SSD Questions

[thomc]

Hi,

I'm considering purchasing an SSD (probably an OCZ Vertex 2 60GB) to replace the hard drive in my Samsung N510 netbook.

I have been unable to find conclusive answers to the following questions, and would be grateful for any advice:

1) The netbook has an Intel Atom N280 processor. Will this create a bottleneck that will negate any performance improvements that might otherwise be gained by using the SSD?

2) I have read that using the TRIM feature will significantly improve the performance of the SSD. Is it necessary to enable AHCI to use TRIM in Linux, because there is not an option to do this in the netbook's BIOS?

Many thanks in advance.

[d2kx]

TRIM does not improve performance but it helps so that the performance does not decrease. You don't need AHCI for it but you should enable AHCI whenever possible.

I was also thinking about OCZ Vertex 2 EX 120GB vs. Intel Postville G2 X25-M 120GB and now got the Intel one since christmas and it is awesome. The OCZ one should be a bit faster though.

[Panix]

TRIM does not improve performance but it helps so that the performance does not decrease. You don't need AHCI for it but you should enable AHCI whenever possible.

I was also thinking about OCZ Vertex 2 EX 120GB vs. Intel Postville G2 X25-M 120GB and now got the Intel one since christmas and it is awesome. The OCZ one should be a bit faster though.

Just so you know, the Intel one uses an older controller but it's still good. I think Intel will come out with a G3 this year. The OCZ Vertex 2 EX is using the newer Sandforce 1200 instead of Indilinx.

I think you need TRIM if you want to use the optimal performance otherwise you need third party GC (Garbage Collection). It sounds like what the OP will have to do if AHCI isn't available. Is there not any SATA controllers in those laptops? Sounds strange.

[Panix]

I can't edit anymore but I think the SSD will work with IDE but maybe with a performance hit. I'm not exactly sure how this will impact use in Linux, though.

[thomc]

Thanks for the quick replies.

So I do need to enable AHCI if I want to use TRIM? The laptop does have a SATA controller, but there does not appear to be an option in the BIOS to allow me to switch between AHCI/IDE modes. Any ideas?