Samsung 840 Pro SSD Raid 0 with 850 Evo mSata

[attacus]

My old laptop came with a Samsung 850 Evo 120gb mSata drive, but my current PC has a 840 Pro 128gb. Since both are roughly the same size and speed in my benchmarks, I wanted to know the ups and downs of using them both in Raid 0. Research claims that the speed difference is not profound, but the extra storage alone would be helpful as the pro is at bursting point. I also heard that trim is only enabled in 7+ series chipsets like my p8z77i-deluxe, and that the difference in voltage could slow the mSata drive. I would need a 2.5" msata to sata 3.0 enclosure as well. Is there consensus on which one is best?

 

[scuzzycard]

SSD RAID is generally not worth it - sequential throughput increases, but so does access latency. Performance gain will be even less with mismatched drives. I would recommend installing the 850 EVO as a second drive. This adapter will get you up and running: https://www.cdw.com/shop/products/StarTech.com-mSATA-SSD-to-2.5in-SATA-Adapter-Converter/3305880.aspx?cm_cat=GoogleBase&cm_ite=3305880&cm_pla=NA-NA-STP_AD&cm_ven=acquirgy&ef_id=V4KF3AAABSvhtbwt:20160901200214:s&gclid=CKuZgYX77s4CFcZahgodGmkJQA&s_kwcid=AL!4223!3!58786190179!!!g!78785986112!

 

[attacus]

SSD RAID is generally not worth it - sequential throughput increases, but so does access latency. Performance gain will be even less with mismatched drives. I would recommend installing the 850 EVO as a second drive. This adapter will get you up and running: https://www.cdw.com/shop/products/StarTech.com-mSATA-SSD-to-2.5in-SATA-Adapter-Converter/3305880.aspx?cm_cat=GoogleBase&cm_ite=3305880&cm_pla=NA-NA-STP_AD&cm_ven=acquirgy&ef_id=V4KF3AAABSvhtbwt:20160901200214:s&gclid=CKuZgYX77s4CFcZahgodGmkJQA&s_kwcid=AL!4223!3!58786190179!!!g!78785986112!

Thanks. Are there any good enclosures with closed bodies that resemble SSDs? Also, does't the doubling of storage add value to the raid?

 

[scuzzycard]

SSD RAID is generally not worth it - sequential throughput increases, but so does access latency. Performance gain will be even less with mismatched drives. I would recommend installing the 850 EVO as a second drive. This adapter will get you up and running: https://www.cdw.com/shop/products/StarTech.com-mSATA-SSD-to-2.5in-SATA-Adapter-Converter/3305880.aspx?cm_cat=GoogleBase&cm_ite=3305880&cm_pla=NA-NA-STP_AD&cm_ven=acquirgy&ef_id=V4KF3AAABSvhtbwt:20160901200214:s&gclid=CKuZgYX77s4CFcZahgodGmkJQA&s_kwcid=AL!4223!3!58786190179!!!g!78785986112!

Thanks. Are there any good enclosures with closed bodies that resemble SSDs? Also, does't the doubling of storage add value to the raid?

RAID doesn't double what the drive already is - it would just be 1 240GB volume vs. 2 120GB volumes. The total storage is the same either way. Here's the type of enclosure you are looking for https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-2-5-Inch-SATA-Adapter-SAT2MSAT25/dp/B006K25GMY

 

[Rogue Leader]

RAID should only be done with identical drives. Also RAID on a pair of SSDs isn't worth it, and when you do RAID 0 you are striping the data, the problem is if 1 drive fails your data is gone, or if somehow the array fails without the drives failing. RAID is really meant for hard drives to improve performance. Even if it does benchmark better with SSDs in real life use its negligible.

RAID being commonly added to consumer hardware is the bane of computer tech existence, because there are many external factors that can cause problems with it. In an office environment theres tons of backups and batteries, etc, people at home don't always have that.

 

[attacus]

SSD RAID is generally not worth it - sequential throughput increases, but so does access latency. Performance gain will be even less with mismatched drives. I would recommend installing the 850 EVO as a second drive. This adapter will get you up and running: https://www.cdw.com/shop/products/StarTech.com-mSATA-SSD-to-2.5in-SATA-Adapter-Converter/3305880.aspx?cm_cat=GoogleBase&cm_ite=3305880&cm_pla=NA-NA-STP_AD&cm_ven=acquirgy&ef_id=V4KF3AAABSvhtbwt:20160901200214:s&gclid=CKuZgYX77s4CFcZahgodGmkJQA&s_kwcid=AL!4223!3!58786190179!!!g!78785986112!

Thanks. Are there any good enclosures with closed bodies that resemble SSDs? Also, does't the doubling of storage add value to the raid?

RAID doesn't double what the drive already is - it would just be 1 240GB volume vs. 2 120GB volumes. The total storage is the same either way. Here's the type of enclosure you are looking for https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-2-5-Inch-SATA-Adapter-SAT2MSAT25/dp/B006K25GMY

Looks good, but is there a reason why these named enclosures are so expensive? Do they bring any extra qualities apart from brand recognition?

 

[scuzzycard]

Most of them are $20. I went back and checked - this one is $15 and has good reviews. https://www.amazon.com/MyDigitalSSD-mSATA-Inch-Adapter-Enclosure/dp/B00ENIKHZS/ref=pd_sim_147_22?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=46GRPY4HE7VTM8VM907G

I always check the reviews before buying adapters of any sort - the cheap ones often don't work.

 

[attacus]

I just watched the LTT video where he shows RAID has little real world performance. Also, the 850 evo was actually an 840 evo. So thanks for the advice everyone.