How to get max performance out of Crucial M4?

[CC268]

Hey guys, just did a clean install of Windows 7 and would like to start optimizing my SSD...in the meantime I am looking up some guides on optimization but here are a few questions I have (any guidance or suggestions are highly appreciated):

1. Should I use Intel Rapid Storage Technology?
2. Is it worth partitioning my SSD for gaming? (only 128 GB)
3. Any other suggestions...?

 

[rolli59]

1 it is the SATA raid software for the Intel ports install it
2 No 128GB is not worth partitioning
3 Look through the tweaks here http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/270102-32-useful-articles-part

 

[JackNaylorPE]

1. Should I use Intel Rapid Storage Technology?

They have so many names for things I lose track.

If that's the chipset driver, yes.
If that's the SSD caching saoftware, no
If that's the RAID driver, no need.

2. Is it worth partitioning my SSD for gaming? (only 128 GB)
No

3. Any other suggestions...?[/quotemsg]
http://thessdreview.com/category/ssd-guides/optimization-guides/

 

[J_E_D_70]

Run Windows Experience Index - that actually makes some changes to Windows when it detects the SSD.

 

[RetiredChief]

RST = Rapid Storage Technology, and yes IF USING a Intel Chipset. Intels equivalant to MS default driver (msahci) is iaSTot and is slightly better performance wise.

SRT = smart-response-technology. This is intended for thoes who could NOT afford a large enough SSD for OS + Programs. ie a 20 -> 40 gig SSD is to small to hold OS + Prograqms, so with that size one could cahce the HDD and improve HDD performance by say 2 X (to 4 X). Primarily what ends up being cached is the OS and therefore boot times are close to that for SSDs. NOT A LOVER OF this approach.

My Primary "tweaks":
.. Disable Hibernation, Not really needed and this saves an amount of SSD space equal to the size of your RAM. So have 8 gigs ram, saves 8 Gigs HDDs.
.. Manage your swap file (Page file, Virtual memory). Windows willo set this space to 1.5 X ram, so 8 gigs of ram = approx 12 gig page file. Set Min and max to same value (I use 1024 mb). This saves another approx 11 gigs.
.. Reduce the size that restore points can occupy on HDD. Thes can grox very large over time (each restore point is about 300 mb, just 10 of these is 3 GIGs
Above three changes saves an estimated 20 Gigs of Space on a SSD.

Then I also move C:\user\(Me)\Mydocs to HDD. Also set my downloads to HDD.

 

[CC268]

Alright guys so I followed the guide JackNaylor gave me, did all 18 steps or whatever it was, and ran this : http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/26476-desktop-shutdown-tweaks-combined.html - I could not find the WaitToKill file in regedit so I just ran this...any other suggestions?

I also downloaded Intel Rapid Storage

 

[CC268]

RST = Rapid Storage Technology, and yes IF USING a Intel Chipset. Intels equivalant to MS default driver (msahci) is iaSTot and is slightly better performance wise.

SRT = smart-response-technology. This is intended for thoes who could NOT afford a large enough SSD for OS + Programs. ie a 20 -> 40 gig SSD is to small to hold OS + Prograqms, so with that size one could cahce the HDD and improve HDD performance by say 2 X (to 4 X). Primarily what ends up being cached is the OS and therefore boot times are close to that for SSDs. NOT A LOVER OF this approach.

My Primary "tweaks":
.. Disable Hibernation, Not really needed and this saves an amount of SSD space equal to the size of your RAM. So have 8 gigs ram, saves 8 Gigs HDDs.
.. Manage your swap file (Page file, Virtual memory). Windows willo set this space to 1.5 X ram, so 8 gigs of ram = approx 12 gig page file. Set Min and max to same value (I use 1024 mb). This saves another approx 11 gigs.
.. Reduce the size that restore points can occupy on HDD. Thes can grox very large over time (each restore point is about 300 mb, just 10 of these is 3 GIGs
Above three changes saves an estimated 20 Gigs of Space on a SSD.

Then I also move C:\user\(Me)\Mydocs to HDD. Also set my downloads to HDD.

Do you just copy that directory (and Downloads) to your HD and delete them on the SSD?

 

[RetiredChief]

.. I just went to the dirctory and dragged it (rt click and selected move) over to the HDD.
.. For down loads. I md a directory on my HDD labled Downloads, then made sub directories (folder) for say Software, Hadware, ect. Then when I do a download I alwasy say "SAVE AS" and brosse to the HDD folder that I want to download to.

Added, From MS: http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_7-performance/move-the-my-documents-folder-to-another-drive/a41eaabb-2c5b-4502-85ba-fd49a007fd82
quote:

To move your documents to the D drive:

1. Create a new documents folder on the D drive.
2. Right-click the new folder and click Include in Library > Documents .
3. Click Start > Documents .
4. Double-click My Documents to show its contents.
5. Drag and drop the files to the new folder.
6. Press F5 to refresh the view.
7. Under Documents Library , click locations .
8. Right-click the new folder and click Set as default save location .
9. [Optional] Click My Documents and click Remove .

 

[andrewcutter]

It might be worthwhile to update the firmware for m4. There was one released recently that boosted the performance i think

 

[CC268]

It might be worthwhile to update the firmware for m4. There was one released recently that boosted the performance i think

Oh yes! Thanks for reminding me almost forgot. As far as everyone thing else goes though am I ready to go? Or should I do any more tweaks etc?

 

[CC268]

.. I just went to the dirctory and dragged it (rt click and selected move) over to the HDD.
.. For down loads. I md a directory on my HDD labled Downloads, then made sub directories (folder) for say Software, Hadware, ect. Then when I do a download I alwasy say "SAVE AS" and brosse to the HDD folder that I want to download to.

Added, From MS: http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_7-performance/move-the-my-documents-folder-to-another-drive/a41eaabb-2c5b-4502-85ba-fd49a007fd82
quote:

To move your documents to the D drive:

1. Create a new documents folder on the D drive.
2. Right-click the new folder and click Include in Library > Documents .
3. Click Start > Documents .
4. Double-click My Documents to show its contents.
5. Drag and drop the files to the new folder.
6. Press F5 to refresh the view.
7. Under Documents Library , click locations .
8. Right-click the new folder and click Set as default save location .
9. [Optional] Click My Documents and click Remove .

Thanks a lot! I will do this for Downloads and My Documents! I suppose I could do it for Music folder as well for like iTunes?

 

[RetiredChief]

For iTunes, My wife has the program setup on the SSD, and all iTune "stories" are stored on the "D" drive. Shes not into music, but loves to record stories that she then listens to while driving. Hers system:
SSD: C-Drive, for OS and programs
HDD:
.. D-Drive, Solely for itunes
.. E-drive, Everything else (She does a lot of embrodery design work)

 

[CC268]

Ahh gotcha, I will of course install iTunes on the SSD and then redirect where the songs download to to the D Drive (my HD) - this can be done in iTunes

 

[RetiredChief]

Yea, I think I hosed my wife's itunes. I cloned the HDD, after I fixed it, to a SSD. She HATES loon boot times. She had a problem that I had to fix - the fix was to re-install windows 7 (like an Upgrade, so all programs were intack), but it gave me a mesaage saying - Hey dumby, iTunes is NOT going to like this!!!.

 

[andrewcutter]

hehe im sure that your wife was very happy about the itunes not linking it ^^