What kind of PC storage medium do you use?

[Ashliana]

I have a decent, not top-of-the-line computer, that I built around a year and a half ago. I used a raptor (10k rpm hard drive, versus the standard 5400/7200rpm drives that make up most laptop/desktops), and was impressed with the difference over the old ones.

I'd been on the fence about solid state drives (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solid-state_drive); they were horrendously expensive, had small capacities (so did the raptor, though), but after reading the article (http://www.anandtech.com/storage/showdoc.aspx?i=3631) at my favorite tech site, specifically this part:


Compared to mechanical hard drives, SSDs continue to be a disruptive technology. These days it’s difficult to convince folks to spend more money, but I can’t stress the difference in user experience between a mechanical HDD and a good SSD. In every major article I’ve written about SSDs I’ve provided at least one benchmark that sums up exactly why you’d want an SSD over even a RAID array of HDDs. Today’s article is no different.

The Fresh Test, as I like to call it, involves booting up your PC and timing how long it takes to run a handful of applications. I always mix up the applications and this time I’m actually going with a lighter lineup: World of Warcraft, Adobe Photoshop CS4 and Firefox 3.5.1.

Other than those three applications, the system was a clean install - I didn’t even have any anti-virus running. This is easily the best case scenario for a hard drive and on the world’s fastest desktop hard drive, a Western Digital VelociRaptor, the whole process took 31 seconds.

The Fresh Test

And on Intel’s X25-M SSD? Just 6.6 seconds.

A difference of 24 seconds hardly seems like much, until you actually think about it in terms of PC response time. We expect our computers to react immediately to input; even waiting 6.6 seconds is an eternity. Waiting 31 seconds is agony in the PC world. Worst of all? This is on a Core i7 system. To have the world’s fastest CPU and to have to wait half a minute for a couple of apps to launch is just wrong.

I decided to take the plunge, and ordered the X25-M they were talking about. I installed it this weekend. Oh, my god, what a difference. You would not believe how much faster everything is on an SSD, even compared to a fast HDD.

The prices for the new models are overinflated--they're supposed to be about $250 for the 80GB model and $440 for the 160GB model, but they just came out and the vendors are price gouging.. NewEgg, my normally favorite site, was charging like $670. I found one of the 160GB models "only" charging $475, bit the bullet and ordered one. Worth it.

What do you guys use?

[Xaerve]

Didn't read your post fully :)

I have the same drive you have, and they are fucking incredible. Best PC-related money I've ever spent.

[Monsoon]

Currently running Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit on a WD 640GB Caviar Black.

[AnticorRifling]

I run everything from my 5.25" disks.

[Monsoon]

Like your CD-ROM? HDDs are 3.5" and smaller.

[Allereli]

http://www.loringdesign.com/images/stc-floppy-8-inch-1ap.jpg

[Daniel]

I got a couple mexicans I keep in the back room.

[Danical]

ArsTechnica recommends SSDs quite a bit.

I'm hoping by the time Black Friday rolls around they'll drop in price even more.

[Celephais]

Yeah I'm waiting on the price myself. I just don't think I'll see the performance improvements where they matter to me. Startup time is a non-issue for me because I typically just leave my computer on (take that mother earth!), and I have enough ram that throughout the day I just keep everything I use open. Then when it comes to gaming load times are pretty easy to ignore, because games are being developed around lazy loading schemes anyway.

...

Listen, I'm just trying to keep myself from buying one as long as I can, because I know once I get one I'm going to need one on all my systems, so the longer I can hold out, the better drives I can get, so I'll continue to talk myself out of it.

[Xaerve]

Yeah I'm waiting on the price myself. I just don't think I'll see the performance improvements where they matter to me. Startup time is a non-issue for me because I typically just leave my computer on (take that mother earth!), and I have enough ram that throughout the day I just keep everything I use open. Then when it comes to gaming load times are pretty easy to ignore, because games are being developed around lazy loading schemes anyway.

...

Listen, I'm just trying to keep myself from buying one as long as I can, because I know once I get one I'm going to need one on all my systems, so the longer I can hold out, the better drives I can get, so I'll continue to talk myself out of it.

I won't talk you into it with my usual laundry list of points then :)

The speed and performance (and weight difference in my new x301) differences are simply incredible.

