Just for a change, RAID and TRIM

[galta]

Hi all,

some questions regarding RAID and TRIM:

1 - How long would it take for me to notice performance loss in a SSD RAID system because I don't have TRIM?
2 - Intel is said to be about to provide a solution for it. Is there any expectations on how long would it take before that? Also, is it something one could get via driver/BIOS up-date, or one would have to buy a new mobo with the feature already buil in?

Thanks,

Galta

 

[WyomingKnott]

1 - it depends on how much writing you do, and what sort of writing. It could be anything from a day to a year. With an "average" enthusiast system used for gaming, my worthless guess would be a month or two.

2 - There are construction sites in Manhattan for the second avenue subway. The signs still say that the project will be completed in the fall of 2010. Think of TRIM in RAID like that.

What follows is unasked-for advice. You don't have to read it.

Why are you building a RAID of SSDs? It's appropriate in a very small number of applications, or if you just want to play around with it. RAID0 is simply inappropriate; buy an SSD twice the size rather than RAID two SSDs and you will get a better-performing system. If you are using RAID 1, there is a way that you can set up the mirroring in Windows that will give you the backup copy but enable TRIM. Of course, if you are planning to use a higher RAID level then the answer is not so simple.

Xbitlabs on RAID 0 of SSDs: http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/storage/display/kigston-hyperx-ssd-raid0_7.html#sect0

Of course, Tom's did built a 3GB/sec (that's gigaBYTES) RAID of SSDs, but it was more of a technical exercise than a useful setup.

 

[galta]

WyomingKnott,

thanks for the answer, and for the sense of humor.
Never planned on building a RAID of SSD. The point is that a friend of mine just came back from the US and instead of bringing me the 830 samsung 256gb I asked for, got 2x128gb.
He said he couldn't find the larger version, then decided to bring two of the smaller ones...
Don't know, I may either sell one of them or use it as a second drive.
Thanks anyway,

Galta

 

[galta]

Best answer selected by galta.