HDD vs SSD Hard disks.

R

robhar130

Bronze Level Poster
Hello All,

This is my spec;

Chassis & Display Vortex Series: 17.3" Glossy Full HD LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU) Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Mobile Processor i7-3720QM (2.60GHz) 6MB
Memory (RAM) 16GB KINGSTON HYPER-X GENESIS 1600MHz SODIMM DDR3 (4 x 4GB)
Graphics Card NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 670M - 1.5GB DDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 11
2nd Graphics Card NONE
Memory - 1st Hard Disk 240GB KINGSTON HYPERX 3K SSD, SATA 6 Gb/s (upto 555MB/sR | 510MB/sW)
2nd Hard Disk 1TB WD SCORPIO BLUE WD10JPVT, SATA 3 Gb/s, 8MB CACHE (5400 rpm)
RAID NONE
SSD CACHE DRIVE NONE
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive 8x SATA DVD±R/RW/Dual Layer (+ 24x CD-RW)
Memory Card Reader Internal 9 in 1 Card Reader (MMC/RSMMC/SD: Mini, XC & HC/MS: Pro & Duo)
Thermal Paste ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND (£9)
Sound Card Creative Sound Blaster® X-Fi™ Surround 5.1 PRO External (£69)
Network Facilities GIGABIT LAN & KILLER™ 1102 WIRELESS GAMING 802.11N NETWORK CARD
USB Options 3 x USB 3.0 PORTS + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT AS STANDARD
Firewire 1 X 1394a FIREWIRE PORT
Battery Vortex Series 8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (5,200 mAh/76.96WH)
Power Lead & Adaptor 1 x UK Power Lead & 220W AC Adaptor
Operating System Genuine Windows 7 Ultimate 64 Bit w/SP1 - inc DVD & Licence
Office Software FREE Microsoft® Office Starter 2010 (Limited functionality Word & Excel)
Anti-Virus NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Laptop Cooling Stands NONE
Carry Case NONE
Monitor NONE
Keyboard & Mouse INTEGRATED BACKLIT UK KEYBOARD WITH NUMBER PAD
Mouse INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Speakers NONE
Webcam INTEGRATED 2.0 MEGAPIXEL WEBCAM
Headsets (VOIP) NONE
Surge Protection 6 Socket Compact 2M UFO Surge Protector (£9)
Printer NONE
External Hard Drive NONE
Warranty 3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour) (£5)
Home Installation NONE
Dead Pixel Guarantee 1 Year Dead Pixel Guarantee Inc. Labour & Carriage Costs (£19)
Insurance 1 Month Free Laptop Insurance inc. Accidental Damage & Theft
Data Recovery NONE
Delivery STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time Standard Build - Approximately 6 to 8 working days
Charity Calendar NONE
Pricing Information
Price (excluding VAT) £1,352.50
Price £1,608.00
Order Quantity 1
Bulk Discount £0.00
Total Order price (Ex VAT) £1,340.00
Total Order Price £1,608.00

However, I would like to know some advise on the hard disks. I hear that SSD is the best of the best when it comes to read data and loading times. I want the 1TB SCORPIO as the primary data storage disk, and I only want the SSD for laptop boot and storing games for maximum speed on the load time.

My questions are,

Can I have the SSD as the 2nd hard disk - or will this decrease performance as it's not the 1st drive?
Will my computer boot from the 2nd drive if I have the 2nd drive as the SSD?
Can I have games and expect them to load very quickly if they're stored in the SSD with the SSD as the 2nd drive?
Is it recommendable to have the HDD as the primary and the SSD as the secondary (purely for boot and gaming purposes) - just because I want all data other than boot and games on the HDD?
Or is it better to have the SSD as primary and the HDD as secondary - being used for the same purposes still?

Other than that, im happy with the build. I just wanna know which will give me the best performance - having the SSD as primary, or the HDD as primary (with same use purposes as above).

