WHICH SYSTEM DESERVES THE ONLY SSD I HAVE NOW?

[TR2]

I think SSD's are still too expensive now comparing with regular hard drives, but I bought one anyway just to find out how fast it is.

I have four systems which I can install the SSD in, but I would like to make sure I can install it to the system that can maximize the SSD's potential.

I have two systems that were assembled last year, a system with Intel Xeon quad core 2.4 ghz and another one with Intel I5 2500K quad core 3.3 ghz. Between these two, I can ruled out the Xeon because it is slower than the I5 2500K. But the motherboard with the I5 2500K has SATA connectors only at the speed of 3 gb/s.

I am putting together two more systems now, one with an AMD FX 4300 quad core 3.8 ghz and the other with an AMD Phenom II X4 955 BE 3.2 ghz. Between these two, I kind of rule out the FX 4300 because, again, the motherboard has SATA ports at the speed of 3 gb/s only.

Now the only choices are either the Intel I5 2500k 3.3 or the AMD Phenom II X4 955 BE. CPU-wise, the I5 is way better but the system motherboard has 3 gb/s connectors only. On the other hand, the AMD Phenom II X4 955 BE is not as good a CPU as the I5 but all the SATA ports on the motherboard for this system are 6 gb/s.

Between these two systems, which one deserves the only SSD I have now. Is the CPU more important, or the SATA ports are more important in this case?

By the way, I will use the 180 gb SSD for system disk only.

Please advise. Thanks!

 

[TR2]

Also, I have no intention to either upgrade the motherboard for the I5 2500K system or replace the CPU of the AMD Phenom II X4 955 BE.

 

[Robi_g]

Surely the one you use the most or the one which is the most important in terms of work etc... should get the SSD

 

[C12Friedman]

I'm going to suggest not putting it in any of them. Why? Simple really, you'll want (maybe even need) to put them in all of your builds for OS use. It really is that impressive compared to HDD's in that role.
My $0.02

ps mine's in my i5 rig, I love it, the only reason I don't have them on all my rigs (yet - will be in all in time) is I only need the speed for my gaming rig. I think you'll be impressed no matter which system you put it into

 

[TR2]

Surely the one you use the most or the one which is the most important in terms of work etc... should get the SSD

"but I would like to make sure I can install it to the system that can maximize the SSD's potential."

That is my intention.

 

[TR2]

I'm going to suggest not putting it in any of them. Why? Simple really, you'll want (maybe even need) to put them in all of your builds for OS use. It really is that impressive compared to HDD's in that role.
My $0.02

ps mine's in my i5 rig, I love it, the only reason I don't have them on all my rigs (yet - will be in all in time) is I only need the speed for my gaming rig. I think you'll be impressed no matter which system you put it into

Will the 3 gb/s SATA ports be the bottleneck for the SSD?

When I said system disk, I meant system + programs + regular files as well. The big files such as video files and huge picture folders will be saved on HDD.

By the way, I am not a true gamer.

 

[Goodeggray]

Install the ssd on the computer you use the most. The best feature of the ssd is boot up speed. If you install it on the computer with sata3 6GB connection but you hardly use that computer then it's a waste of the speed.

 

[groundrat]

Yes, the SATA 2.0 will bottleneck the SSD a bit, but it will still be much faster than either a 7200 or 10K hard drisk.

If any of your motherboards have SATA 3.0...?

But they are correct, use it on the one you use daily so you can get a feel for it.

 

[TR2]

Install the ssd on the computer you use the most. The best feature of the ssd is boot up speed. If you install it on the computer with sata3 6GB connection but you hardly use that computer then it's a waste of the speed.

Based on the information provided above, do you think I should use the Intel I5 2500K as my regular computer, or the AMD Phenom II X4 955 BE? I can pick any one I like. One of the four systems will be hooked up to a TV set for streaming video. By the way, there are only 8 GB memory with the Intel I5 and there are 16 GB memory with the AMD Phenom II X4 955 BE. This is due to the motherboard limitations and whatever memory I already have available.

 

[TR2]

Yes, the SATA 2.0 will bottleneck the SSD a bit, but it will still be much faster than either a 7200 or 10K hard drisk.

If any of your motherboards have SATA 3.0...?

But they are correct, use it on the one you use daily so you can get a feel for it.

The motherboard for the AMD Phenom II X4 955 BE has 6 SATA 3.0. I will have 4 X 4 GB memory with this system as well (compared with only 2 X 4 GB memory for the I5 system).

Taking all the factors into consideration, including the CPU, the motherboard, the SATA ports, and the amount of RAM used with the system, which of the two systems (the Intel I5 or the AMD Phenom II X4 955 BE) should I use as my regular system?

Please tell me your thoughts.

 

[mcnumpty23]

the 2500k

i went from using my 6gbs ssd on a 3gbs motherboard to using it on a 6gbs motherboard

the difference in real life use wasnt really noticeable

and 8 gb of ram is plenty for most users

 

[C12Friedman]

^ +1 I'd be leaning toward putting it into the i5 machine also, even with the SATA II limitation

 

[TR2]

The forum kept sending me e-mails to remind me to select the best answer for this thread. So I am back here.

Since I am back here, I would like to mention what I have finally done regarding this SSD just in case someone is still reading.

I finally installed the SSD to the system with the AMD Phenom II X4 955, motherboard with 6 SATA III ports and 4 memory slots, 4 X 4 GB Corsair memory, an old model but brand new EVGA GeForce 9800GT, plus a 2 TB HDD for data/photo/video storage and two extra 120 mm system fans in addition to the Cooler Master Hyper N520 CPU cooler. The reason is not only because this is the only motherboard with SATA III port but also because this is a new build. I have built the I5 system more than a year ago and I don't know when I am going to take the time to re-install everything. I do not like to just do a disk file transfer because the existing HDD is much bigger than the SSD.

Back to the selection of the best answer. You guys all gave me some valuable advice. Since I can only select one best answer, I will select the one that answered my question most directly.

Again, thank you all for your help.

 

[TR2]

Best answer selected by TR2.