My first SSD: Smart cache or system disk?

[Valamyr]

Hello all! I just received hardware for my system and I need your help to decide what to do with my first SSD disk ever.

Its this one: Crucial M4 SSD Micron C400 64GB 2.5IN Solid State Disk Flash Drive SATA3 6Gbps

Now, my Z68 motherboard has "smart response" which allows it to use a SSD drive to speed up the most used files on my computer.

Worth mentioning I use 4 disks total, totalling about 6 terrabytes, but only the system data and my games are worth speeding up. I have a few hundred gigs of games so I cant put them all on the SSD, but I could put the OS there.

I assume putting the OS on the SSD would speed it up quite a bit. Oh the other hand, I assume the Smart system would speed up games more. Finally, I guess I could split it, 32 go for the cache and 32 go for the OS drive... would that even work?

What would you recommend? Anyone tried both?

Thanks for any info :)

[Eldonko]

If your OS and games are on the same HD (diff partitions ok) then definitely set up caching. Why just speed up the OS when you can speed up both?

[Valamyr]

Originally Posted by Eldonko

If your OS and games are on the same HD (diff partitions ok) then definitely set up caching. Why just speed up the OS when you can speed up both?

Yes, the OS and the games are on two partitions of the same disk.

Im just wondering if having the OS on a 7200rpm drive quickened by the smart cache will be anywhere as fast as putting the whole OS on the SSD? If so, then that would indeed be a no-brainer.

[lowfat]

Unfortunately I haven't seen a proper review of SSD caching yet. Reviewers are testing with SSD benchmarks but that isn't what SSD caching is good for. It is good for actual real world applications.

[Eldonko]

Here is caching vs no caching and as you can see the difference is huge. However it doesnt show caching vs SSD only. I would guess that those numbers would be close so I guess the question is do you want your system to boot slightly faster or your games and apps to be faster as well.

Intel Z68 Review - The Sandy Bridge Platform Expands

[Valamyr]

That makes sense.

And only a single HDD can benefit from the caching right?

[Eldonko]

Yep, you choose which hd to speed up when you set up caching. Make sure the drive you want to accelerate is on an Intel SATA port and install the OS in RAID mode or you will run into issues.

EDIT - Also grab the latest RST driver from intel. 10.​6.​0.​1022 is the latest version and it can be found here: http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Sear...age+Technology

[lowfat]

Don't suppose you know if you can only use a single SSD to cache? And can you cache an array of HDD's?

[Eldonko]

You can cache 1 thing, either a single HD or a RAID array. RAID 0, 1, 5, 10 work but it cant be a matrix array. I havent tried it personally but that's what I read anyway. Was that the question?

[lowfat]

Yup. Looks like I may have to try out a Z68 system after all.