Tag SSD

Entries 4 Total

Tweak Windows 7 Settings To Ensure SSD's Performance And Stability

Jul 1, 11 10:57 PM

SSD is somewhat a new technology still!  Not so many people have yet knew how to use SSD the right way.  One of those people probably has to be me!  Anyhow, here what I know so far about what you should know before you go out and buy your first SSD!

  1. Check to see if your computer is supporting which type of SSD!  Some computers may support only SSDs that use SATA 2 controller only, therefore the latest SSDs that utilize SATA 3 controller for faster performance will be a waste on these computers!  Why?  Yes, SATA 3 SDD type is backward compatible with SATA 2 controller, but why buy SATA 3 SSD type when this type of SSD won’t be able to run at its full potential when it has to communicate with SATA 2 controller?  SATA 2 SSD type may max out around 3 Gb/s theoretically in terms of data transfer rate.  The latest and the best so far is SATA 3 SSD type, because SSDs that work with SATA 3 controller theoretically can have up to 6 Gb/s data transfer rate!
  2. Make sure you use the right cable for your SSD, because it’s very important in delivering great performance for your SSD.
  3. Sometimes, Windows 7 may have weird configuration which might not be best for your SSD.  One example is that SSD does not need to be defrag the same way as your HHD (i.e., hard drive with mechanical parts).  Instead, you should enable TRIM for SSD, because TRIM is somewhat how SSD does its defrag (certain SSD types may not support TRIM).
    • Furthermore, SSD does not wear out the same way as HHD, because it got no moving part!  Instead, you should worry about SSD’s life expectancy!  How?  Not allowing Windows to write unnecessary log files onto your expensive SSD, but you should disable such logs.  To disable certain unnecessary log files on Windows 7, do this:
      1. Click on the Start button (orb with a Windows flag)
      2. Right click on Computer
      3. Click on Manage
      4. Click on System Tools
      5. Expand Performance
      6. Expand Data Collector Sets
      7. Left click on Startup Event Trace Sessions
      8. Right click on any log name on the right panel to disable the log.  Important notice:  Do not disable EventLog-Application, EventLog-Security, and EventLog-System — these are important logs you should allow to run!
    • Furthermore, your SSD might be a lot smaller in size (i.e., hard drive space/volume) than normal HHD (at least it’s true right now), then you should think about freeing up some space on your SSD.  Here is one example, disable Windows Indexing to free up some space on your SSD.
    • Furthermore, there are conflicting ideas about if one should disable Windows Write Caching for SSD or otherwise.  I think you should try both to see how it works out for your SSD in terms of stability and performance.  Follow the steps below to either disable or enable Windows Write Caching for your SSD:
      1. Open up Control Panel
      2. Go to Hardware and Sound
      3. Click on Device Manager
      4. Scroll down to disk drives; expand disk drives.
      5. Right click on your SSD disk (assuming you know its volume label)
      6. Click on Properties
      7. Switch to Policies tab
      8. Uncheck or check the box that labels as “Enable write caching on the device!”

Following some tips above may help your SSD performs even better!

Disclaimer:  Please know your risks!  Following the tips in this blog post to improve your SSD performance at your own risks!

Source:  http://www.mydellmini.com/forum/windows-7/2441-windows-7-ultimate-solid-state-drive-speed-tweaks.html

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Leveraging Intel’s Smart Response Technology To Boost Computer Performance, Requiring SSD

Jun 29, 11 5:54 AM

Without sacrificing hard drive space and yet gaining excellent computer performance, but how one goes about to do just that for Windows 7 machines?  It’s all about Intel’s Smart Response Technology (i.e., using Intel Rapid Storage Technology software).  What Intel’s Smart Response Technology does is to allow your SSD and HHD to form RAID zero so Windows 7 machine’s data could be cached, consequently increasing Windows 7 machine’s performance many folds.  You probably want to ask why not using pure SSD, right?  Of course, it would be good to use pure SSD, but pure SSD will cost you a huge chunk of your saving.  Instead of going for pure SSD, you can buy a small size SSD (i.e., around 120 GB or less), and then utilizing Intel’s Smart Response Technology to increase overall performance of Windows 7 machine.

