Installing an SSD? tips/tricks/benchmarks

Just Upgraded to OCZ vertex 2 120gb on my m15x.. After all the tweaks got this on my ssd




Bit lower on write speeds as compared to flynaz...

and my turbo mode is somehow disabled for the processor...

 

For those who don't have an extreme CPU I suggest to use JJB's tweak otherwise Turbo Boost will be disabled.

 

Applied the JJB's tweak.. and this is what i get



are there any tweaks which can match the performance for stat's tweak... and why is my write speed slower than flynaz

@flynaz ... how did you enable turbo mode with both the mods...

 

To get the same performance with JJB's tweak, (based on the tests I performed on my laptop) I had to set those two registry entries at 100%:
Proc. idle promote threshold = 100%
Proc. performance core parking overutilization Threshold = 100%

in my setup anything else gave me slower results and affected my sequential reads and writes as well, not only the 4K random ones. Due to the different processors you may get different results therefore you need to adjust those two values.

 

Using this setting

Proc. idle promote threshold = 100%
Proc. performance core parking overutilization Threshold = 100%

Disables my turbo boost...

But
Proc. idle promote threshold = 99%
Proc. performance core parking overutilization Threshold = 100%

this does the job.. thnx and +rep for u stamatisx.. how do i reduce the shuttin down time on my laptop... why are my write speeds lower than flynaz...

 

Thanks and good to know those settings.
Concerning the shut down times, it will depend on how many processes and services are running in the background. There is a registry setting that will the change the time (in ms) your system will wait before it forces them to shut down but I do not recommend and might cause stability problems.
Your measured SSD speed may vary from flynaz due to many reasons. One reason that I can think of right now, is the background processes. Maybe there was a process in the background that kept the CPU load higher than yours and gave him better results (ie windows updates). To give you an idea of what I am talking about try this:
Fossil Free Online CPU Load or Stress Test.
Adjust the CPU load and run a benchmark to see how this will affect your results.
There are too many variables to this problem that will alter the final result, that's why I cannot give you a specific answer (you need to have very similar setups and settings in order to make comparisons).

 

Should I be using the Microsoft default drivers, or should I install my nvidia chipset in my R1? The documentation I read seemed to indicate that with a Vertex 2, you should stick with Microsoft's. Anyone have any tips?

 

Stick to the microsoft AHCI driver as the nvidia one lacks TRIM support

 

My system is slower than everybody. Someone help me speed up it.

 

We can help more if we know what model your ssd is. They are not all the same speed.

And I have officially abandoned the OWC 40gb. It is packed up and shipping back for a return. The SandForce drive just did not do enough to impress me at all. Doing some reading online it looks like most people have reached the same conclusion as me (their marketing is BS compared to real world performance - which is not as good as the Intel drives)

 

so what drive are you with now scook? The Intel ?

 

My SSD is SAMSUNG SSD PB22-JS3 2.5

 

Thought those numbers looked like a samsung. Those are about right for it, the drive is just not as fast as the indilinx/intel/sandforce drives

And ya, 160gb intel in laptop, 80gb intel in desktop. Both are G2

 

My sequential writes seem a bit low for a Vertex 2. I haven't made any tweaks yet though.

Additionally - and not that it really matters - my WEI score for this drive is 5.9, despite these readings. Seemed a little weird.

 

SSD TwEaKED OuTT!!

SSD JJB TWEAK @ 95%




SSD JJB TWEAK @ 99%

Proc. performance core parking overutilization Threshold = 100%




(thanks whitewizard)

 

Just ordered a G.SKILL Phoenix Pro Series FM-25S2S-120GBP2 2.5" 120GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) from Newegg shell shocker for $194.99. Can't wait!

 

What controller is that? Great price.....

 

It's here, SandForce 1200 G.SKILL Phoenix Pro Series FM-25S2S-120GBP2 2.5" 120GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

 

That is a nice price. If I was in the market for a SSD I would be all over that. But alas....I am not

 

Samsung PM800 256gb with TRIM. Why is it so slow?!

 

Do the test in safe mode. It will then tell you if your problem is software related. I will keep an eye out for your response.

 

In safemode

 

Hey guys, should I use Intel Matrix Storage Manager and/or Intel Rapid Storage Technology Driver?
I read on the G.Skill forum that I have to align partitions to 4KB boundaries to optimize the performance of my phoenix pro SSD, and the poster stated that "if you create partition under windows 7, your disk will be aligned automatically", so how about creating the partition when installing Windows 7 (no external tools), how do I check if it is 4KB boundaries aligned?
About formatting, should I use default format or quick format?
And how to check the firmware version of the drive?
Thanks in advanced.

 

Hero, from your signature I see that you have the R1 with the nvidia chipset, which means that you should not install the Intel drivers. I would suggest you to leave the default Microsoft ones, when I had the R1 those were giving me the best performance.
If you create the partition during Windows 7 installation, it will be aligned, you can confirm it later on by using the AS SSD (it will show ok)
You can choose the quick format (it takes significantly less time).
About the firmware, check if the SSD comes with additional software that allows you to check the SMART info, otherwise you can use the crystal disk info.
CrystalDiskInfo - Software - Crystal Dew World

 

Thank you very much stamatisx. Which AHCI mode should I choose (Native or Legacy)? And should I use the new A02 MCP79 Chipset driver or the A00 one?

