Tutorial: How To Speed Up Your Hard Drive

Tutorial: How to boost your hard drive speed

The speed of your hard disk: Intel Smart Response

We live in a 21 century, right? Of course, if you look out the windows can not have flying cars or hotel orbiting in space, and you are certainly basking in the warmth of a fusion reactor to produce an infinite power free.

But if you wait a few minutes, your Windows PC manages not to provide a desktop that you can check the date.

Although this is a new century and there are a lot of silicon, the world is still plagued by slow mechanical hard drives spinning.

It seems that you're not the only person to notice this distinction as the most recent Z68 chipset Intel has introduced a technology that allows you to detach from the chains and release of mechanical lightning-fast solid state storage.

Smart Response technology (SRT) provides a flexible system based on caching of SSD storage, but currently limited by the artificial, exactly the Z68 chipset.

The truth is that SRT is not even a new idea or something that is not otherwise available. Microsoft ReadyBoost technology age is still within Windows 7 and the new ultra-fast USB 3.0 flash drives can still make use of it. While devices like the Xpander Icydock hybrid SSD / HDD provides capabilities similar to the cache, making a car that turns into a forest of solid state disk drive agile.

But the burning question is: what is the best? That will improve the speed more, and how much?

We decided to find the pitch of Windows ReadyBoost is supported with a speed of USB 3.0 seeringly disc against the new Intel Smart Response, and all this against the caching options third parties. Thus we can see what, if any, are worth spending your hard earned money, or perhaps to see if you're simply better off just getting a SSD standalone basis.

World is a solid state and it is not so much a question of when but how. Look around you, are using the storage state of increasingly solid.

From MP3 players for each device, such as storage requirements are limited by what is flash or SD storage of all the senses. Not that even here, things are "limited" to achieve the level of USB flash drives of 64 GB and growing.

For desktop PCs, the situation is much more confusing. On the one hand, you have beautiful high-speed SSD, but with relatively limited capabilities and potentially astronomical price tags. On the other hand you have these enormous capacity for hard drives that spin cost almost nothing.

How SMART

Enter, and the latest in Intel's Sandy Bridge chipset and Z68 Smart Response. This is an extension of existing technology Intel Rapid Response, which normally handles SATA and RAID configurations. In fact, an extension of the SRT software RAID controller standard, but let's not sell short.

What it is, is an exceptionally well-made system disk caching. It can make use of the SSD of any size that are attached to either the SATA controller chipset or what we think hope: an internal mini-PCI-e with the help of specially designed Intel 310 40GB Mini PCI-E SSD.

It promises to combine the speed of an SSD with the capacity of a rotating disc, which is attractive. For the money is an interesting compromise, ideally most people choose to start a dedicated SSD drive with a dedicated hard drive for storage.

The problem is that, currently, low-cost SSD simply do not have the ability, so that they can effectively be used as a boot device. Models discharge point 80 GB over £ 120 price. SRT promises to provide a solution that approximately 120 pounds, it offers the fast SSD with multi-terabyte hard drive.

TRS promises a price. It is currently only available on the Z68 Express chipset and yet, the board should have a fast storage technology can be optional, which is the code for the Intel RAID controller.

Simply place the board should be a socket 1155 Core Sandy Bridge will also need Windows 7 or Vista, a SATA-based SSD at least 19GB of free space, plus a hard disk without a volume recovery. Has all this?

Tests, we have a brand new Z68 Zotac ITX WiFi Mini-ITX, this should be equipped with a mini PCI-e slot. Zotac foolishly imagine using this module Wi-Fi, but we're checking in 310 requisition and an 80GB Intel SSD Mini PCI-E.

Until you start your SATA controller set to RAID, you will be able to safely install Windows and use the system normally. It 'so can not drop only the SSD cache at any time. It 'also possible to remove at any time, but we will come back after a while'.

The RAID BIOS recognize and configure the SSD at startup, so the active acceleration cache operates from the moment you turn on the PC.

In order to provide a new acceleration utility Intel Rapid Storage Technology section called Accelerate. Use this option to activate the system default settings should be fine. Just check the acceleration applied to the correct hard disk, if you have more than one installed.

Intel has decided that the cache is not used more than 64GB. If you try to use more it will still work with the remaining volume is partitioned.

