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Using mSATA SSD as Cache AND OS drive?

O

orangedude

n00b
Joined
Dec 30, 2012
Messages
4
Hi,

Here is my current system that I am planning to build:

Gigabyte Z77-D3H
1.5 TB WD 5400 RPM HD (This is from my old PC)
500 GB WD 5400 RPM HD (This is from my old PC)

I would like to add an SSD to improve the performance of my PC with every-day tasks.

The one thing I noticed about the Z77 board that I'm using is that it includes an mSATA slot which can be used for caching (Intel SMART).

Now my question is... if I buy a 256 GB mSATA SSD drive, can I partition it into 64 GB for the cache to speed up my HDD access times and leave the remaining 192 GB for OS and program installation?

Or would it be better to simply buy a 256 GB SATA III drive?

The price differential between the mSATA and SATA is not a concern (it's only ~$10 apart)

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148613 ($199)
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148443 ($189)

So basically, is this possible, and if so, how is the performance for these two setups comparatively?

Thanks
 
the Intel smart response SSD caching technology was designed to sell small Intel SSD drives to boost performance of the average HD based system and it made sense when a 20GB-60GB SLC mSATA drive cost a few hundred and a 128GB-256GB drive were hundreds more.

With the current pricing on SSD drives it doesn't help at all to use a small caching drive if you can afford a SSD drive large enough to install your OS and commonly used files/programs.

it also isn't a partition caching scheme , it is more like a RAID leveraged setup and the cache drive has to be dedicated to it's function.

the drive used to cache cannot be used for other functions.

just using a standard 256GB SSD would be fast eough.

using a msata based setup is mainly a mater of convenience issue that makes mounting and setup easier.

Laptops still have limited expansion options in small chassis so using a mSATA drive and a regular 2.5" might be usefull versus a single large SSD but even in a lot of laptops, just having the single SSD and the a external usb 3.0 drive for media or backups is simpler and less prone to issues.
 
undermined said:
the Intel smart response SSD caching technology was designed to sell small Intel SSD drives to boost performance of the average HD based system and it made sense when a 20GB-60GB SLC mSATA drive cost a few hundred and a 128GB-256GB drive were hundreds more.

With the current pricing on SSD drives it doesn't help at all to use a small caching drive if you can afford a SSD drive large enough to install your OS and commonly used files/programs.

it also isn't a partition caching scheme , it is more like a RAID leveraged setup and the cache drive has to be dedicated to it's function.

the drive used to cache cannot be used for other functions.

just using a standard 256GB SSD would be fast eough.

using a msata based setup is mainly a mater of convenience issue that makes mounting and setup easier.

Laptops still have limited expansion options in small chassis so using a mSATA drive and a regular 2.5" might be usefull versus a single large SSD but even in a lot of laptops, just having the single SSD and the a external usb 3.0 drive for media or backups is simpler and less prone to issues.
Click to expand...
Oh that's a shame, I was hoping I could use just a portion of the SSD for caching.

Thanks for the info.

I may hold back on the SSDs then, until 256GB and 512GB models become a bit more affordable.
 
Just did a bit more research... and found out that it is actually possible to put cache and OS on same mSATA SSD:

http://forum.beyond3d.com/showthread.php?t=62297

Will definitely try this out. I'll keep my OS and essential programs on my SSD, while most of my games and other software aside from OS installed on my larger HDD's which would be cached by a small portion of my SSD. This way, I won't have to deal with the whole hassle of "should I install this on my SSD or my HDD?".
 
Remember that SRT has to be enabled first on the SSD, then the remaining space can be partitioned and formatted. It does not work the other way around. Also I believe TRIM will not work on the remaining part of the SSD.
 
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omniscence said:
Remember that SRT has to be enabled first on the SSD, then the remaining space can be partitioned and formatted. It does not work the other way around. Also I believe TRIM will not work on the remaining part of the SSD.
Click to expand...

I read here that TRIM is now supported on RAID 0:

http://www.anandtech.com/show/6161/...ssd-arrays-on-7series-motherboards-we-test-it

Since the remaining portion of the SSD is considered a RAID 0... I am hoping it could possibly work with TRIM?

Does anyone else have any experience with this kind of setup know for sure if TRIM can be supported?

Thanks
 
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