Pairing Intel Optane 32Gb with M.2 Samsung Pro SSD

[DarkEagleX1]

So this is just a thought. I doubt there is need for this at all.

Would it be possible to pair an Intel Optane cache with an M.2 Samsung 960 Pro?

If so, how much performance gain would you theoretically see?

 

[DRagor]

Possible? Yes. Sensible? No.
I think you would get performance lose, not gain.

 

[Eximo]

Not really what it is for. You already have fast access from the 960 Pro, more so than I think optane delivers, at least in the capacities available now.

It is intended for SATA based storage devices. That way the Optane drive can act as a sort of buffer.

 

[USAFRet]

A waste of 32GB memory and money.
Possible, yes. But don't do it.

Just because there is some new doodad does not mean it is good for every use case.
In the case of Optane...unless you are running a large server, it is a waste.
(and I don't mean a house 'server' holding all your movies)

Just as SSD's were when they first came out, this is simply a small cache for your drives
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2017/03/intels-first-optane-ssd-for-regular-pcs-is-a-small-but-has-super-fast-cache/

Your 960 Pro is already fast enough. You would not see any difference.

 

[DarkEagleX1]

oh don't worry, the thought never crossed my mind to actually do it, I was just wondering about performances IF they were to be paired. I have no need for Optane right now.

 

[Reppin513]

Not really what it is for. You already have fast access from the 960 Pro, more so than I think optane delivers, at least in the capacities available now.

It is intended for SATA based storage devices. That way the Optane drive can act as a sort of buffer.

Can we have a serious conversation about this? It appears the optane has by far the best random read at low queue depth For m.2 NVMe boot drives and for gaming, I could see this maybe being a big boost.

http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/8157/intel-optane-memory-32gb-2-nvme-ssd-review/index.html

I have read another benchmark review that supports this article in more depth.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/3184464/storage/intel-optane-memory-has-a-mission-make-hard-drives-faster-than-ssds.html

The 960 pro is better at higher queue depth for sure, but there are studies showing games rarely go deeper than 1 queue and for operating systems I can see this benefitting as well.

Does anyone know if the optane can be paired with an m.2 drive? Or maybe someone has this hardware to test it out? For 80 dollars, I would pick one up if it, in fact, may speed up my 960 evo used for OS and gaming.

 

[USAFRet]

Not really what it is for. You already have fast access from the 960 Pro, more so than I think optane delivers, at least in the capacities available now.

It is intended for SATA based storage devices. That way the Optane drive can act as a sort of buffer.

Can we have a serious conversation about this? It appears the optane has by far the best random read at low queue depth For m.2 NVMe boot drives and for gaming, I could see this maybe being a big boost.

http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/8157/intel-optane-memory-32gb-2-nvme-ssd-review/index.html

I have read another benchmark review that supports this article in more depth.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/3184464/storage/intel-optane-memory-has-a-mission-make-hard-drives-faster-than-ssds.html

The 960 pro is better at higher queue depth for sure, but there are studies showing games rarely go deeper than 1 queue and for operating systems I can see this benefitting as well.

Does anyone know if the optane can be paired with an m.2 drive? Or maybe someone has this hardware to test it out? For 80 dollars, I would pick one up if it, in fact, may speed up my 960 evo used for OS and gaming.

"caching SSD designed to accelerate high-capacity SATA-based storage. "

Benchmarks:
http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/8157/intel-optane-memory-32gb-2-nvme-ssd-review/index5.html

Read speeds are 'faster' than a traditional SSD....write speeds, talking to an HDD, are significantly slower. As expected.

Slightly faster than a regular 960 Pro NVMe

2TB NVMe vs 32GB Optane. hmmm....
The 2TB is fast across the whole space, both read and write. The Optane is fast(er) for read, and only that which lives in the 32GB.

In a couple of years...when size v price comes down to reasonable levels...Optane will be a viable option. Just like SSDs did.
Currently...I'm not seeing it.

