OCZ SSD PCI-E x4 RevoDrive ummm...

[1117248]

Hello all, I am interested in purchasing this item... OCZ SSD PCI-E x4 RevoDriver, however i am unsure if i have enough space on my motherboard. I use the DFI x58 LANPARTY and am currently using two 5870 radeon graphics cards. Is there enough space for this component as I am unsure how big these things are. Any advice would be appreciated.

Also with regards to this, is it possible to get my windows 7 to boot up with this SSD and then... have it be able to save pictures and stuff on my normal HD?

Btw this talks about RAID i dont know what this is - any explanations?

 

[Rightfuldon]

Hello all, I am interested in purchasing this item... OCZ SSD PCI-E x4 RevoDriver, however i am unsure if i have enough space on my motherboard. I use the DFI x58 LANPARTY and am currently using two 5870 radeon graphics cards. Is there enough space for this component as I am unsure how big these things are. Any advice would be appreciated.

Also with regards to this, is it possible to get my windows 7 to boot up with this SSD and then... have it be able to save pictures and stuff on my normal HD?

Btw this talks about RAID i dont know what this is - any explanations?

Sorry I am unsure about the dimensions, but as for your other questions......
Yes, it is very possible and indeed recommended that you boot Windows 7 from your SSD and store your data on a large separate HDD. In windows 7 it is very easy to configure it to do this, just right click on lets say "downloads" on your SSD, add folder to library (a folder entitled "Downloads" located on your HDD) and then right click on the newly added folder and click set to default save location. Now when saving a file to Downloads on your SSD if will automatically store the actual data on your HDD and have a shortcut to it within your Downloads folder on your SSD. Repeat this steps for pictures, music, documents, etc.

RAID is a way to configure multiple HDDs or SSDs to work together in different ways. ie. In laymans terms, Raid 0 with two HDDs will split up parts of files across both HDDs, allowing your system to pull data from both drives similtaneously, theoritically doubling the total bandwith you have between your mobo and HDDs, in this set up total capacity= combined capacity of both (2x500gb= 1tb of storage). Raid 1 is the "backup raid" where you use one HDD and the 2nd HDD is an exact copy of the first one, so if one HDD fails, you still have a copy of that HDD. These are just two types and explained on a very basic level.

For now, Raiding two SSDs would not be recommended because the TRIM command (something in place to keep your SSD running optimally and reduces performance degredation) cannot pass through your raid controller, therefore you loose the benefits of TRIM.

I hope this helped clarify some things, good luck!

 

[1117248]

thanks, i posted this in another section on the site... maybe u can answer this:

i have 3 x8PCI slot and a x4 one.... 2 of the x8 are filled and one of the compoennts covers the x4.... now this revothing is a x4... can i just plug that into the spare x8 i have without any consequences?

 

[1117248]

ooops my bad they are x16 slots... can i plug a x4 into a x16 and it work o

 

[adampower]

Yes, of course you can put a x4 in a x16 slot. However, some chipsets have limited 'lanes'. I think your x58 can handle 2 x 16 pcie and also 1 x 4 pcie (for a total of 36 lanes). If you have the ich10 controller it will use the last x 4 lanes (the x58 can handle 40 max).

That's it though. 2 x 5870s and 1 revo (and 1 ich10) and you're mobos pcie lanes are maxed.

 

[adampower]

I think these pcie drives are great. Reading more articles on them I found this little disclaimer in the small print. Make sure your mobo can boot from PCIe... then there's a little more copied below.

Note: Before installing the RevoDrive it is important to check the settings/capabilities on your motherboard. If you plan on using the RevoDrive as a boot drive please check that your motherboard supports boot over PCI-E. Please check with your motherboard manufacturer for the latest platform information and BIOS updates. If you have any installation or compatibility questions about the RevoDrive, please visit our forums or call OCZ Customer Service for recommendations.

While the RevoDrive will simply plug and play for the vast majority of platforms for these particular motherboards OCZ recommends the following:
-Asus Crosshair IV – Please check with motherboard manufacturer for BIOS update to enable boot over PCIe.
-Biostar T-Power I45: RevoDrive is only detected in Slot 1 AND only if a PCIe GPU is used.
-DFI DK-X58-T3EH6: Not detected in PCIe Slot 2 (x4 slot).
-EVGA X758 SLI – Please check with motherboard manufacturer for BIOS update to enable Boot over PCIe.
-Gigabyte GA-890FXA-UD7 Not detected in slots 1,3,4 (it is detected in 2,5,6)
-XFX 780i SLI – Bios must be upgraded to P09 (or later).

 

[adampower]

Oh the RAID thing. Fugetaboutit. They are simply trying to explain that they have raided two sets of NAND banks with two sandforce controllers. btw a single sandforce rocks. 2 of them rock twice. You don't have to RAID anything. Just think of it as a single drive.