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    Intel 520 series SSD raid 0 M17x R3

    Discussion in 'Alienware 17 and M17x' started by Heihachi88, May 8, 2012.

  1. Heihachi88

    Heihachi88 Notebook Deity

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    Hello guys! Currently i have intel 520series 240GB and 750GB HDD (7200rpm). Does it worth to buy 2nd intel 520series 240GB SSD to make a raid0? Will i see some speed improvement? I am on A08 bios at this moment and port 0 seems to be working in sata III mode.
     
    Heihachi88, May 8, 2012
    #1
  2. B4n6k3

    B4n6k3 Notebook Evangelist

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    you are so damn lucky guy..... my system are stuck on SATA 2 for both port..... :(

    hear a lot positive comment and amazing speed for Raid 0, I'd say go for it dude..... :D
     
    B4n6k3, May 8, 2012
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  3. Heihachi88

    Heihachi88 Notebook Deity

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    Would it affect my win7 boot time?
     
    Heihachi88, May 8, 2012
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  4. Xenn0X

    Xenn0X Notebook Evangelist

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    nah i run 2 128GB M4 in raid 0 because i had them, just as fast as one 256GB M4 i had previously in my alien.
    since the sata3 is borked you will need to go to A10 or you will have strange raid failures when the sata mode goes whoosh from 3 to 2.
     
    Xenn0X, May 8, 2012
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  5. Tsunade_Hime

    Tsunade_Hime such bacon. wow

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    RAID 0 will cut down on boot time. I had about 16 seconds to a usable desktop with 1 x 160 GB SSD, and now it's down to about 10 seconds with RAID 0 160 GB SSDs.
     
    Tsunade_Hime, May 8, 2012
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  6. Heihachi88

    Heihachi88 Notebook Deity

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    Thanks, so now only one question left... is there any m17x R3 users with A08 bios using raid 0? If my port 0 will sometimes downgrade to SATA II i'll get BSOD's?
     
    Heihachi88, May 8, 2012
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  7. Xenn0X

    Xenn0X Notebook Evangelist

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    yes, like i said i nmy post above, raid 0 on a08 with sata 3 ssd is not stable. thats why i am on a10, not smoking on sata3 but still freaking fast.
     
    Xenn0X, May 8, 2012
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  8. Tsunade_Hime

    Tsunade_Hime such bacon. wow

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    Tsunade_Hime, May 8, 2012
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  9. Heihachi88

    Heihachi88 Notebook Deity

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    Heihachi88, May 8, 2012
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  10. thehuntress

    thehuntress Notebook Enthusiast

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    If you're referring to me, I'm using both bays for raid0 and I can't test whether 1, 0, or both have SATA III speeds. From the benchmarks I got, it would seem like both are on SATA III.

    So far I havent had any issues using A10 and A08. No BSOD or crashes on A08 raid0. In terms of performance gain from SATA II to SATA III, I didn't see much difference. Although for some strange reason, when I emptied my recycle bin and ran CCleaner.. my SATA II A10 boot time went from 19 to 24 seconds. It's now back to 19 seconds with SATA III A08. Not sure if the speed increase was due to the bios 'downgrade' or the OS reverting back to normal settings pre-CCleaner. SC2 loads just as fast as my SATA II SSD in my desktop.

    If I had the choice again, I would just buy a single large SSD and not bother with raid0. So if you're buying another SSD, get it if you need more space and need to use those files with SSD speed. Otherwise, the 'performance gain' is negligible.
     
    thehuntress, May 8, 2012
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  11. aznpos531

    aznpos531 Notebook Evangelist

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    To clarify, when you say usable in 10 seconds is that from Windows loading screen or from hitting the power button? :eek:
     
    aznpos531, May 8, 2012
    #11