SSD Caching via Intel Smart Response

[sabot00]

I have a few questions about SSD caching:

- How much difference is there between a MLC and SLC SSD for caching?
- I've heard that SSDs perform worse once they fill up, and on the Vertex 4 (firm 1.4?) there's a sharp threshold once the drive is 50% full, does this affect only MLC? How steep is the performance drop? How true is the 50% mark?
- Can you change the default location for "Program Files" in Windows?
- How much difference is there between using a 64GB cache and installing windows on a 120 GB and then programs on another drive?

 

[greenhawk]

1) besides cost, generally write speeds are lower on MLC devices, but still faster than most HDD's write speeds.
Second issue is that SLC has better wear numbers so should have less issues with being warn out (if you plan on writing a lot of data the cach does not manage to avoid)

2) True to the filling issue if TRIM is not used (depends on OS/ caching software) or the drive has a poor garbage collection system. As to the 50% mark, no idea, sounds like rubbish to me.

3) generally not worth the hassels. using a feature of NTFS junction points can work, but it is hit or miss. getting windows to change is possible, but IIRC is best done before you install anything after windows is freshly installed.

Easiest method is just install programs elsewhere as you install them, selecting which you want where.

4) how long is a piece of string? it all depends on your usage, and caching only works on commonly accessed files so the first run is rarly faster than a standard drive by itself.

In the second situation, if all you do is run programs from the HDD then the SSD is not going to effect the system's performance at all.

 

[sabot00]

Regarding the 50% mark for the Vertex: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/vertex-4-ssd-write-performance,3235-5.html

Assuming that a cache is always going to be full, just how long is a MLC's theoretical life expectancy (when the NAND can no longer write)? I don't want an exact answer, just a (Don't worry about MLC/SLC for home use/SLC is worth it)