Jump to content

SSD drive query


Recommended Posts

I've seen a SSD drive in action (my mate has just bought one) and now I want one !

Crikey they are fast with Windows 7 only taking a few seconds to load :0

I'm still running the 64 bit version of Vista Home Premium and I'm wondering if it would be better to install Windows 7 on the new SSD drive ?

I bought the 64 bit version of Windows 7 Home Premium almost 2 years ago when there was a promotion on and I still haven't installed it yet :D

Also, as I want to keep my existing Vista set-up, does anyone know if there would be any problems with a conventional hard drive running Vista and a SSD drive running Windows 7 i.e. a dual boot setup ?

I'm only asking as there would be 2 different technologies used as opposed to having 2 conventional hard drives in the dual-boot setup.

Thanks for any feedback.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm wondering if it would be better to install Windows 7 on the new SSD drive ?

It is always best to install your main O/S on the fastest drive you have - in this case an SSD (when you get it) :)

Versions of Windows prior to Windows 7 are optimized for hard disk drives rather than SSDs.

Some Vista operations, if not disabled, can shorten the life of an SSD.

Disk defragmentation should be manually disabled because the location of the file components on an SSD doesn't significantly impact its performance, but moving the files to make them contiguous using the Windows Defrag routine will cause write wear on the limited number of cycles on the SSD.

Windows 7 is optimized for SSDs as well as normal hard disks.

It looks for the presence of an SSD and operates differently with that drive.

If an SSD is present, Windows 7 disables disk defragmentation, Superfetch, ReadyBoost, and other boot-time and application prefetching operations.

Do you intend to dual boot Win 7 + Vista ?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Versions of Windows prior to Windows 7 are optimized for hard disk drives rather than SSDs.

I had heard about that but never looked into it before because I didn't intend on buying a SSD.

Do you intend to dual boot Win 7 + Vista ?

Yes.

I've never run a dual-boot setup before and was just wondering if there would be any problems in doing so bearing in mind that there will be 2 different technologies in use.

I want to keep the Vista installation as I'm into (a little) PC gaming and I don't want to lose the progress I've made on the games that I'm currently playing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Should be no problem - just make sure you pick the new SSD to install Win 7 onto - rather than the Vista drive :)

BTW - this weeks Micro Mart has done a comparative test of 6 SSDs - if you're interested.

The OCZ Vertex 3 120gb was their pick of the bunch.

A mere £215.99 :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Should be no problem - just make sure you pick the new SSD to install Win 7 onto - rather than the Vista drive :)

That's reassuring to know :)

BTW - this weeks Micro Mart has done a comparative test of 6 SSDs - if you're interested.

The OCZ Vertex 3 120gb was their pick of the bunch.

A mere £215.99 :D

I don't buy MicroMart but I will have a look for the article online.

If I can't find it then I may buy the magazine as a one off to read the article.

Thanks.

p.s. I have allowed myself a budget of £250 so the price of the OCZ Vertex 3 falls within my budget !

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I couldn't find the review on the MicroMart website but I've read other reviews and it does look impressive !


/>http://www.google.co.uk/#hl=en&xhr=t&q=The+OCZ+Vertex+3&cp=16&pf=p&sclient=psy&safe=off&site=&source=hp&aq=0&aqi=&aql=&oq=The+OCZ+Vertex+3&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&fp=32a58c504a04115a&biw=1262&bih=573

I'm going to get it B)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have allowed myself a budget of £250 so the price of the OCZ Vertex 3 falls within my budget !

Costs £229.99 at Ebuyer - but they have 10 in stock and there is one (happy) review of it there
/>http://www.ebuyer.com/product/259774

Link to comment
Share on other sites

£219.98 at Overclockers (this week only offer)
/>http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HD-071-OC

I've ordered it along with a 2.5" mounting kit.

I haven't ordered off OCUK for years !

Would have been £219.73 (delivered) from Scan :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

CurlyWhirly , you rotter, ha ha, you got me looking at these very expensive drives yet again ;)

Each time I reconsider getting one myself I cannot seem to justify the cost.

As far as I can tell there are three main benefits of using a SSD.

The OS boots up faster.

The programs launch quicker.

And the machine closes down promptly.

None of those benefits seem to be worthwhile for me.

I switch on the PC and then go and prepare breakfast - which means the faster boot time is lost on me.