And your PCWorld article agrees with me.
Not Quite Yet.

 

[gonoware]

I am almost certain that one COULD configure Optane to cache the SSD, and I think it would have measurable benefits for some processor intensive applications in science and engineering where data sets <16 GB are being accessed 100s to millions of times in succession. but I don't think that the general user would notice an improvement for the OS and gaming.

However, for a budget oriented system, Optane is a great addition. You can purchase a 256GB SSD for the OS and core applicatons, and a 2-4 GB HDD accelerated by Optane. This allows you to get huge improvements in large games loaded on the HDD. I've done this for years, using a 32GB SSD to cache the HDD, and Optane will be better. It delivers most of the benefits of SSD for a fraction of the price.

 

[Biyot_]

I am not satisfied by one of your logic gonoware ......you said that u can cache or rather accelerate any of your hdd thus boosting the drives overall performance. but as far as my knowledge is concerned optane can act as a cache for only yor system drive ie. the drive in which your os is loaded . It cant boost any hdd thrown at it. surely it can boost the performance of your ssd as well if its your base drive. i may be wrong but am looking for an appropriate answer.

 

[Eximo]

RST lets you set up pretty much any configuration. The idea is to add a cache to any drive, which makes spinning drives viable in terms of write speeds.

Intel® Smart Response Technology is a feature of Intel® Rapid Storage Technology (Intel® RST) that enables either a dual drive—lower-cost, small-capacity SSD used in conjunction with a low-cost, high-capacity hard disk drive (HDD)—or a solid-state hybrid drive (SSHD) to provide a high-performance, cost-effective storage solution.

https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/architecture-and-technology/rapid-storage-technology.html

https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/technologies/000005610.html

 

[fla56]

I would like to ask this question too

I already have ~4TB of flash but it's all SATA

It looks like rather than buy a nVMe drive that's v expensive and won't accelerate my boot drive I might be better off jst using Optane plus Sammy SATA SSD?

 

[USAFRet]

I would like to ask this question too

I already have ~4TB of flash but it's all SATA

It looks like rather than buy a nVMe drive that's v expensive and won't accelerate my boot drive I might be better off jst using Optane plus Sammy SATA SSD?

Adding Optane won't do much for your existing SSD.

 

[Biyot_]

I would like to ask this question too

I already have ~4TB of flash but it's all SATA

It looks like rather than buy a nVMe drive that's v expensive and won't accelerate my boot drive I might be better off jst using Optane plus Sammy SATA SSD?

 

[Biyot_]

my friend just using a proper ssd of 256 gigs will suffice ur requirements ....u dont need optane for that ....

 

[Flyboy30126]

I tried this (ASUS Z270E, 32GB, SAMSUNG MZNTES512 M.2 SSD). Had to RMA my motherboard and as a result lost everything, and had to re-install windows 10 4 times. Each time I would setup the Optain in bios, it corrupted my boot SSD. Hard Lesson learned.

 

[Biyot_]

I tried this (ASUS Z270E, 32GB, SAMSUNG MZNTES512 M.2 SSD). Had to RMA my motherboard and as a result lost everything, and had to re-install windows 10 4 times. Each time I would setup the Optain in bios, it corrupted my boot SSD. Hard Lesson learned.

 

[Biyot_]

truly speaking i dont find any practical reason of using an optane while u are booting with a ssd !! optane is for those basically who are using sata hdd as primary boot drive ....

 

[sjonnie]

You can't accelerate an NVMe SSD with Optane, it has to be a SATA drive whether SSD or HDD.

 

[Biyot_]

You can't accelerate an NVMe SSD with Optane, it has to be a SATA drive whether SSD or HDD.

 

[Biyot_]

yeah thats what i am saying .....NVMe SSD or a sata one both doesnt need an optane for acceleration .......if u wanna accelerate u cn accelerate your hdd drive if its your boot drive ....