RAID + SSD cache question

>HyperlogiK< · Apr 2, 2013

I have a somewhat aged PERC 5i with a 512MB cache which I pulled from my old (somewhat power hungry) file server and replaced with a slower but more bulletproof RAIDZ2 setup.

I also have 3 750GB Spinpoint F1s that have been lying in a cupboard for some time.

I was wondering whether there would be any value in replacing the 1TB WD Black secondary drive (for most installed programs) in my main PC with an array of the 3 Spinpoint F1s cached with a SanDisk ReadyCache 32GB SSD. The reviews for the latter are generally decent, and unlike the Corsair solution it does support RAID arrays, though I can't find any benchmarks relating to that.

In short, would I be wasting electricity using these various pieces of old hardware in this manner or would there be a significant bump in real world performance? I couldn't give a damn about theoretical throughput but better performance from games and the Adobe Creative Suite would be nice.

Anonaru · Apr 3, 2013

>HyperlogiK< said:
I have a somewhat aged PERC 5i with a 512MB cache which I pulled from my old (somewhat power hungry) file server and replaced with a slower but more bulletproof RAIDZ2 setup.

I also have 3 750GB Spinpoint F1s that have been lying in a cupboard for some time.

I was wondering whether there would be any value in replacing the 1TB WD Black secondary drive (for most installed programs) in my main PC with an array of the 3 Spinpoint F1s cached with a SanDisk ReadyCache 32GB SSD. The reviews for the latter are generally decent, and unlike the Corsair solution it does support RAID arrays, though I can't find any benchmarks relating to that.

In short, would I be wasting electricity using these various pieces of old hardware in this manner or would there be a significant bump in real world performance? I couldn't give a damn about theoretical throughput but better performance from games and the Adobe Creative Suite would be nice.

In contrast to what you're asking for, you will probably get some substantially different numbers in theoretical throughput. In the real world... it depends entirely on what you're doing. A single SATAIII SSD will pump a game along well enough, RAID will sometimes be noticable, sometimes it won't be.

RAID tends to not have an effect on boot times due to the device having to initialize.. For you and your uses, the best way is to chuck these old boys in and give 'em a run! Only you can truely determine if the change up is worth it for your exact uses. :attn:

>HyperlogiK< · Apr 3, 2013

You misunderstand me; sorry if I wasn't very clear

My boot drive is a 120GB SATA3 SSD, the RAID cached with a second small SSD is purely for storage and installed programs.

Anonaru · Apr 4, 2013

>HyperlogiK< said:
You misunderstand me; sorry if I wasn't very clear

My boot drive is a 120GB SATA3 SSD, the RAID cached with a second small SSD is purely for storage and installed programs.

Ahh, I'm thinking that in a more specific manner you may see some notable gains, mainly in creative suite. I still think that the best way is to bite the bullet and plug it all in for some good ol' grunge-style testing :attn:

RAID + SSD cache question

>HyperlogiK<

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Anonaru

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>HyperlogiK<

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Anonaru

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