SSD and RAID 0

[aka.Goliath]

I currently have a OCZ Agility 120GB and want more space, speed would also be great. The question is do I get a second 120GB in a RAID 0 array, or get one larger SSD which would be twice the price? With RAID 0 you would get much faster speeds and I'm not worried about drive failure, but do I lose TRIM and if I do how would that affect me? What are the Pros and Cons?

 

[NomNom]

Seems like quite a few people have done this, quick Google gives the following:

http://www.ocztechnologyforum.com/f...ere-did-I-go-wrong-(x4-Agility-3-120GB-RAID0)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PjxNBdhnq8

Get another one and do the RAID 0.

 

[aka.Goliath]

@NomNom, Thanks for that. I did do some Google'ing but came up with nothing of much use. My main concern at the moment is TRIM, will I lose it, how will it affect me without it etc. And any other side effects from RAID 0.

 

[PierreLeRiche]

The latest Intel RST drivers (11.1) add TRIM support in RAID 0. You can download them here:
http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?DwnldID=20913

Officially they are for Intel boards only, but apparently they work fine on boards from other vendors as well (Intel chipsets only, of course).

 

[PierreLeRiche]

Looks like RST 11.2 is out:
http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Det...Desktop+Boards"&DownloadType=Drivers&lang=eng

For a discussion about RAID 0 support:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...ology-11-1-0-1006-ssd-raid0-trim-support.html

I've got the 11.1 drivers installed on a machine with two SSDs in RAID 0. Here is an excerpt from the "Getting Started" section of the help:

• Trim (Microsoft Windows 7* only)
This feature provides support for all pass-through solid-state drives (SSDs) in your storage system that meets the ATA-8 protocol requirements. Also, support is provided for SSDs that are part of a RAID 0 array. This feature optimizes write operations, helps reduce device wear, and maintains unused storage area on devices as large as possible.

Update: I just upgraded to the 11.2 drivers. Everything seems to be working fine. I'm running Windows 7 x64 on an ASUS P8Z77-M Pro motherboard.

 

[Pada]

Also take note that you'll have to format/backup your data to move from no RAID to RAID 0.

 

[PierreLeRiche]

Also take note that you'll have to format/backup your data to move from no RAID to RAID 0.

If you use the wizard in the Intel RST control panel from within Windows it gives you the option to preserve data from one of the two drives.

 

[Pada]

Thanks for that info PierreLeRiche!

 

[aka.Goliath]

Awesome thanks everyone for all that.. It looks like RAID it is, and the cheaper option even better.