Upgrading to an SSD Cache Supplement

[chrisafp07]

Well I want to see something close to the benefits of having an SSD drive in my system. I have a 1TB HDD and it is filled with games, movies, and more. Only 250gb free. I cannot afford to buy enough SSD space to cover my data it just isn't reasonable at this point. so basically I'm wondering, what is the best caching SSD out there right now? How much more benefit will I see based on the amounts of memeory?

I've looked at these two so far: SanDisk Desktop Caching SSD - ReadyCache 32 GB SATA 3, and Crucial Adrenaline 50GB 2.5-Inch Solid State Cache Solution SATA 6.0 Gb-s.

The speeds look different, should I look at other brands, any pointers would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

 

[chrisafp07]

Is it worth me even getting a cache SSD or should I just save for a regular one?(wouldnt be awhile due to thier costs)

 

[WyomingKnott]

If you are going to get an SSD, save up until you have one large enough for the OS.
One of your samples sells for about $80; you can get a basic OS SSD for $40 more: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/ssd-recommendation-benchmark,3269-3.html

The advantage of an SSD is not for data. For movies, music, and other data, since they play at a rate slower than the transfer rate of an HDD, there is no benefit to putting them on a faster drive.

The main advantage of an SSD comes when you install your OS on it, and your games with the slowest-loading levels. You get snappier system response, and those levels load faster.

A cache SSD will not cache your movies, and probably not your games. It will mostly be filled with your OS. So you should just save up for a regular one. One big enough for your operating system, plus your favorite games with levels that you wish would load faster.

If your system is fast enough to satisfy you, why not just buy another HDD to increase your storage space? If you put in an SSD you will have to install your operating system, games, and other software all over. Some of us are comfortable with this procedure, some are not. It can be a lot of work.

Finally, only certain motherboards support caching and I don't see it as a feature of yours. I have a low opinion of software caching on other motherboards.

 

[J_E_D_70]

Ya, I didn't see any reference to a cache for that one but I am no longer familiar with AMD boards.

 

[chrisafp07]

Wow, thanks for the awesome response, that pretty much sums it up for me. I guess over the next 6 months or so getting a 128gb ssd to boot off of would be fine. Like you said though maybe just grab another HDD for more space, my pc is plenty fast, boots fairly quickly as well, I also don't have any complaints with game load times either.

At least now I know it really isn't that viable at this stage for me, probably better to spend the money elsewhere. Thanks again!

 

[chrisafp07]

Best answer selected by chrisafp07.