Partitioning and Rotating SSDs

[Tuecer]

Hello, I've done a little research on SSDs, and why they fail, and from what I understand, it has to do with the fact that it reaches a point where it can't write new data because it can't delete old data, because it requires that any data deleted be in chunks of a certain size (can't recall the exact size), and that using something called a "secure erase" would return the drive to its initial state.

In any case, my friend and I hypothesized that two SSDs each with an OS on them could be used in a rotation to maintain the computer, while minimizing downtime. Run your OS on one until it degrades, then boot up using the second one, wipe and reinstall OS on the first, repeating this ad infinitem.

Now could you also do this using a single SSD with partitions, or is this a stupid idea from the get go? If so, why, since I'm still fairly new to SSDs

 

[foscooter]

TRIM will take care of it all. It's part of Windows 7.

If you have WinXP, you'll need a "Garbage Collection" utility.

Nothing so complicated is needed, or even neccesary. Buy the time the SSD get "all used" up, they'll be outdated anyway.

Like a Pentium 4 to Ivy Bridge. It'll still work, just not a good as todays stuff.

BTW: I've ran 2 SSDs in RAID 0 for almost 2 years, without TRIM, and seen no major degrading.

I upgrade before they get time to fail. I've had, or tried:

Intel X25-V 40GB
OCZ Vertex 2 60GB
AData 599 64GB
OCZ Agility 3 60GB
OCZ Vertex 3 60GB
Samsung 830 64GB
OCZ Vertex 3 MaxIOPS 120GB
back to OCZ Vertex 3 60GB

(all the above had 2 drives in RAID 0.)

Then, Intel 520 120GB
and now Intel 520 180GB.

Dropped RAID for other reasons.

So I speak from experience.

 

[JohnnyLucky]

Welcome to Tom's Hardware.

Under normal conditions it is estimated it would take quite a few years before the useful life of the NAND Flash memory is exhausted and data can no longer be written. We'll all upgrade to some sort of new and improved data storage long before that happens.

 

[Tuecer]

What exactly are "normal conditions"?

 

[RetiredChief]

Normal = LESS than perfect.
If you have a 120 Gig and you can write 10,000 times to a cell, you could calculate what it would require to Kill the SSD in say 10 years.
Something like (120 x 10 to the 9th X 10 to the 4th)/ (10 years x 365 days) = 328 GB per day
But that would be under perfect conditions, Normal conditions Less than perfect and what the average HOME user does, read email, surf the web, play games, and occasionally does so real work. Abnormal is the work computer which should place emphases on what ever is done at work.

CG and Trim help balance the workload, but also there is a wear leveling algothium that so purpose is to even out the writes/cell. Without it cell would start dieing which increases the writes per remaining cells - kind of like thermal runaway in a PN junction.

I think the object you are looking for is How to increase the life expectancy - How ever long that will be. Here I think the best bet is buying the larges SSD you can an limit the Percentage used. It often recommended to leave 10 % free, so that Trim and CG can do there thing, Probably leaving 20->30 % free would prolong the day it says good Bye.

This is an additional reason I hate to see people buy a 60 gig SSD and think Heck I'm only going to need 40 / 45 gigs. I think we will see them go poof much sooner than what the math would dictate.

 

[Tuecer]

Ok, makes sense. I was planning to buy something like a 60gb and just put 64bit Windows 7 on it and leave it at that.

 

[foscooter]

You should be good to go.

Follow the SSD Tweaks guides, to get "better" life out of then, if you're still worried.

Try the SSD Review, and OCZ Forum for SSD Tweaks and Optimization tricks.

 

[ferguson005]

Do the optimizations that foscooter is talking about. They minimize the number of times that files are re-written on your SSD as well as save space and make your drive function a lot faster.

 

[foscooter]

Here they are:

The SSD Review: The SSD Optimization Guide...

OCZ Blog: SSD Tips and Tweaks