60GB OCZ Agility

OK, so I picked up the 60GB Agility from NewEgg. Anything I need to do before I put it in my X200? Thanks for any help.

 

Unpack it from the box.

Verify which firmware yours comes with. If you go the TRIM route make sure you install the MS AHCI controller driver. If you want to run the garbage collection firmware make sure you download the tool form the OCZ website.

 

Update your BIOS ? Well, I did this on my thinkpad

 

If your using XP, you might need to align the drive due to the 4k blocks SSDs use.

 

I thought maybe I'd go with Vista, but I'm not really sure yet. Is one firmware better than another?

 

The deal with using TRIM is that all the maintenance for the SSD is done automatically. If you go the garbage collection route you need to run a program or setup a scheduled task to run the maintenance. Some people go that route because they claim the MS AHCI driver loses some performance.

Best bet is to test it with the TRIM firmware and change it only if performance is really bad.

 

I was under the impression that Vista, which is what I'll most likely use, does not support trim?

 

Only win7 has native trim support.

OCZ has a manual trim program that you can download and run periodically.

 

That is correct. Go with the latest firmware that supports their GC tool.

 

I would get windows 7... works way better and faster than vista and u get TRIM support... hassle free..

 

But I don't like Windows 7, which is a problem.

 

You prefer Vista over 7? Why?

 

If it's to do with the taskbar, you could do some simple tweaks to get it to look the same as in Vista. Can't think of any other major changes between Win7 and Vista...?

 

You're right in most respects I find Vista and Windows 7 to be quite similar, but there was one small change, which made a big difference to me. Perhaps I'm OCD, but I personally hate all the little tooltips that pop up when you mouse over almost any item. You can turn it off for Windows Explorer, but they are almost impossible to get rid of elsewhere.

It's just one of things like clicky touchpad buttons. I can't stand them and would never buy a notebook with them. Most people don't even notice it. They drive me nuts. It's one of the many reason I really like ThinkPads so much. Ever since I been using them, they always have smooth buttons.

Years ago I found this little program called AlphaXP(best $15 I ever spent), which makes them transparent, effectively disabling them. I looked for a long time until I found AlphaXP. It was a godsend when I found it. I been using it since 2k and it's always worked.

When Vista was released I installed it on my laptop right away and got AlphaXP working using compatibility mode. Then about six months down the road, I put 64 bit on my laptop just to try it out, but I could not get AlphaXP working. Something changed and this change has carried over to 32 and 64 bit Windows 7. I've tried any number of things, but all have failed. I've become a bit friendly with the developer. He's sort of moved on with his life and probably isn't going to fix it.

I know how to get rid of them in Linux. The fix I found works well for my Linux HTPCs, but I'm not really ready to move to Linux full time, especially on my notebooks where Linux doesn't get the battery life of Windows. I don't have a clue how to fix it. I've posted on many forums asking how to in Windows 7, but haven't found anyone with enough knowledge to help me. For now I've just been sticking with Vista and XP. They're fine for now, but at some point they'll no longer be relevant. I'll have to move along from Vista, which has me concerned.

 

I purchased a 30GB Vertex way back when the FW versions were still in the 11xx range, before GC and/or Trim were supported. With a fresh Vista install, I saw my CDM benchmarks nosedive after a few weeks of use. The most noticeable change was in sequential writes, which went down to a sustained 30MB/s, whether using a benchmark tool or by actually calculating the time needed to transfer an ISO file over giga LAN. The actual "feel" of the drive never changed, though, as far as snappiness was concerned.

With the arrival of the FW revisions that supported idle GC (1.40- which I used since I was running Vista) or TRIM (1.41), the Vertex was able to maintain its original benchmarks and real-world sustained transfers for months (I sold the drive after a few months since 30GB was too small). I imagine that with the latest FW, the Agility/Vertex should maintain its performance just as well in Vista.

 

what do yo mean? the info that pops up..like when you scroll over the time it tells you what date it is?...FWIW this is a very good SDD i have one and it is awesome fast and quiet and doesn't make my left hand burn =)

 

Yes.

 

huh....well im pretty sure there is a registry key enable disables them try

HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\"CurrentVersion"\Explorer\Advanced\ the maybe the hover time? or enable tool tips something to that effect

then there should be info tool tips or something to disable them.

 

There's not. Trust me, I've looked.

 

Did you try this?

 

Yes,, but that only gets rid of the ones in Windows Explorer. The rest remain.

 

well then ur problem is solved.. time to use windows 7

 

OK, so NewEgg mailed my SSD USPS. I got it today. How do I check the firmware version. I have the ultrabay for my R60. I can throw it in there if needed.

 

It should be right on the exterior specification sticker no?

 

Thanks for the reply. If it does, I'm not seeing it. There's just the part number and the serial number.

 

And nothing on external documentation? Is it installed yet? Crystal Disk Info will list it as will a BIOS chck I believe.

 

Go to Device Manager, under Disk Drives, find the SSD in question, then right-click it, Properties, under the drop-down menu select Hardware ID. Your firmware will be listed there!

 

It's 1.5, which is the latest I think? Where can I find the manual trim utility for Vista and how often should I run it?

 

FW 1.5 is the latest available, so you're good to go. With GC running in the background you shouldn't need to worry about TRIM. I'll try to find the links on OCZ's website for the utility though.

 

OK, I'll bite, what's GC?

 

Garbage Collection, in this particular case, specifically idle time garbage collection.

 

In other words if/when you are not using the computer GC should kick in and start erasing NAND cells that have no useful data on them. I'm pretty sure it will move things around a little bit in order to clean as many NAND cells as it can, but do not quote me there.

Bottom line is that for systems that do not support TRIM, the GC will still do enough to keep the SSD at top shape so long as you give it a little bit of idle time every once in a while.