Instead of only hearing about how other had done it, I went out and bought Agility 3 SATA 3 SSD (6 Gbps), installed it inside my Windows 7 machine, and utilizing Intel’s Smart Response Technology (i.e., Intel Rapid Storage software).  No surprise there when I saw my system got super fast!  Shutting down the machine felt instant, and it was the same for turning it back on.  Updating from a fresh installation of Windows 7 usually took me hours, but using this method felt so much faster!  I think I’m in love with SSD and Intel’s Smart Response Technology, at least for now!

You can either clone your Windows 7 machine to move its data onto the SSD, or you can freshly install Windows 7 onto SSD.  Either way, I think you have to disconnect your HHD first, installing Windows 7 or clone it onto SSD second, then reconnect the HHD so Windows 7 won’t be confused about which drive you want to install Windows 7 on.  Don’t forget to change your BIOS’s boot sequence.  I changed the boot sequence to have SSD to boot before HHD.  Utilizing Intel’s Smart Response Technology requires you to make sure if your chipset is supporting this technology or not.  If it’s, you can download the correct Intel Rapid Storage software, and use it to configure your RAID 0.

I’d made a video which demonstrated how one would go about configuring RAID zero using Intel Rapid Storage software.  Check it out right after the break!

Update:  The process of utilizing Intel’s Smart Response Technology in the video above is a little bit off in accuracy.  Nonetheless, I don’t want to delete the video since there are couple good tips in it.  If you want to go the easier way, you can always install Windows 7 onto SSD (or any other operating system), and then only save rarely use files in HHD.  Of course, without SSD cache (i.e., using Intel’s Smart Response Technology), your system won’t be as optimized as it could be.  Still, by using SSD to boot Windows 7 (or any other operating system) and to load computer games and so on can be very fast, indeed.  Faster than carrying out those strenuous computer activities on normal HHD even though such HHD has 7200 rpm.

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Want A Super Fast SSD Which Utilizes USB 3.0 Port For The Sake Of Conveniency Without Sacrificing Fast Data Transfer Speed? Super Talent’s USB 3.0 RAIDDrive Got This Capability!

Jun 27, 11 11:37 PM

Thinking about buying a solid state drive (SSD) and combining it with an original hard drive (i.e., traditional hard drive with moving parts) to leverage the ability of Intel Smart Response Technology (SRT) so one can see his or her desktop runs way more faster (watch a video on SRT)?  Sure, it’s one of the best ways to go for making a desktop opens up stuffs way way more faster than you’ve ever seen before, but don’t forget you must have a motherboard that supports SSD caching.  How about just going pure SSD?  Many SSDs today require you to hack open up your PC’s case and attach them within the case, kind of inconvenient if you ask me.  However, there is a better way since I just notice that Super Talent releases a super cool USB 3.0 RAIDDrive which churns data a little less or equal to 370 MB/s.

Super Talent’s USB 3.0 RAIDDrive is faster than a traditional internal hard drive.  Since this is USB 3.0 technology kind of drive, you need to have a USB 3.0 port(s) on your computer to be able to use it.  Ain’t this device is one more reason for you to go out and grab a USB 3.0 controller card?  So, in a way, I love to have my hand on Super Talent’s USB 3.0 RAIDDrive and leveraging SRT to speed up my computer altogether without abandoning my traditional hard drive (of course I must make sure my motherboard supports SSD caching).

According to Engadget, Super Talent’s USB 3.0 RAIDDrive comes in sizes of 25, 50, and 100 GB; prices are varies for sizes are varies.  Engadget hints that 50 GB Super Talent USB 3.0 RAIDDrive goes for $110.

The video within this post suggests that Super Talent’s USB 3.0 RAIDDrive utilizes two SSD cards in one, that’s if I’d comprehended what the guy in the video had said — it means this baby transfers data faster than normal SSDs.  Enough with the hype, truthfully, I don’t really know how well this device will behave and how long it will last and how reliable it’s on its promise in term of data transfer speed at the rate of 370 MB/s, little more or less — all because I’ve never ever used this product before.  This is why you must do a lot more of soul searching before spending some hard earned dollars of yours on this device!  Anyway, check out the video right after the break to know more about Super Talent’s USB 3.0 RAIDDrive.

Source:  http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/27/super-talent-usb-3-0-express-rc8-looks-like-a-thumb-drive-acts/

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