SSD analysis, performance & maintenance

>PCIe to SATA 3 adapter
What the fuck? Why the hell would you use that?

>general tips & tricks you use to get max [...] lifetime out of your SSD
This isn't 2005, SSD's don't need any voodoo magic anymore. Even the shitty ones will easily write 100TB's of data without too many faulty sectors. If you're using computer normally it'll last for at least a decade. You'll have to replace it due to capacity or SATA 3 bottlenecking issues before it starts to malfunction.

But if you really want to tinker with something then move your cache to another drive and limit session restore interval in Firefox.

>>57863937

So, the new SU800 model of ADATA SSDs seemed like a decent gamble. As far as modern SSD offerings, it's about as fast as anything on the budget end of the spectrum.

Claimed:
>Max Sequential Read
> Up to 560 ATTO
> Up to 550 Crystal Disk Mark

>Max Sequential Write
> Up to 520 ATTO
> Up to 500 Crystal Disk Mark

And the website:
- http://www.adata.com/us/ssd/feature/410

Is claiming 2,000,000 hours. I figure if I get anything at or above 500 on read and over 480 write I'll be reasonably satisfied.

I didn't really buy it for those stats, though. The design feature that intrigued me seems like a near-genius implementation, if it works. The main storage of the SSD is TLC 3D NAND .... but, it's paired up with SLC & DRAM as a cache buffer. Theoretically, this should bear the brunt of the wear while stretching out the life & performance of the TLC.

>>57864019

Thanks. All tips welcome.

As far as the PCIe adapter, I admit it's "sort of" a toy. Thing is, it should not bottleneck an SSD, so it should not detract from performance. Although, I'd wish it was for a 4x PCIe slot rather than a 1x.

My justification here is that the Sedna card doesn't just hole the SSD. It has an extra SATA III port.

I intend to test the combo out and compare the SSD performance off a native SATA III port to performance off the card. I certainly am not expecting the card to perform better (although, that would be a really pleasant surprise). I expect there to be no detectable difference.

However, if the performance is degraded compared to a native SATA III port, I have a 1 TB WD Black notebook HDD that I can put on the card, and that will certainly operate without performance loss. The extra SATA III port on the card is intended to use with a DVD burner, or maybe a blu ray burner ... again ... once I get a chance to play a bit and see what works best.

My hope, in a semi-perfect world, is that the Sedna card will hold this SSD, connect an optical device and it will all perform at least as well as on native SATA III ports. My mobo then has 6 open SATA III ports, several of which can RAID some other HDDs I have.

Ideally, the 512 GB of this SSD will be used to install a linux of some flavor, then carve out a couple large blocks for virtual installs of Win7 and 'something else.' Not certain what yet.

I have an extra video card I could install, so if I want some legacy gaming, I can configure a pass-through from WinSomething direct to GPU. If I get that far.

>>57863937
That PCIe card appears to only draw power from the slot, there is no controller on it.

>>57864197

It is technically a 2-port SATA III expansion card. Just, one port is a data cable connection to a device that is powered directly from the PSU, and the other "port" is both a data & power for a 2.5" SSD or HDD.

I already reboxed it ... so not taking another pic unless someone REALLY wants to see it. The link I gave in OP to the newegg product page does have a lo res photo of the back side ... and it does have a couple of chips that should be all the controller required.

One reason I started this thread. I'm asking for recommendations of testing utilities that /g/ trusts.

Guess I should also specify that I intend to install later this week as a Win7 Ult machine since I'm most comfortable with Windows at the moment. So, (especially free) win utilities that folks have confidence in are appreciated.

My shortlist so far to find & try:
- CrystalDiskMark
- BlackMagic Speed Test
- AIDA64 Disk Benchmark
- H2testw
- ATTO for SSD
- HD Tune


If anyone has experience with ADATA toolbox for their SSDs, it'd be nice to know if I can trust that or if I should avoid. Any thoughts on "good" or "avoid" are appreciated.

I've not played with SSDs much, yet. So, beyond enabling AHCI, I'm starting near scratch. I don't mind getting trusted links to read .. in fact, those would be awesome. I'm happy to read up and learn ... just would like to bypass the ocean of bullshit that's corrupted the available information.

So, boompas.

When you get a new SSD, what do you do to test it so you have confidence it's ready for reliable use?