What hardware do I need to meet my needs at work?

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lawman2011

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Jul 18, 2013
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Hi all,

I recently built my own computer for work, and I've ran into some issues and need some advice.

First off, the computer is running quite slow now because I accidentally installed a 32-bit version of windows instead of 64-bit. I will be installing Windows 7 Professional 64-bit in the near future.

Here's my current system:

MSI MS-7758 Motherboard
16GB RAM (Not sure on the speed, but I didn't buy the fastest)
Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-2700K CPU @ 3.50GHz
ASUS HD7750 Series (Using three monitors)
WDC WD5000AAKX 500 GB HDD

I'm an attorney and I am using this at work, mainly with my software LexisNexis Time Matters which is a SQL database CRM software. I want this software to run as fast as possible. On my current system with Windows 32-bit it is actually slower than my last computer, but I imagine that will speed up once I install 64-bit. I always have 20 or more programs running at a time (many Word documents and PDF docs open, Chrome with many tabs, Outlook, Time Maters, etc...). For me, time is money so if I can speed up my computer, that is good. At first I wanted to stay budgeted, but now I realize I want more speed (within a reasonable price).

I recently ordered a Samsung MZ-7TD250BW 840 Series Solid State Drive (SSD) 250 GB Sata 2.5-Inch to increase HDD speed. While I was researching online I learned about RAID.

Here are my questions:

1) If I but another identical SAMSUNG SSD HD, can I run those in RAID 1?
2) I've read that running in RAID is less reliable. I can't afford any downtime on my main computer. If I am backing up to my 500GB internal WDC HD and my external 3TB drive, how can I insure minimal downtime if the RAID has problems?
3) What is the exact specifications for the fastest RAM I can get in my system?
4) Is CPU overclocking advisable in my situation? If so, how should I overclock?
5) Should I upgrade my graphics card?
6) What have I not thought of to speed up my system?
7) Any other recommendations for speeding up my system?

Thanks!




 
Solution
USAFRet
I don't think you need any hardware changes, apart from maybe the SSD. What you have seems suitable for a single box situation.

-Currently, you have 16GB RAM and 32bit Windows. Only ~3,5GB of your RAM is being utilized. That will change if you go to the 64but version. And allow application to run faster.
-RAID 1 for the SSD's. Only if you have a dedicated IT staff to manage it. RAID is not a backup. A regular nightly backup procedure would be much safer.
-No overclocking.
-Don't need a better graphics card

An SSD will assist in open applications and files stored on the SSD. ADding a second would allow you to have the OS and applications on one, and working files on the second SSD. Files that live on the second SSD open and save...
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USAFRet

USAFRet

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Mar 16, 2013
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I don't think you need any hardware changes, apart from maybe the SSD. What you have seems suitable for a single box situation.

-Currently, you have 16GB RAM and 32bit Windows. Only ~3,5GB of your RAM is being utilized. That will change if you go to the 64but version. And allow application to run faster.
-RAID 1 for the SSD's. Only if you have a dedicated IT staff to manage it. RAID is not a backup. A regular nightly backup procedure would be much safer.
-No overclocking.
-Don't need a better graphics card

An SSD will assist in open applications and files stored on the SSD. ADding a second would allow you to have the OS and applications on one, and working files on the second SSD. Files that live on the second SSD open and save as near to instant as possible. (I do this for work files at home)

RAID 1 (mirrored drives) can give near instant recovery, but at the expense of reliability. And if the RAID dies (for whatever reason) bringing it back is time consuming.
And truly, SSD's do not die all that often.

I'd go with a nightly, or maybe twice daily, backup to another drive. On another machine.

Just my opinions...
 
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lawman2011

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Jul 18, 2013
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10,510
Thanks USAFRet,

Just some follow up questions for you.

1) I was planning on using the RAID mirror as my main drives with OS and client files. Would this be optimal, or do you still not suggest RAID? I don't have an IT staff. You're talking with the IT staff, haha!
2) It seems you are suggesting that having two SSD drives, not running in RAID, means better performance. Will I get the same performance if I have everything (OS, files, applications) all on my 256GB drive? Of course, I will probably run out of room soon, but I'm just trying to clarify if there is a performance boost from having two SSDs instead of one.

Thanks
 
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USAFRet

USAFRet

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No real performance boost either way, but rather a separation between OS+applications, and data.
If, for whatever reason, you need to reinstall the OS or any applications, your data is still completely unaffected on the other drive. Be it an SSD or HDD. Having them on a second SSD makes opening, modifying, saving near instantaneous.

OS and applications can be reinstalled. Data, not so much. And a 256GB SSD can hold quite a few applications. Probably more than you think.

I'm a developer for a rather large govt department, and work with large Word and Excel files daily (among other things). Opening a reasonably complex Excel file that lives an the other SSD, with many worksheets, formulas, and macros happens almost before my finger stops moving from the doubleclick. No RAID needed.

For the backup and recovery aspect of a RAID 1, I still recommend just a regular backup. Probably to two locations. One local in that box for "right now" access, and a second to another box for safety reasons.
 
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littleleo

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May 8, 2009
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USA has got you covered the reason your system seems slower is partly because of the fact you are running 16GB of RAM on a 32 bit O/S, that is a big no no. If you are going to Raid 0 (Stripping) for speed I don't think you'll get that much increase for the expense in money and effort. Most will only do that on their O/S drives. If you are going to Raid 1 your for data for extra data safety that will slow your system down since you're duplicating your data writes, and you need 2 of the same drives. Better to just use an external USB Drive as a back-up have your system back-up daily to it at a set time. You may want to use a bigger SSD drive to hold your O/S and core programs to increase the speed on boot up and program loading. It depends on the size of your program files of course. Data, I would not save to the SSDs as they fill up they will slow down, keep them streamlined. Good luck!
 
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USAFRet

USAFRet

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Working data on the SSD, not long term storage. As you finish with a case, move it off to the hard drive. You won't need that 0.1 sec access, and 1-2 second access will suffice.

And as always, backups. Multiple, rotated backups. Always one offsite in case of fire/theft/flood.
 
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