Is is possible to combine 2 SSD's for one total capacity ?

[ravndal15]

Hi guys
I am wondering . I own a Intel SSD 250 GB 510 series . I need more capacity and was wondering if it was possible to purchase a second SSD and join them together to create one drive for around 500 GB. Is this possible . I was reading something which suggest you can do this and have one drive capacity combining the two .This is the SSD I wish to purchase.
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=210_902_1370&products_id=24742&zenid=5210f2e9e0372f2669909b4b2d8b73d9

My motherboard
http://www.gigabyte.com.au/products/product-page.aspx?pid=4168#ov

Thanks guys ?

 

[Andrew Buck]

Hi guys
I am wondering . I own a Intel SSD 250 GB 510 series . I need more capacity and was wondering if it was possible to purchase a second SSD and join them together to create one drive for around 500 GB. Is this possible . I was reading something which suggest you can do this and have one drive capacity combining the two .This is the SSD I wish to purchase.
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=210_902_1370&products_id=24742&zenid=5210f2e9e0372f2669909b4b2d8b73d9

My motherboard
http://www.gigabyte.com.au/products/product-page.aspx?pid=4168#ov

Thanks guys ?

Yes. This is called RAID 0. http://www.thegeekstuff.com/2010/08/raid-levels-tutorial/ This would double performance and capacity into one drive, but would also lose all data is one drive would fail. You should get a second Intel SSD instead.

 

[ravndal15]

Hi guys
I am wondering . I own a Intel SSD 250 GB 510 series . I need more capacity and was wondering if it was possible to purchase a second SSD and join them together to create one drive for around 500 GB. Is this possible . I was reading something which suggest you can do this and have one drive capacity combining the two .This is the SSD I wish to purchase.
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=210_902_1370&products_id=24742&zenid=5210f2e9e0372f2669909b4b2d8b73d9

My motherboard
http://www.gigabyte.com.au/products/product-page.aspx?pid=4168#ov

Thanks guys ?

Yes. This is called RAID 0. http://www.thegeekstuff.com/2010/08/raid-levels-tutorial/ This would double performance and capacity into one drive, but would also lose all data is one drive would fail. You should get a second Intel SSD instead.

Thank you Andrew . So perhaps this intel 530 series SSD ?
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=210_902_1221&products_id=24560&zenid=5210f2e9e0372f2669909b4b2d8b73d9

 

[Andrew Buck]

Hi guys
I am wondering . I own a Intel SSD 250 GB 510 series . I need more capacity and was wondering if it was possible to purchase a second SSD and join them together to create one drive for around 500 GB. Is this possible . I was reading something which suggest you can do this and have one drive capacity combining the two .This is the SSD I wish to purchase.
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=210_902_1370&products_id=24742&zenid=5210f2e9e0372f2669909b4b2d8b73d9

My motherboard
http://www.gigabyte.com.au/products/product-page.aspx?pid=4168#ov

Thanks guys ?

Yes. This is called RAID 0. http://www.thegeekstuff.com/2010/08/raid-levels-tutorial/ This would double performance and capacity into one drive, but would also lose all data is one drive would fail. You should get a second Intel SSD instead.

Thank you Andrew . So perhaps this intel 530 series SSD ?
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=210_902_1221&products_id=24560&zenid=5210f2e9e0372f2669909b4b2d8b73d9

They [strike]probably[/strike] have to be the same size. I am also considering buying an SSD and later putting it in RAID 0 or 1 with another. They need to be identical. Get another 510 Series 250 GB SSD.

 

[ravndal15]

Hi guys
I am wondering . I own a Intel SSD 250 GB 510 series . I need more capacity and was wondering if it was possible to purchase a second SSD and join them together to create one drive for around 500 GB. Is this possible . I was reading something which suggest you can do this and have one drive capacity combining the two .This is the SSD I wish to purchase.
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=210_902_1370&products_id=24742&zenid=5210f2e9e0372f2669909b4b2d8b73d9

My motherboard
http://www.gigabyte.com.au/products/product-page.aspx?pid=4168#ov

Thanks guys ?

Yes. This is called RAID 0. http://www.thegeekstuff.com/2010/08/raid-levels-tutorial/ This would double performance and capacity into one drive, but would also lose all data is one drive would fail. You should get a second Intel SSD instead.

Thank you Andrew . So perhaps this intel 530 series SSD ?
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=210_902_1221&products_id=24560&zenid=5210f2e9e0372f2669909b4b2d8b73d9

They [strike]probably[/strike] have to be the same size. I am also considering buying an SSD and later putting it in RAID 0 or 1 with another. They need to be identical. Get another 510 Series 250 GB SSD.

Ahh yes ok . Im just having trouble finding the 510 series for sale in Australia

 

[Andrew Buck]

Hi guys
I am wondering . I own a Intel SSD 250 GB 510 series . I need more capacity and was wondering if it was possible to purchase a second SSD and join them together to create one drive for around 500 GB. Is this possible . I was reading something which suggest you can do this and have one drive capacity combining the two .This is the SSD I wish to purchase.
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=210_902_1370&products_id=24742&zenid=5210f2e9e0372f2669909b4b2d8b73d9

My motherboard
http://www.gigabyte.com.au/products/product-page.aspx?pid=4168#ov

Thanks guys ?

