Is there any Micro ATX X79 board which support SSD caching?

[yllanos]

I'm interested in buying a new motherboard with X79 chipset.

It is mandatory to have the following:
- Micro ATX size
- Available Mini PCI-e port

Plus, I have a crucial 128GB SSD which I would like to use as a cache drive, but I haven't found any X79 micro atx motherboard with SSD caching support

Can you help me please?

 

[IntelEnthusiast]

I did a little checking to make sure of what I thought when I first read your question. I can't find any of the X79 boards. The Intel SRT (Smart Response Technology) is the feature that allows you to use a small SSD as a caching drive. When we developed this technology we tested it and found that after about 64GB drive it is better to just use the SSD as a boot drive then to try to use it as a caching drive. So none of our x79 boards and none of the ones that I check from Asus, Gigabyte, EVGA, ASRock or MSI have the Intel SRT on them. I believe it has to do with them feeling that if you could afford an X79 board and processor to go with it then most likely you won't have much of a problem getting a SSD that is larger then 64GB. So I am sorry I am not able to help you find a board that fits your needs at this time.

 

[yllanos]

I did a little checking to make sure of what I thought when I first read your question. I can't find any of the X79 boards. The Intel SRT (Smart Response Technology) is the feature that allows you to use a small SSD as a caching drive. When we developed this technology we tested it and found that after about 64GB drive it is better to just use the SSD as a boot drive then to try to use it as a caching drive. So none of our x79 boards and none of the ones that I check from Asus, Gigabyte, EVGA, ASRock or MSI have the Intel SRT on them. I believe it has to do with them feeling that if you could afford an X79 board and processor to go with it then most likely you won't have much of a problem getting a SSD that is larger then 64GB. So I am sorry I am not able to help you find a board that fits your needs at this time.

Intel's were the first I checked since i've had 3 straight Intel motherboards on my builds (I'm on a DX58SO2 right now).

Thanks, anyway I'll just keep searching.

Any more opinions?

 

[JackNaylorPE]

By the time SSD cacheing came out, it was a technology w/o a market. It is strictly of interest to the extreme budget conscious and if ya doing X79, I'm sure you ain't in that category.

http://www.ukgamingcomputers.co.uk/difference-between-h67-p67-z68-and-h61-chipsets-a-22.html

Finally, another feature of a Z68 chipset is known as SSD caching which is where it allows the use of a small (say 10 or 20 GB) Solid state hard drive to act as a cache for a larger ‘traditional’ hard disk. If you are already planning the use of a Solid State drive this feature is redundant.

If you can’t afford a decent size SSD (40GB+) then there are more cost effective ways around using a small SSD and SSD cashing like spending less on a motherboard, (H67 chipset or even a P67 chipset) and putting the saved money into a decent size SSD.

Micro ATX and X79 performance seemed counter intuitive so I was surprised to see them .....I don't expect there will be many such boards .... here's 3 that I can recall.

ASRock X79 Extreme-M
ASUS Rampage IV Gene
MSI X79MA-GD45

I have had some users with video editing, Photoshop builds tell me they set the "scratch disk" as an SSD.

 

[Starfish75]

Gigabyte do a micro ATX version of the GA-Z77-D3H . The SSD must be 64 gb or less. It must be one from their compatable list. You could try partitioning your SSD and downloading caching drivers

 

[yllanos]

Gigabyte do a micro ATX version of the GA-Z77-D3H . The SSD must be 64 gb or less. It must be one from their compatable list. You could try partitioning your SSD and downloading caching drivers

But I think that model allows for SSD on a mSATA port. Mine is a 2.5-inch drive

 

[Starfish75]

Didn't realise msata has a different form factor, I' m loking it up

 

[soddo]

Only micro is the shuttle x79 (custom board) which comes in their bare bones case.

Im pretty sure it doesnt have a msata though.

If you figure out how to buy one without the case/psu/heatsink it would be interesting.