 

You won't see any difference in performance between Native and Legacy.
Concerning the A02 chipset drivers, I haven't seen any complains from other members so I don't see why you should install the previous version. In the very end you can always uninstall them and use the A00.

 

I have 15.57 (whichever one that is) and it has been fine, although I have the storage controller portion uninstalled lol (so that I get TRIM - Nvidia does not seem to care about it or is hardware incompatible)

 

I am using Native AHCI right now and I see my internal drives as removable (There is a Safety Remove icon). How to disable that feature so that I will not remove the internal drives as a mistake while trying to remove an USB drive?

 

AHCI makes the drives all hot pluggable meaning they can be added or removed on the fly. Obviously doing this to your system drive is bad, but AHCI still supports it

 

Just got my SSD. Is it just me or the HDD0 caddy does not fit to the SSD at all.

My score (no tweak, windows default):

 

Thats it... Santa if you are reading this, you know what i want this Xmas! A new SSD!!

 

Yeah! I am very satisfied!

I can fit the SSD into the HDD0 caddy now but it is still tighter than the HDD.

 

I get pretty much the same readings - 150 mb/s on Seq in both standard and safe mode.

Same results both before and after installing Intel Rapid Storage drivers.

Any tips on what's causing it?

 

If it is a sandforce drive, do 0fill and it will get closer to the advertised numbers. You will never get a result as fast as they boast though. That result will also not be representative of real use scenarios. That is why I sold the sandforce drive I had - the Intels do exactly what I expect them too all the time.

 

Hi! I've been reading the forum for a couple of days and trying to understand just how the SSD works. I bought a OCZ Vertex 2E 120gb. I've benchmarked it with CrystalDiskMark 3.0 and I'm disappointed about the results. Does it have anything to do with the fact that I'm using XP ?

IAmElim

Desktop | AMD 3500+ 2.2 GHz | 3 GB RAM | OCZ Vertex 2E 120 GB | XP

 

No...it has to do with the fact that your testing a SF drive with Crystal in random data mode. Try ATTO or change the data sample type of Crystal to oFill to get the results as advertised.

 

I've tried to put oFill and it's working definitely better. The ATTO test is interesting as well. By the way, I didn't tweak anything. Any suggestions in XP ?

IAmElim

Desktop | AMD 3500+ 2.2 GHz | 3 GB RAM | OCZ Vertex 2E 120 GB | XP

 

Try this tweak

http://forum.notebookreview.com/har...-intel-series-4-5-965-chipsets-jjb-tweak.html


http://forum.notebookreview.com/6778781-post565.html

 

This is my SSD Benchmark + Boot time (win 7 Ultimate x64)

 

nice boot time spiderman. Is it with most of the services and startup programs off ?

 

No,

All Services are as Default Win 7 installation

In taskbar I have:
Canon My Printer, TrottleStop, Nod32 smart security, FCapture, ditto, DPins, IJ Network Tool, StealthIcon, AlienFX, SynapticsPD, OSD, CCC, BT, BatteryMeter, network and sound meter, free download manager, Razer Manager

 

and all that for 17 seconds - very nice!
i can't go under 19

 

what is your X25-M read / write speed ? , I think that HD / CPU / ram has a big factor in boot time

 

Yeah, you having a 940xm might have something to do with it.

 

Les, could you make a short video showing your computer booting in 7,8 seconds? I'd love to see that!

IAmElim

 

Les had posted a video on another thread but I couldn't find it, instead I found these:

YouTube - Alienware M17x - R2 Intel X25-E 64GB Windows 7 Boot Timer
That video was uploaded by Phil
YouTube - Windows 7 Boot in 7.566 seconds

 

Eheheh. I will see if I can dig it up but it won't stay up for long...

I laugh my #$% off every time i watch this...

<width='640' height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/gpGSk5mWL7k&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/gpGSk5mWL7k&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width='640' height="385"></embed></object>

 

Got a new toy, the price was just too good to pass up, 2 64GB SF-1222 SSDs for $99 each. Brand new.



For comparison, not sure how it stacks up, the 40GB OWC Mercury Extreme Pro I had a while back. Think this had the better firmware that only the Vertex 2 are supposed to have

 

Scook that was a good deal indeed.
I wonder when will they make controllers that can pass the TRIM command so that raiding SSDs (unless SLC) will really make sense.

 

Well out of curiosity I un-raided the drives and benched a single one. I have to say, I must be doing something wrong in Raid! One of these drives by themselves is VERY formidable. Turns out I was also incorrect about the firmware and performance as this drive matches or beats the OWC generally - which I am VERY ok with.

Any tips for RAID? I initially had 128kb stripe size (default in Intel RAID Utility). Read though in the help for RST that 16kb is the default (recommended) for solid state disks and 128kb for "sata" disks (I assume meaning magnetic).