[Clove]

You guys are thinking like pussies....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96dWOEa4Djs

[Danical]

You guys are thinking like pussies....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96dWOEa4Djs

/boner

[Sean of the Thread]

wow

[septus]

I use an OCZ Vertex 60GB in my Macbook pro and a 30GB in my eeepc. It makes a pretty big difference to me and I find it to be worth it.

[Clove]

60GB isn't enough pr0n.

[AnticorRifling]

Like your CD-ROM? HDDs are 3.5" and smaller.
DERKA

[Parkbandit]

Whatever comes in a HP Pavillion Elite m9840n PC.

[AnticorRifling]

PB you're such a user.

[Parkbandit]

PB you're such a user.

Hey now.. I DID upgrade Ram and video card. It's like I built this baby from SCRATCH!!!

[Clove]

/bonerYeah. Though I can't figure out why anyone would want to degrag an SSD.

[Danical]

Yeah. Though I can't figure out why anyone would want to degrag an SSD.

Yeah, I didn't get that part either.

[AnticorRifling]

For shits and giggles....

[Fallen]

I have an SSD and have been quite happy with it. I was worried the use of it was negatively effecting some games I was trying to play, but it turns out that it was just a graphics card driver issue. Since they are still relatively expensive, I picked up a standard 7200? RPM HD to hold all the big, bulky files like music, but haven't hooked it up yet. Might be a good way for you guys to go too.

[Clove]

I have an SSD and have been quite happy with it. I was worried the use of it was negatively effecting some games I was trying to play, but it turns out that it was just a graphics card driver issue. Since they are still relatively expensive, I picked up a standard 7200? RPM HD to hold all the big, bulky files like music, but haven't hooked it up yet. Might be a good way for you guys to go too.I would run X and Windows on an SSD if they were bigger or I could fit two drives in my MBP. As it is my 500GB 7200RPM Seagate works out just fine.

[Bobmuhthol]

Just bought a second external TB WD MyBook on top of my 500 GB internal + 320 GB external that I use for Wii backups. Plus I have a 200 GB from my old computer that I use sparingly.

I'd buy SSD if it didn't mean paying literally thousands to store all my shit.

[Clove]

Just bought a second external TB WD MyBook on top of my 500 GB internal + 320 GB external that I use for Wii backups. Plus I have a 200 GB from my old computer that I use sparingly.

I'd buy SSD if it didn't mean paying literally thousands to store all my shit.Translation: Bob likes the pr0n.

http://www.soundproofmagazine.com/images/articles/736/Masturbation_mainLarge_Dec0108.jpg

[Celephais]

1TB 7200 (250GB allocated) - Windows 7 Boot
150GB Raptor - Windows Vista Boot
Matrix RAID 0 250 GB - Program Files Drive
Matrix RAID 1 350 GB - Document Storage

When Win7 launches I'll likely format my raptor and make it a 7 boot drive. With plans of a new build, using this computer for my server (I've got a 2k8 license I've been dieing to use) to replace the sweet dell dimension 933mhz pentium 3 I'm currently using to host the C&H comics, and the new build using an SSD and Win7.

[AnticorRifling]

I haven't really paid attention to hardware in the last few years. I need to get back into the swing of things so I know what I want when it's time to build a new rig (probably be 18 months at least though given the wife's latest spending habits......)

[Danical]

I haven't really paid attention to hardware in the last few years. I need to get back into the swing of things so I know what I want when it's time to build a new rig (probably be 18 months at least though given the wife's latest spending habits......)

Are sammiches really that expensive these days?

[Fallen]

1TB 7200 (250GB allocated) - Windows 7 Boot
150GB Raptor - Windows Vista Boot
Matrix RAID 0 250 GB - Program Files Drive
Matrix RAID 1 350 GB - Document Storage

When Win7 launches I'll likely format my raptor and make it a 7 boot drive. With plans of a new build, using this computer for my server (I've got a 2k8 license I've been dieing to use) to replace the sweet dell dimension 933mhz pentium 3 I'm currently using to host the C&H comics, and the new build using an SSD and Win7.

I find Win 7 boots up a hell of a lot faster than Vista. What do you think, given the HD's you are using?

[Celephais]

I find Win 7 boots up a hell of a lot faster than Vista. What do you think, given the HD's you are using?
Absolutely. Performance in almost anything seems greatly improved. As I said though, I don't really worry about boot speed, if my computer took 10 minutes to boot up, but then ran like lightning I'd be okay with it.

[AnticorRifling]

Are sammiches really that expensive these days?

No but apparently we "just had to have" all new furniture....