Can two 128 ssd\'s be combined (spanned) to make one \

[wburnside]

I have a new i7 build with (1) 128 gig ssd (crucial) for system and apps ( way too many large apps, reviot all flavors and other all consuming applications. I started with user files moved to a 1T spinner (WD black) 128 is full, I have physically installed secound 128 but cannot extend original c to new ssd to give me a 256. I would like to avoid a total reinstall if possible. Any suggestions out there?

 

[silverliquicity]

Hey, Google "Raid Configuration" with your motherboard model.

You will find exactly what you need.

 

[EDVINASM]

Bit complicated but your only option to "extend" would be to RAID0 the drives. Backup -> RAID 0 -> Restore (hope it won't crash)

 

[shanky887614]

best thing to do would be, buy 2 then using a program like steam mover

move your applications to either another ssd or hdd

ive got a seperate partition for games and im going to make another for programs, this makes it easy to backup as well

 

[13thmonkey]

also you lose trim with raid, so its not worth it.
You can't do software raid as they are your boot drives.
Z68 & use it as a cache drive, trim is maintained etc.

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/storage/display/kigston-hyperx-ssd-raid0.html
Problems with SSd in Raid 0, look at performance over time.

 

[das_stig]

Not worth it.

Install o/s on SSD, move acocunts, temp folders, pagefile etc to HDD and create hard symbolic links from HDD back to SSD for installing big stuff and you will see a better performing system.

 

[xx_pemdas_xx]

Not worth it.

Install o/s on SSD, move acocunts, temp folders, pagefile etc to HDD and create hard symbolic links from HDD back to SSD for installing big stuff and you will see a better performing system.

+1 😀

 

[13thmonkey]

Not worth it.

Install o/s on SSD, move acocunts, temp folders, pagefile etc to HDD and create hard symbolic links from HDD back to SSD for installing big stuff and you will see a better performing system.

if you could write a how-to on that (symbolic links), then that'd be sticky material, unless its just the movement of the std folders to the hdd?

 

[RetiredChief]

Have 3 systems, all with daul SSDs, first one is for OS +Programs, 2nd one = Overflow/work/scratch disk. I much prefer this to a raid0 configuration.

Raid 0 = Re-install, No trim support, must rely on garbager collection soley.
Raid 0 will increase Sequencial performance - No rela benifit to OS load or program load. DO NOT improve access time, and very little to the more important 4 K random file performance.

 

[swifty_morgan]

13monkeys has the right idea. Although the drive is large ( 128 ) Intel Smart Re. is the way to go. A friend of mine raided 2 SSD's and he can't figure out why they're not what they were advertised to be"....( they run like crap in short order ) ..... try and tell him because you raided them and he says NO........... his problem. Running SSD's add work for the user..... and you can't just keep ignoring them like you do regular drives.....

 

[RetiredChief]

^ While I agree - no raid0, I disagree on using the 2nd 128 gig as SRT drive. Can only use upto 64 gigs as srt, which means partitoning the drive, assuming you can use a partitioned drive and again you lose trim for a SRT SSD (all of it not just what is used for SRT) - one of the reasons Intel went with a SLC drive vs MLC.

With SSD overall performance for HDD is increased by 1.5 -> 4x.
and Only that which is cached is improved. My contention is That I can better select what is on the SSD than what the cache algorithum "quesses".
The primary concept for SRT was to improve HDD performance when the operating system is installed on the HDD - Not the case here.

 

[13thmonkey]

is there a 64GB limit, my bad, I was wondering about trim on that as well.
My steam folder is >150GB, but in any one week only 1-2 games are used, and hence would be cached after a first few loads. And you can't split your steam folder.

 

[mcnumpty23]

though it does look like intel will soon be sorting the no trim on raid issue

http://www.tomshardware.com/news/Intel-RST-SSD-TRIM-RAID,14048.html

 

[goodguy713]

also you lose trim with raid, so its not worth it.
You can't do software raid as they are your boot drives.
Z68 & use it as a cache drive, trim is maintained etc.

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/storage/display/kigston-hyperx-ssd-raid0.html
Problems with SSd in Raid 0, look at performance over time.

yea but intel plans to add trim support in there next release for the driver updates for raid 0 ssds

 

[13thmonkey]

heard that about 3 months ago...

 

[RetiredChief]

Will evaluate after it comes out, but up to then I think I'm going to continue recommending not using Raid and use as two seperate disk.

Have a 2nd problem that unforciantly only time will tell, and that is reliability. I have no problems with raid0 on a pair of HDD. Infact right now I'm trying to get my OLD KR7A-Raid system back up. Has a pair of 40 Gig IDE (Yes 40 gig) HDDs in raid0. problem is finding the OLD version of the F6 driver.
But back to SSDs. Awhile back there was a poster that indicate a high turn over (failure rate in a corporate enviorment. Talking to my son over xmas, he also indicated a High failure rate (compared to HDDs) installed in the "box" that he designed to go into a tv for connecting to the web. Both cases are NON-raid setups.

 

[wburnside]

Best answer selected by wburnside.

 

[wburnside]

I want to thank everyone for the replies to my question. I ended up installing os on 1st ssd, all programs on 2nd ssd, and "permanent" move of user files to 3rd standard 1 gig wd black that has 4th standard 1 gig wd black as mirror with 5th drive for archives. Backup is to server 2011. Both server and primary sytem backup by cloudberry offsite. Everything seems to working fine. I am not a tech guy but there are some sharp folks on this forum. Thanks again!

 

[13thmonkey]

What a random best answer

 

[nikorr]

This topic has been closed by Nikorr