Types of storage: questions

Going to the configurators on Sager/Clevo sites I find there are a bewildering variety of options. Starting from the assumption that I want one SSD drive for the OS and frequently used programs, and one drive (SSD or 7200RPM 1TB HD?) for storage and infrequently used programs, what kind of drives should I use for each? Use the drive bays for both, or use mSATA SSD for the boot drive and a drive bay for a HD or use two mSATA SSD for both purposes (if I can afford to); and as far as the SSD drives go, do I want PCIe or not? What are the upsides and downsides of these various alternatives, and which combination "plays the nicest" together?

Or I *could* just get one large SSD. In a bay or in a slot? PCIe or SATA? Any advantages to this as compared to two drive alternatives? I assume there would be a financial DISadvantage to getting one large enough quality SSD.

 

Ignore the options manufacturers offer. Buy the smallest/cheapest HDD and lowest/cheapest capacity RAM and upgrade yourself as soon as you receive it.

Buy the biggest SSD you can and keep in mind the need to OP it by at least 25% (I recommend 30%) if you want a chance of getting the most consistent performance out of it over the long term.

The most important issue when buying a new system is this (while keeping the above in mind too);

Buy the latest platform you can along with the biggest QC or higher cpu and gpu (if your workloads need it) with the latest/best O/S possible (Win8.1x64Pro only need apply - soon to be eclipsed by Win10x64Pro).

Anything else will be user 'adjustable' at almost any point during ownership (though I recommend to max the RAM and storage subsystem components as soon as you can).


Good luck.

 

What is OP?

 

OP = Over-Provision for SSD contexts.

OP = Original Poster for Forum\Thread posting contexts.

 

Sorry,

See:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/why-over-provision.760922/#post-9766709

 

Oooookay....this is the SSD context....so WHY is it a good idea in SSD contexts? Is there a technical reason beyond simply the general computer wisdom to get more & faster everything than one thinks one needs?

Never mind...just got tilleroftheearth's reply

 

Read the link that was provided by Tiller. Efficiency is an important aspect and OP helps provide that. Also to mention, most SSD Mfrs. recommend it.

lol. yes you're in an SSD forum thread but we sometimes refer to the original post to keep the thread from derailing.

 

Lordy lordy. Land o' Goshen. Something like that. Hey, I'm not too "technikbegabt" folks. I couldn't even upgrade a desktop computer with plenty of room let alone a laptop. I couldn't adjust the carburetor when cars had carburetors either! So I will not be following the first part of tiller's OP <smile>. Getting back to my original question, can somebody explain the drives and bays and slots and SATA vs PCIe and which kind of SSD should be the boot drive with the OS and most used apps on it (at least)?
[Maybe this is why people have been steering me toward "business" laptops with oodles of support...which has its own drawbacks...I'll be posting on that shortly...] Watch out! I have *a little* (very little) knowledge...and we all know that's a dangerous thing...BUT I am also TOO OLD to become a "maven" on this stuff...maybe I am wasting my (and everyone else's) time with these questions but I am stuck with my intellectual curiosity...yes I may end up with something "idiot proof" after all this...

 

What are going to use the computer for?
Maybe all you need is an el cheapo-deluxe. I don't blame you for a lack of interest in the technical stuff.

 

Don't need to understand the why or how to benefit from the experience I've gained over the past half decade with SSD's. Nor am I the only one that recommends OP'ing (Anand Lal Shimpi did too, before he left/sold Anandtech).

This is not the same thing as adjusting a carburetor (I left that to others more knowledgeable back then) - a few screws and you've increased the productivity of your system immensely (with maxing out the RAM and getting a properly setup SSD installed...).


My first post to you still stands, but the best/cheapest O/S SSD drive today is an 2.5" SATA3 option that is equal to or larger than 480/500/512GB - and yes, with OP'ing (which is simple to do, even after the O/S is installed and running).

mSATA options are the worst, performance-wise, as they usually have smaller nand capacities available, half the controller channels of a 2.5" SSD and I have seen issues with compatibility with them too, depending on the system.

M.2 (or NGFF as it was formerly known) is highly variable in performance right now because performance depends not only on the SSD in question, but also depends on the capabilities of the M.2 slot it is used in. This can range from 'up to' SATA3 performance (which in reality is lower than a 2.5" SATA3 SSD) to true PCIe x4 performance the Intel 750 series offers. Almost all the options available for the potential higher performance suffer from thermal throttling though (with performance dropping to below HDD levels)... so you may as well cross this 'option' off your list.

Another thing to keep in mind is the 'scores', marketing and most reviews of these products are not there to help you get a suitable component for your workflows. They merely serve to fill up webpages and 'hits' for both the reviewers and the manufacturers. As for the reviews on Amazon, Newegg, etc. - they are not worth the cyberink they are written in (when it comes to getting you the actual best bang for the buck).

See:
http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/7100/crucial-bx100-500gb-ssd-review/index7.html


Reviews like the above differ though. See the PCMark 8 Consistency test, for example (last graph on link above).

The otherwise top rated Samsung 850 Pro at double the capacity of the SandDisk Extreme Pro 256GB model is the worst single drive performer. This is what the drive can write in just under 8 hours. And it also indicates what the effective 'snappiness' difference is between drives (to me). Yeah, the SanDisk Extreme Pro is almost twice as fast in this task.


Hope that I have given you a hint that a quality 2.5" SSD is what you're looking for today.

I also hope that you ignore any purely synthetic 'scores' when comparing SSD's (if you don't ask us for our opinion first...).

Just because something is offered and/or it's new doesn't mean you should use it. Quality 2.5" SSD's are still the best choice at this time.

SanDisk Extreme Pro 480GB or larger SSD highly recommended.

See:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ..._sdssdxps_480g_g25_480gb_extreme_pro_ssd.html

 

Many thanks tilleroftheearth for a very clarifying post. And for warning me off of mSATA drives. Are there differences in RAM of the same speed as well? Like between Kingston, Crucial, etc.? Or are they pretty equivalent? Also is it better to have 4-4GB rather than 2-8GB sticks (using total 16GB as an example), or vice versa? (Asked as a general theoretical question).

 

If you are not populating the MB to the maximum (i.e. 32GB RAM), 2x 8GB sticks will be better.

I have not seen any differences with different RAM manufacturers. But I make sure that all the sticks are exactly the same in any particular system.

Glad you found my post useful. Take care.

 

Your answer raised another question. If I *do* choose to populate my MB to the maximum (32GB RAM), is 2X16 or 4X8 better, and is 16GB a big jump in price per GB?

 

16GB cards are available only from one source right now (at very high prices), and are not compatible w/ Intel CPUs.

 

Thanks Alex.

 

Pretty sure 16GB sticks works successfully with some Broadwell mobile CPU's.

 

I haven't (yet) seen that reported around here, but would welcome confirmation. I for one can't afford the 16GB SODIMMs.

 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/now-16gb-ddr3-modules-available-for-x250-t450s-etc.772521/

 

Honestly, at this point, I'd go with 4x8 GBand not mess with 16 GB SODIMMs until Skylake is launched.

 

Whoops I stand corrected. Musta been thinking of haswell.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Do not get 16GB Dimm's... Only Skylake will offically support it with no problems... As for SSD, I would also recommend the Sandisk Extreme Pro... The 480GB version will be great..