Yes. This is called RAID 0. http://www.thegeekstuff.com/2010/08/raid-levels-tutorial/ This would double performance and capacity into one drive, but would also lose all data is one drive would fail. You should get a second Intel SSD instead.

Thank you Andrew . So perhaps this intel 530 series SSD ?
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=210_902_1221&products_id=24560&zenid=5210f2e9e0372f2669909b4b2d8b73d9

They [strike]probably[/strike] have to be the same size. I am also considering buying an SSD and later putting it in RAID 0 or 1 with another. They need to be identical. Get another 510 Series 250 GB SSD.

Ahh yes ok . Im just having trouble finding the 510 series for sale in Australia

That stinks. Worst case scenario, you can sell your 510 series and buy a 530 series, maybe 2 to put in RAID 0. You can probably find a 510 on Newegg or something like that.

 

[geofelt]

Your simple choice is to buy a 500gb ssd.
You can then use a supplied free utility(from Samsung or Intel) to clone your current 240gb ssd to the new 500gb ssd.
Then sell or repurpose the old ssd.

I have tried raid 0 for the exact purpose you want. It will work. You will have to back up your single drive, create a 2 drive raid-0 array and reload your data.
Do not expect ANY performance increase except for synthetic benchmarks.

Another option which I have not researched is to create a JBOD which is a windows aggregation of just a bunch of disks into a single image. I do not know the recovery implications of that.

 

[Andrew Buck]

Your simple choice is to buy a 500gb ssd.
You can then use a supplied free utility(from Samsung or Intel) to clone your current 240gb ssd to the new 500gb ssd.
Then sell or repurpose the old ssd.

I have tried raid 0 for the exact purpose you want. It will work. You will have to back up your single drive, create a 2 drive raid-0 array and reload your data.
Do not expect ANY performance increase except for synthetic benchmarks.

Another option which I have not researched is to create a JBOD which is a windows aggregation of just a bunch of disks into a single image. I do not know the recovery implications of that.

Raid 0 does increase performance. It stripes data so Read and Write speed doubles, not just in benchmarks.

 

[geofelt]

Yes, but the only scenario that is faster is when you have an app that reads sequentially with read ahead overlapped I/O. That is what synthetic benchmarks do.
In actual desktop usage, which is 90% small random, or synchronous sequential, there is little benefit.
I found that when I later changed to a single large ssd it ran better. A larger ssd has more nand chips that can be read in parallel.

 

[Andrew Buck]

Yes, but the only scenario that is faster is when you have an app that reads sequentially with read ahead overlapped I/O. That is what synthetic benchmarks do.
In actual desktop usage, which is 90% small random, or synchronous sequential, there is little benefit.
I found that when I later changed to a single large ssd it ran better. A larger ssd has more nand chips that can be read in parallel.

Loading anything with decent size, whether it be loading games, copying files, and moving them would benefit from Raid 0,

 

[USAFRet]

Yes, but the only scenario that is faster is when you have an app that reads sequentially with read ahead overlapped I/O. That is what synthetic benchmarks do.
In actual desktop usage, which is 90% small random, or synchronous sequential, there is little benefit.
I found that when I later changed to a single large ssd it ran better. A larger ssd has more nand chips that can be read in parallel.

Loading anything with decent size, whether it be loading games, copying files, and moving them would benefit from Raid 0,

SSD + RAID 0:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/ssd-raid-benchmark,3485.html

tl-dr = Not a lot of benefit in regular use.

 

[Andrew Buck]

Yes, but the only scenario that is faster is when you have an app that reads sequentially with read ahead overlapped I/O. That is what synthetic benchmarks do.
In actual desktop usage, which is 90% small random, or synchronous sequential, there is little benefit.
I found that when I later changed to a single large ssd it ran better. A larger ssd has more nand chips that can be read in parallel.

Loading anything with decent size, whether it be loading games, copying files, and moving them would benefit from Raid 0,

SSD + RAID 0:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/ssd-raid-benchmark,3485.html

tl-dr = Not a lot of benefit in regular use.

It is all up to you, ravandal. You can either buy another and get superior performance in some areas or just buy a new one altogether.

 

[ravndal15]

lol I was just letting you guys sort it out in debate . I do like this one
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=210_902_1370&products_id=24743&zenid=5210f2e9e0372f2669909b4b2d8b73d9
Which is $130 more . All I do mostly is play games .. I cant find a 510 series online anyway

 

[Andrew Buck]

lol I was just letting you guys sort it out in debate . I do like this one
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=210_902_1370&products_id=24743&zenid=5210f2e9e0372f2669909b4b2d8b73d9
Which is $130 more . All I do mostly is play games .. I cant find a 510 series online anyway

Samsung 840 Evo/Pro SSDs are probably some of the best ones out there. Very great SSDs. That is a perfect choice.

 

[USAFRet]

Adding another SSD is no problem. Just another drive, just another drive letter.
I have 2, along with a couple of spinning drives.

Putting 2 SSD's in RAID 0? Yeah , it works. Until it doesn't.
But there is no real benefit speedwise. The major benefit would be both drives on one drive letter. Not worth the hassle/risk IMHO.