Study methods

SRT can operate in two different improved and enlarged. Enhanced Write-through cache is maintained when data is written simultaneously in both SSD and HDD. This has the advantage of consistency: if power is not all is lost, but the writing may be faster than a hard drive can work.

Maximized option uses a write-back cache, write cache data and SSD 'rewrite of "the hard disk when it is removed from the cache. This can greatly speed up disk writes, but there is a danger of losing this information if a power failure occurs. Restore Mode is available in the BIOS, which synchronizes the lost data from two stations.

Therefore maximized mode does not add additional risk, but the payoff is that you can see the writing speed in benchmarks.

Fired Up When you first notice of any changes, but before you get messages of fire-inflammatory Forum Intel compared to the genitals, it is because the SSD cache is empty. In an optimized strategy, it would be accelerated from the get-go, but the two player mode requires at least one reading data from hard drive to cache data.

At this point, Intel Smart to pay dividends. The block cache is a strategy rather than a file based on Intel and prioritize data based on several criteria: application, boot, user, and low priority data. The first three should be obvious, because they are all accessible blocks on a regular basis. The second group comprises a row of information required, such as watching movies, running virus scan or copy files. How does the Intel detects these are an integral part of maximizing the cache.

What seems strange is that despite the awesomeness of the SRT, is more than likely going to be exterminated by the owners of the signs Z68. All early adopters can afford to spend money on a visionary board, processor and memory, can certainly afford a high-capacity SSD properly. We hope this technology as well as Hyperthreading and the money is drained from the rich to those who really need it.

To review the theoretical basis of a Windows 7 install is about 16 GB of space and with a bit of software installations on top. We suggest that 20 GB is not a tremendous amount of cache using SSD. A shift to a 40 GB SSD has several bases such as games, with SRT provides intelligent caching to block access to the most frequently used.

And 'more than possible to get a good or another Intel 40GB SSD for about £ 70 Couple that with 2 TB HDD for about £ 50 in price, and that is to compete with the most dedicated to the 80 GB SSD about the same price, but 25 times the capacity.

Speed ​​Up Your Hard Drive: Ready To Boost?

So it is that someone can go to Intel offspring latest technology can benefit from this cache, but what about the rest of us?

The first obvious answer to mind is that the elderly of Microsoft Windows Vista technology called ReadyBoost, it is still in Windows 7, and with the arrival of USB 3.0 and USB high speed he can finally make good a difference to the rest of us?

ReadyBoost is a much maligned and misunderstood, but it is mainly the fault of Microsoft. And 'reasonable work to try to protect their ReadyBoost at least monitoring the performance of a barrier, but they do little to explain or demonstrate what he was doing ReadyBoost. Although the result was difficult to measure or verify.

It is a system disk cache, which seeks to expand the traditional hard drives in parallel, low-latency access to flash memory. It 'also very flexible, Windows 7 supports up to eight devices to record a total of 256 data stored in the cache.

There is also a misnomer that some ReadyBoost is locked or connected to the system memory or swap file. It is not, it is connected to drive caching. The abuse of language comes into play is that of a 1 GB system will benefit much more than 8GB.

In fact, ReadyBoost will not affect the swap file, since it assumes the reader ReadyBoost can be withdrawn at any time or not, that would be bad if it were to save the data file.

Windows 7 and Vista, ReadyBoost is enabled in the same way. Connect the USB drive and by default, the autoplay window will open asking what measures should be taken. They are able to activate ReadyBoost here. Otherwise, open the My Computer icon> right click on the ReadyBoost drive properties> Select> and choose to activate it.

If you use a flash memory over 4 GB for the love of all that is good, make sure to format it to NTFS or exFAT, otherwise, is limited to a simple ReadyBoost 4GB for FAT32 and FAT16 2 GB.

Part of the problem is that ReadyBoost can be difficult to tell if it is really doing something, it's not really a good thing for a caching technology. We have developed a way to control their efficiency through the standard Windows Performance Monitor, see "Ready, Set, push" on page 68 for details on how.

In general, the ReadyBoost cache, all writes to the local file system and the system of mirrors Superfetch, Windows, and then choose to say goodbye to the ReadyBoost file, if you think that it is faster to read than the standard position.

