more than just using the boot SSD? Or am I nuts?

Thanks,

Joe

 

[dingo07]

Probably nothing more than you would see in a benchmark, for real practical purposes you won't see a difference

 

[inzone]

You can't speed up a SSD with another SSD, they are both fast and unless you had an old first generation SSD that was running slow.

 

[JohnnyLucky]

The answer to your question is no. Trying to use a solid state drive as a cache for amnother solid state boot drive will not speed up anything. Among other things the rate at which data is transmitted between the motherboard and the ssd is limited.

mSATA is a form factor. It refers to a drive's dimensions. mSATA drives are smaller than standard 2.5 inch drives and are not housed in an enclosure. mSATA drives are typically used in small portable pc's such as netbooks while standard 2.5 inch drives are typically used in desktop pc's and laptops. Both mSATA and SATA ssd's can be used as a cache for a hard disk drive.

I maintain the ssd database listed in the sticky at the very top of this forum section. The database includes current SATA 3, 6Gb/s ssd's in the mSATA format:

http://www.johnnylucky.org/data-storage/ssd-database.html

Check the "interface" column for mSATA ssd's. Then follow the links to the technical reviews.

 

[joemama613]

The answer to your question is no. Trying to use a solid state drive as a cache for amnother solid state boot drive will not speed up anything. Among other things the rate at which data is transmitted between the motherboard and the ssd is limited.

mSATA is a form factor. It refers to a drive's dimensions. mSATA drives are smaller than standard 2.5 inch drives and are not housed in an enclosure. mSATA drives are typically used in small portable pc's such as netbooks while standard 2.5 inch drives are typically used in desktop pc's and laptops. Both mSATA and SATA ssd's can be used as a cache for a hard disk drive.

I maintain the ssd database listed in the sticky at the very top of this forum section. The database includes current SATA 3, 6Gb/s ssd's in the mSATA format:

http://www.johnnylucky.org/data-storage/ssd-database.html

Check the "interface" column for mSATA ssd's. Then follow the links to the technical reviews.

Then I have the following question. The Gigabyte board that I have, has an mSata port built into it. I assume that I could use an mSata drive in that port as a boot (C drive (and nothing more, meaning no SRT, etc). If that assumption is correct, and the specs and capacities of the mSata drive and a regular SSD are the same, then which would serve me better as my boot (C drive? Or, would it not make any real difference?

 

[dingo07]

it all comes down to the type of nand memory being used - slc is faster than mlc, so if you find a drive that will fit the OS and is slc, it will be faster than a drive that is mlc

http://www.smxrtos.com/articles/mlcslc.htm

 

[inzone]

it all comes down to the type of nand memory being used - slc is faster than mlc, so if you find a drive that will fit the OS and is slc, it will be faster than a drive that is mlc

http://www.smxrtos.com/articles/mlcslc.htm

This is very true but SLC drives are hard to find and very expensive, that's why the majority of SSDs are MLC.

 

[JohnnyLucky]

If your desktop motherboard supports the mSATA format, then you can use an mSATA drive.

If all things are equal, then it does not matter whether you install an mSATA ssd or a standard 2.5 inch ssd. Typically a few of the components are not the same due to the reduced size of the pcb board.

dingo07 - I agree with inzone. consumer ssd's with SLC flash memory are almost unheard of. The only one I have listed in the ssd database is the PURESILICON Renegade R4 model. At first I thought it was a typographical error until I looked at the product page. It is a highly specialized model designed to withstand extreme environmental conditions. There are no technical reviews so there is no detailed information about it.