Using an SSD as the primary storage unit & as cache for a HDD

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Kallakix2015

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I've been thinking about what I could do to get the best out of my PC. Right now I just have a 2TB HDD. I was told I could use an SSD and use it as cache for the HDD and make it run faster. I'm thinking about buying a fairly large SSD ( 240GB ), installing Windows on that and also using it as a cache drive for the HDD.

Apparently the maximum amount of cache you can partition is 60GB. So the cache part of the SSD would take away 60GB from the total leaving me with 180GB just for Windows 7.I'd then use the 2TB HDD for large files, 500GB steam library, Origin, Uplay & large iTunes library. Would this work then? Using the SSD as cache for the HDD and for also running the OS ?

Thank you.
 
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Chayan4400

Chayan4400

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According to PCWorld it does:

http://www.pcworld.com/article/248828/how_to_setup_intel_smart_response_ssd_caching_technology.html

It seems to work only on some Intel chipsets, however (not sure if AMD is supported.), so I recommend checking to see if your chipset is supported before buying the SSD. Bear in mind though even if your chipset isn't supported, you can expect to see much better performance (like faster loading time in games and applications, shorter boot times, faster rendering in applications such as Photoshop and other video and photo editing software, as well as 3d modelling/ simulation software, etc.) even if you simply install windows on the SSD, since windows generally becomes 'snappier' when on an SSD.
 
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USAFRet

USAFRet

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Don't do it that way.
Just use the 240GB for the OS, applications, and maybe a game or two. With such a combination of SSD and HDD, the things that end up on the HDD don't really benefit from the speed aspect of the SSD cache.

Trying to split it and use part as a cache is more complex than it needs to be, for very little if any performance gain.
 
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geofelt

geofelt

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By all means, buy a ssd for use as your "C" drive.
But, partitioning some of it off as a cache is not particularly effective.
If what you need fast is not in the cache, you do not get the speed.
If it is in the cache, then you might as well have loaded that into the ssd in the first place.
You might look into the Samsung rapid mode program, part of their magician software.
 
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Kallakix2015

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Just storing things on the SSD isn't what I'm looking for, I have too many games to fit on there and I don't want to split games in different places. I thought I'd run the OS off the SSD and also 60GB of cache so the HDD runs better. By doing this I'd get a faster OS and a faster overall HDD speed wouldn't I? If I just buy an SSD I'll have fast boot times, but all my data will stay the same speed on the HDD.
 
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Kallakix2015

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Why is creating a cache partition on the SSD not effective? That's how SSHD's work and they do provide a speed increase to HDD's. By having two uses for the SSD I'd have two benefits.
 
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USAFRet

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1. Because most of the things that live on the HDD will not end up in that cache space, and as such be read directly from the spinning platter.
2. Because you're sucking up SSD space to do that.

With an SSHD, only the most used files (not applications) end up on the cache space. Everything else is read from the platters.
Just like what you are trying to do.

A game that lives on an HDD with a cache SSD (be it an SSHD or what you want) will only be 'faster' if those files end up on the SSD space. And you have no control over what ends up there.
 
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Kallakix2015

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What would you suggest for large capacity storage and speed then? I already have a 2TB HDD, a large SSD costs too much. I was told add SSD cache or buy another 2TB HDD and RAID them. But I have never done that, so I might have issues with it.
 
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geofelt

geofelt

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The power of a ssd is not for boot times or even sequential access. It is for the small random I/o that the os does 90% of the time.
Catalog accesses, game checkpoints and such.
Ask anybody with a ssd if they would ever build without one. You will find nobody.

Fortunately, ssd prices are coming down.
On a 240gb ssd, you can have a fair number of games.
Worth looking into.

Raid-0 has been over hyped as a performance enhancer.
Sequential benchmarks do look wonderful, but the real world does not seem to deliver the indicated performance benefits for most
desktop users. The reason is, that sequential benchmarks are coded for maximum overlapped I/O rates.
It depends on reading a stripe of data simultaneously from each raid-0 member, and that is rarely what we do.
The OS does mostly small random reads and writes, so raid-0 is of little use there.
There are some apps that will benefit. They are characterized by reading large files in a sequential overlapped manner.
Bottom line... not worth the trouble.
 
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USAFRet

USAFRet

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Just add the 240GB drive. OS and applications, and maybe a game or two.
The other stuff that will live on your HDD does not care about the SSD performance. Your music library, or a movie, does not play any faster on the SSD vs the HDD.

Also, consider this: For an SSD, you need to leave 10-15% free space. So you have about 200GB actual usable space. So, a 240GB drive with 60GB already sucked up in a cache leave only 140GB, not 180GB, for you to use.
 
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Conrad82

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I have been using primocaches L2 cache to do exactly what you are trying to do. I have all games on the hdd and a 20 gig cache on the ssd.

The cache happens automatically after you have loaded the game once and after that I have seen approximately a 30% reduction in loading times. and it is all automatic.

Your plan sounds like a good one to me! this is exactly what I do.
Primocache isn't free and i haven't purchased it yet, but it has a 3 month test period.
if you have a modern intel processor you can probably use intel srt instead to do the same for free
 
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USAFRet

USAFRet

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Question:
What happens when you use a whole different application or game? How does Primocache determine what ends up on the cache space?
 
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Conrad82

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When the cache is full, it will replace the new files either by removing the files that hasn't been used in a while or files that hasn't been accessed that often.

With my 20 gig cache I still have 7 gig left, so I haven't seen the effects of this yet
 
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teknobug

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My rule is to minimize writes to the SSD as much as possible, I only use the SSD for OS and basic installed programs, storage and games otherwise goes on a physical HDD.

I had thought about trying a 64GB USB3 flashstick as a cache drive, wonder how it'd perform.
 
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Johan Kryger Haglert

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I've tried the Windows caching on USB flash-drive and I didn't notice any difference whatsoever (USB 3 16 GB.)
 
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Johan Kryger Haglert

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Personally I've also always wanted to use a cache since the early mentions about how it performed almost as good as just SSD but of course does the work for your whole HDD.

Seem like one guy above have that experience from actually doing it.
I came here searching for whatever it was possible to make a cache for part of the drive, just ordered a evo 850 250 GB on black friday sale and if it's possibly I'll definitely do it.

To store games on the SSD? Well.. if you don't have many games installed but ..

I would like to use the mostly for swap, secondly for all small things (which I guess is what the cache software decide to put on it), thirdly for OS in general, fourth .. well, maybe the games I use, ..
 
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