Once programs are opened they stay open all day - coz I am using Win 7 and they just sit on the task bar while not in use - so again the quicker launch is lost on me.

At night the PC gets switched off [shutdown] and I go to bed - no need to wait - and the benefit is lost on me.

Or am I missing something...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

CurlyWhirly , you rotter, ha ha, you got me looking at these very expensive drives yet again ;)

Each time I reconsider getting one myself I cannot seem to justify the cost.

As far as I can tell there are three main benefits of using a SSD.

The OS boots up faster.

The programs launch quicker.

And the machine closes down promptly.

None of those benefits seem to be worthwhile for me.

I switch on the PC and then go and prepare breakfast - which means the faster boot time is lost on me.

Once programs are opened they stay open all day - coz I am using Win 7 and they just sit on the task bar while not in use - so again the quicker launch is lost on me.

At night the PC gets switched off [shutdown] and I go to bed - no need to wait - and the benefit is lost on me.

Or am I missing something...

I'm into PC gaming and, due to the amount of data that needs to be loaded, some levels take an age to load.

A SSD drive means quicker loading times - works for me B)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Update:

My new SSD drive arrived yesterday but I haven't got round to installing Windows 7 on it yet due to time constraints.

I'll do this at the weekend.

I just read the specs and am wondering if I have a 6 Gbps SATA 3 interface or is this built into the hard drive itself ?

My PC is around 3 years old if that's any help.

Also are there any pitfalls I should watch for when attempting to install Windows 7 on the SSD drive bearing in mind that I already have Vista installed on a standard hard drive and I've never dual-booted my operating system before.

I assume that Windows 7 will ask me which drive I want to install Windows 7 on ?

Thanks for any advice.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have another query!

Apparently SSD drives wear out after a pre-determined number of write operations but to help counteract this the drives use a wear-leveling algorithm.

Does anyone know if you can use a hard drive diagnostic tool ( example ) utility or use the one built into Windows i.e. this

Just curious.

p.s. I currently use SMART to help monitor my hard drive, can this also be used with a SSD drive ?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Have a read of this :-
/>http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?agr=Y&DwnldID=18455

which appears to confirm that you can use SMART

Cheers for the link Boris.

I've just had a read of the specifications on the packaging:

To achieve maximum performance a native 6 Gbps controller is required.

I'm not sure if this would be built into the motherboard (probably not as my mobo is over 3 years old) or whether you can buy it as an upgrade item ?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just thought, before I go ahead and order one I need to know if it would fit in my motherboard :huh:

This is the mobo I have:


/>http://www.foxconnchannel.com/product/Motherboards/detail_overview.aspx?ID=en-us0000345

I'll have to ask in a computer shop if it's compatible with my 3 year old mobo !

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well ............... it should work :) ..... but

Do you have space to fit it in your PCI-Express (PCIe x1) slot (the one under the Graphics Card slot) ?

- or does the size of your graphics card cooler/fan mean that this slot is unusable because it is covered over ?

It wiould perform better if you had a proper PCI-Ex 2.0 slot on the mobo rather than the 1.0 slot you have - so the bandwidth will probably be about half of the speed you could get with a 2.0 slot.

The PCIe 2.0 standard doubles the per-lane throughput from the PCI-Ex 1.0 standard's 250 MB/s to 500 MB/s

post-16-0-38991100-1307184580_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well ............... it should work :) ..... but

Do you have space to fit it in your PCI-Express (PCIe x1) slot (the one under the Graphics Card slot) ?

- or does the size of your graphics card cooler/fan mean that this slot is unusable because it is covered over ?

It wiould perform better if you had a proper PCI-Ex 2.0 slot on the mobo rather than the 1.0 slot you have - so the bandwidth will probably be about half of the speed you could get with a 2.0 slot.

Thanks for the feedback.

Mmm... I don't think I'll be able to use my SSD drive after all as the PCI Express 1.0 slot is completely obstructed by the graphics card (it's a high end card and quite thick) and I only have the single PCI Express 2.0 slot which is in use with the graphics card :(

I should have checked this before ordering still all is not lost as I will keep it for the future :D

Still disappointed though :(

p.s. I can now see that you have to plan before ordering upgades for your PC :blush:

Just an off the wall question ...... did your mobo come via Novatech ???

No I bought the PC unit from ebuyer 3 years ago.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue. Privacy Policy