[Hardware Question] SSD just for the OS?

Madfish · #1 10-29-2010, 05:04 AM

Quote:

3. I was intending to use the SSD for my 'Flight' Drive (FSX at 17Gb including the SDK and IL-2/mods at 13.6Gb hopefully leaving plenty for SoW). These SSDs are quoted at something like 'up to 355MBps' vs my existing 93.5MBps. Would a new HDD really be better?

If I understand you right you're asking if it was better to use an SSD instead of a regular HD. The answer is: depends on money.

One thing is for certain: If you go for a small SSD then definately put your OS on it. Not the games.
If you want to spend some money either get a bigger SSD or don't get an SSD at all and spend the money somewhere else (2nd GPU/better GPU, bit more Ram etc.).
Games do not run noticably faster / better on SSD. There are only a very few games that really run like 1% faster and load 10-40% faster. But once loaded you won't see any noticable difference anymore. (I linked a review about that in an earlier post but you can just search for one yourself)

Codex · #2 10-29-2010, 06:03 AM

Go SSD for sure. If you can afford it, get a 120GB to use for OS and games. Win7 rocks on SSD.

As for socket 1366, I wouldn't go down that path. Bang for buck you're better off with 1156, as the only difference you will notice will be in SLI / Crossfire bandwidth, and that will only become apparent if you're going to use 3 or more cards.

I don't know what SoW will ultimately be like on my 2 cards at 1920x1200 but I'm confident it will be more than enough.

csThor · #3 10-29-2010, 06:13 AM

Too late ... got the stuff yesterday and installed it right away. I'm still having issues (system runs but no pic on the monitor) but I'm taking the PC to the shop today. My guess is my 620W PSU is too weak ...

Codex · #4 10-29-2010, 06:42 AM

Well you won't regret it anyway, it should see through for a long time.

If you bought the system you posted on page 1, 650W should get you over the line, but only just. I'd say an 850W would be a better option.

You did remember to plug in the two molex connectors right?

http://www.guru3d.com/article/zotac-geforce-gtx-480/9

Codex · #5 10-29-2010, 06:44 AM

Ah .. you said 620W

, yeah you'd be pushing it I think. Good luck.

csThor · #6 10-29-2010, 07:08 AM

Yes, I did connect both but believe me the second one had me flabbergasted for a while. Because I hadn't installed the cable with that connector before I had to search for it in my "parts shack". Took me a while to figure it out ... and then find it.

T}{OR · #7 10-29-2010, 07:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by csThor

Too late ... got the stuff yesterday and installed it right away. I'm still having issues (system runs but no pic on the monitor) but I'm taking the PC to the shop today. My guess is my 620W PSU is too weak ...

Only if you saved on the PSU, which would be a bad idea. 620 W PSU should be more than plenty to suffice your rig's power requirements. Higher brand PSU-s with 80% efficiency usually output much more than they are rated.

csThor · #8 10-29-2010, 08:01 AM

It's an Enermax PSU and already 4 years old. I'll take the PC to the shop in a few minutes and then we'll see ...

T}{OR · #9 10-29-2010, 08:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by csThor

It's an Enermax PSU and already 4 years old. I'll take the PC to the shop in a few minutes and then we'll see ...

I have an Enermax PSU as well, albeit mine is a bit older - 6-7 years. It was the best thing money could buy at the time. I had some (fan started making too much nose) problems with mine but it is still working properly. The point is, as time passes by - electrolytes in PSU-s go. And thus the total output power goes down. Which might just be the case with your PSU.

klem · #10 10-29-2010, 01:59 PM

Thanks for the replies guys and csThor I hope it's ok to continue using your thread. It may help others too.
Just to get my thoughts in order and I hope I don't offend anyone of I have misundertood....

A. HDD or SSD?

The "Negatives"
1. Cost
2. Drive Space (but I have plenty of HDD space for general purpose use)
3. "Not much faster than a Mechanical HDD in gameplay" if I understand correctly. I understand Madfish's comments about "In the real world no game loads 3TB data after it's started. It'll load in smaller chunks". But then Feuerfalke says "Especially for gaming it's random read access and here is, where the SSD can really triumph, because it simply has no physical disc to turn and no arm to swing. As a result the most important thing for loading multiple files especially for gaming is the reaction time. etc". Ermmm.......

The "Positives"
Fast loading:
I would sacrifice Windows Boot time for better gaming response (FSX, IL-2, SoW). Boot time is a one-off. For me it's all about smoother gameplay.
I know an SSD will not run the game much 'faster', that is mainly down to the CPU/memory/GPU/OS etc but I would have assumed it would help load new IL-2 maps/missions faster and remove some of those scenery update/player'joining' hesitations due to faster read speed of scenery data, a/c data etc. No?

Longer life/Reliablity
Takes a fraction of the Power of an HDD
Low (no) noise level (and there's not much demand of the HDDs while flying) although the pesky fans make most noise.

The "Uncertaintives"
The anandtech gaming load times vary from 1 second (Spore) to 21 seconds (Crysis) and minimum gaming FPS (although in Crysis) benefits from the SSD while average FPS shows marginal improvement. (Is Spore a serious benchmark?) And then this: http://www.samsung.com/global/busine...ence_Rev_3.pdf suggests only a 5-6% improvement in loading and FPS and "Although not quantifiable, there was a definite feeling of smoothness while running the system with the SSD."

Conclusion:
Given my experience with HDD failures

and the small but definite improvements the SSD gives it seems right to go for a gaming SSD as that is my main concern. I'm not a "must load it now!" person when it comes to other applications and in any case the new rig will be much faster than anything else I have had before. If the SSD runs out of space I'll just have to relegate whichever sim is least used to a HDD or buy another SSD.

B. Socket 1336 seems to be my choice as futureproofing within a budget is one major criteria. I can't wait for the P67's early next year and overclocking is likely to become an issue in 3-4 years time. I'm sure I'll be able to overclock beyond an i7 960 so I won't double the CPU cost on one now. Also the money saved on an SSD won't get me from a 5870 to a 5970 GPU.

Any major opinions against?

Thanks again guys,

klem