In our test system with 2GB or 4GB himself seemed reluctant to use it anymore. However, our work go to the machine with 4 GB and was often load files on a system action to stress, although it showed that small reductions in time to start loading or application.

Driving Point

The options do not stop there. We should not overlook the Seagate Momentus XT drive combines a standard 2.5-inch HDD with a 4 GB NAND cache. Available in 500GB, 320GB and 250GB capacities, with the assessment of the most expensive cost around £ 80 they are more suitable for laptops, like most of the 3.5-inch units will match it price for the first sequential read / write.

That said, Momentus is still useful boot and application load times. It just does not have enough in our eyes that Seagate are in charge, maybe if we ever produced by a real 3.5-inch desktop version would be more excited.

Finally, there is always the crazy mad scientist can create your own hybrid HDD / SSD. Xpander IcyBox adapter has its own hybrid, which is exactly that. Provides a hybrid type of RAID, as it requires the hard disk storage equal to half of the SSD.

While this works to some extent, increasing the disk operations is not compatible with Intel processors excellence SRT. But then the Intel solution is, as expected, somewhat more elegantly practical and cost of the premium of a banker.

An area we have not examined in this function are portable, and the news is Mobile HM67 and QM67 chipset will also be cached SSD. We tend to believe that the technology is less applicable to the mobile market, out-and-out capacity is not such a problem.

The technology is still confused as caching policy will be different on AC and DC, we read to be turned off in DC. There is no doubt, if you look at the results of the benchmarks, Intel Smart Response technology works perfectly. In short, it speeds up the slow parts of Windows, you will run faster, the startup, application launching and loading games. And it makes it faster and better than other solutions we tried.

Step By Step: Speed ​​Disk Encourage

Ready, Set, Boost?

Convinced by ReadyBoost? Follow caching to see what

1. See Observatories

As already mentioned some of them with ReadyBoost is whether the thing is damn provide any increase in speed in the first place. It is possible to go through the standard performance monitor Windows. To run this select Start, type "Performance Monitor" on the console. In the window that appears "Monitor", click the top left.

2. Bean counting

By default, Performance Monitor counter the use of the CPU is running. Right click the graph and select Delete all counters. "Do the same thing again, but select" Add Counters ", and a huge list of available counters are displayed. Trace" ReadyBoost cache and add them to the doors, you can [Ctrl]-click some of them.

3. Do not do anything!

At this point, ReadyBoost can not or should not do something, but at least you can tell if it is or not! It is certainly worth the opportunity to give the ReadyBoost cache file, and open and close items. Keep an eye reads the approved measure, this indicates the memory is considered too slow to use.

Get an intelligent response

The breath of your hard wax with some serious acceleration

1. This is a RAID

The essential thing to do with your Z68-based installation, although you do not have suitable solid-state drive yet, make sure you set the SATA controller RAID in the BIOS and not the IDE or AHCI the most common. If you do not, it is very likely that you will have to reinstall Windows from scratch.

2. Until Smart'en

The new smart technology response is part of the old Intel Rapid Storage Technology, which manages the RAID disk controllers and Intel. When an SSD is installed right next to the existing unit, but not really rely on a RAID gured, a new option appears to accelerate.

3. Too intelligent not

The smart response technology is a fire and forget technology, once you activate its functioning. However, there is a section of the BIOS takes control when the PC is first fired by pressing [Ctrl] + [i] to access it. This provides options for disaster recovery as well as a way to safely disable and remove the disk cache if necessary.

Benchmark

This is an impressive, or rather totally dominating the first exit for Intel Smart Response. There is no doubt of its success, the only question left, how long it remains relevant?

With NAND prices effectively halving every 18 months that the doubling of capacity, 80 GB SSD soon fall to £ 50 level. What time does your average Joe is likely to choose the right SSD boot-drive option.

That said, if the second £ 25, you can turbocharge a 2 TB HDD Drop-in 40GB SSD, which is something that people still want to do and then hopefully, the SRT should be more widely available.

We remain disappointed with ReadyBoost, a technology that is as obvious to offer - especially when combined with USB 3.0 - a boost just as effective. But even given every chance to shine it remains stubbornly mediocre at best.

This is especially true in light of Xpand IcyBox - all this we breathe, he offer measurable results and tangible real world. But all this is mere distraction until SSD, and even below the line is permanently cloud-based storage storage media primary.