SSD for OS?

[toejamfootball]

I am about to order parts for my new PC build. I was wondering, could I use a SSD for the OS installation?

Would this make loading apps etc any faster?

Aren't they like Flash Drives and have a limited amount of writes? Would this get used up super quick if an OS was installed on one?

Thanks!

[dragos240]

SSD is flash memory, making it much much faster to load things offline. And yes, you can indeed install an OS on it.

[snowpine]

Fast SSDs are fast, and slow SSDs are slow. They also have no moving parts and run cool and quiet. Good quality current-generation SSDs can handle many writes without wearing out. I do not use a swap partition on mine as a precaution.

[toejamfootball]

SSD is flash memory, making it much much faster to load things offline. And yes, you can indeed install an OS on it.


Fast SSDs are fast, and slow SSDs are slow. They also have no moving parts and run cool and quiet. Good quality current-generation SSDs can handle many writes without wearing out. I do not use a swap partition on mine as a precaution.

Thanks, I don't really understand the SWAP partition? Do you have one on another HDD instead anyway?

I was looking at a OCZ 30G Agility SSD 64M Cache, would this be a good choice?

Thanks.

[snowpine]

Thanks, I don't really understand the SWAP partition? Do you have one on another HDD instead anyway?

I was looking at a OCZ 30G Agility SSD 64M Cache, would this be a good choice?

Thanks.

I have 1gb of ram and seldom use more than 200mb, so I don't have a swap partition.

Sorry but I don't have any experience with that brand. My SSD is straight from the Dell factory (not sure who they get them from). It's kind of slow, but it was cheap. :) Good luck!

[PurposeOfReason]

Post the link for the SSD please.

[toejamfootball]

I have 1gb of ram and seldom use more than 200mb, so I don't have a swap partition.

Sorry but I don't have any experience with that brand. My SSD is straight from the Dell factory (not sure who they get them from). It's kind of slow, but it was cheap. :) Good luck!

Thanks for your help.


Post the link for the SSD please.

Sure! Here you go. (http://www.ocztechnology.com/products/solid_state_drives/ocz_agility_series_sata_ii_2_5-ssd)

[PurposeOfReason]

This is all that matters really.

30GB Max Performance** http://www.ocztechnology.com/i/3d.gifRead: Up to 185 MB/s http://www.ocztechnology.com/i/3d.gifWrite: Up to 100 MB/s http://www.ocztechnology.com/i/3d.gifSustained Write: Up to 60 MB/S I would not settle for read under 215 or write under 120 with sw under 100. With OCZ get a vertex or summit, nothing else. This guy is on my i5 wishlist.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820609393

[toejamfootball]

Right now I ran a crap load of apps to see how much RAM my system would use. I am currently watching a video with VLC, listening to Mp3 using Exaile, installing Open Office from Add/Remove, editing a picture in GIMP, running firefox and Nautilus.

The memory usage at it's highest was ~420mb, out of a total of 2GB. Maybe I don't need a SWAP anyway?

EDIT: Thanks PurposeOfReason, I will look into the others, unfortunately though $200AUD is pretty much my budget for an SSD.

Looks like a Vertex 30 will set me back $200 exactly.

[3rdalbum]

Aren't they like Flash Drives and have a limited amount of writes? Would this get used up super quick if an OS was installed on one?

My server runs off a flash drive, but all the data it serves is on a hard disk.

I don't see any problems with running your system off a 30 gig SSD; it should work fine. Don't put your swap on it (although, my netbook has swap on its very-slow SSD...).

[toejamfootball]

My server runs off a flash drive, but all the data it serves is on a hard disk.

I don't see any problems with running your system off a 30 gig SSD; it should work fine. Don't put your swap on it (although, my netbook has swap on its very-slow SSD...).
Yeah, I am thinking I will get one. Will have my swap on one of the 2 500GB HDDs which will be going in the new machine aswell.

Is it possible to have the swap partition on a different disk to the OS? I imagine it would be.

I think I will set the 2 500GB HDDs up RAID 1 too.

[starcannon]

For speed you'll want an SLC Solid State Disk, instead of an MLC Solid State Disk. The one you linked is an MLC. Here is a very short primer on the subject.
http://www.edn.com/article-partner/CA6319917.html

[toejamfootball]

For speed you'll want an SLC Solid State Disk, instead of an MLC Solid State Disk. The one you linked is an MLC. Here is a very short primer on the subject.
http://www.edn.com/article-partner/CA6319917.html
Shame the 2 SLC SSDs available from this store are both over $800AUD! That's more than the cost of the rest of the system parts!

An MLC SSD is still going to be faster than a standard SATAII HDD though isn't it?

[PurposeOfReason]

For speed you'll want an SLC Solid State Disk, instead of an MLC Solid State Disk. The one you linked is an MLC. Here is a very short primer on the subject.
http://www.edn.com/article-partner/CA6319917.html
The only two worth noting are intels and OCZs high end ones which, unless you're an enthusiast, are worthless IMO. If you want performance, you get this:
http://www.ocztechnology.com/products/solid_state_drives/ocz_z_drive_p84_pci_express_ssd

1TB Max Performance
Read: Up to 878MB/s
Write: Up to 781MB/s
Sustained Write: Up to 600MB/s

[HappyFeet]

Also, if you get an SLC drive, don't worry about putting swap on it. If you wrote to the disk 24/7, it will still last MANY years. People make WAY too big of a deal about wear on the drive. Do some research, and you'll see.

[toejamfootball]

Also, if you get an SLC drive, don't worry about putting swap on it. If you wrote to the disk 24/7, it will still last MANY years. People make WAY too big of a deal about wear on the drive. Do some research, and you'll see.
Will an MLC last a long time also?>

[PurposeOfReason]

Will an MLC last a long time also?>
Yup. By the time you'll need to replace the drive, you'll want to (if not already) replace it.

[toejamfootball]

Yup. By the time you'll need to replace the drive, you'll want to (if not already) replace it.
Awesome, thanks very much guys. Looks like I will be including a SSD in my new PC build to use just for the OS disk. Goodbye 8 year old machine, and goodbye long waits for apps to open :D

[Paqman]

Aren't they like Flash Drives and have a limited amount of writes? Would this get used up super quick if an OS was installed on one?


Theoretically, yes. However, the drives on the market now handle wear-levelling themselves. The end result is that MTBF for an SSD is no worse (and according to some sources much better) than a conventional spinning hard drive.

People seem to forget that conventional hard drives have a limited lifespan, too. They're one of the least reliable parts of a PC, in fact.

Bottom line: it's not worth worrying about. Just treat it the same as you would a magnetic drive.

[apocalypse80]

http://www.anandtech.com

Best, most informative ssd articles on the web.
Start with the ssd anthology.

Bottom line : get an intel ssd - or an indilinx based one (like the vertex) if cost is an issue - and you're a :KS