Much appreciated guys,
Robert!
 
keynes

keynes

Multiverse Poster
Can I have the SSD as the 2nd hard disk - or will this decrease performance as it's not the 1st drive?
Will my computer boot from the 2nd drive if I have the 2nd drive as the SSD?
Click to expand...
You can have the SSD as the secondary drive but the OS is going to be installed in the primary drive.
Can I have games and expect them to load very quickly if they're stored in the SSD with the SSD as the 2nd drive?
Click to expand...
I have stored games on my SSD and I did not notice a significant improvement in loading compare to the caviar black.
Is it recommendable to have the HDD as the primary and the SSD as the secondary (purely for boot and gaming purposes) - just because I want all data other than boot and games on the HDD?
Click to expand...
Usually you store the OS in the SSD to improve booting time and run any applications store there faster.
 
R

robhar130

Bronze Level Poster
So just keep it as the below and select the 2nd drive when installing other software and programs?

robhar130 said:
Memory - 1st Hard Disk 240GB KINGSTON HYPERX 3K SSD, SATA 6 Gb/s (upto 555MB/sR | 510MB/sW)
2nd Hard Disk 1TB WD SCORPIO BLUE WD10JPVT, SATA 3 Gb/s, 8MB CACHE (5400 rpm)
Click to expand...

EDIT: ..and install games to the 1st drive?
 
H

HonestFlames

Bronze Level Poster
SSD as primary, HD as secondary. This also puts Windows' pagefile onto the SSD, which has wider reaching performance improvements (though don't ask me to go into detail about why!).

Oh, and do you really need 16GB RAM? Most people won't get anywhere near using 8GB and filling all 4 slots is a worse idea than filling 2.
 
H

HonestFlames

Bronze Level Poster
...Then I have even more of a concern that 16GB is simply too much RAM.

Drop to 2 x 4GB, consider if you can stretch for a better GPU. Something you can certainly achieve if you limit your ambition for such a large SSD.

(edit: my post got ninja'd by rubensolo!)
 
R

robhar130

Bronze Level Poster
My main use is gaming, I will also be using Photoshop and other similar applications for graphics and website design for my clan. :) Also, why have you recommended to other HDD?
 
R

robhar130

Bronze Level Poster
Hi Guys,

No one is looking at my thread and as this is active can you also review my current spec - budget £2,000.

Chassis & Display Vortex Series: 17.3" Glossy Full HD LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU) Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Mobile Processor i7-3720QM (2.60GHz) 6MB
Memory (RAM) 16GB KINGSTON HYPER-X GENESIS 1600MHz SODIMM DDR3 (4 x 4GB)
Graphics Card NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 670M - 1.5GB DDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 11
2nd Graphics Card NONE
Memory - 1st Hard Disk 240GB KINGSTON HYPERX 3K SSD, SATA 6 Gb/s (upto 555MB/sR | 510MB/sW)
2nd Hard Disk 1TB WD SCORPIO BLUE WD10JPVT, SATA 3 Gb/s, 8MB CACHE (5400 rpm)
RAID NONE
SSD CACHE DRIVE NONE
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive 8x SATA DVD±R/RW/Dual Layer (+ 24x CD-RW)
Memory Card Reader Internal 9 in 1 Card Reader (MMC/RSMMC/SD: Mini, XC & HC/MS: Pro & Duo)
Thermal Paste ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND (£9)
Sound Card Creative Sound Blaster® X-Fi™ Surround 5.1 PRO External (£69)
Network Facilities GIGABIT LAN & KILLER™ 1102 WIRELESS GAMING 802.11N NETWORK CARD
USB Options 3 x USB 3.0 PORTS + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT AS STANDARD
Firewire 1 X 1394a FIREWIRE PORT
Battery Vortex Series 8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (5,200 mAh/76.96WH)
Power Lead & Adaptor 1 x UK Power Lead & 220W AC Adaptor
Operating System Genuine Windows 7 Ultimate 64 Bit w/SP1 - inc DVD & Licence
Office Software FREE Microsoft® Office Starter 2010 (Limited functionality Word & Excel)
Anti-Virus NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Laptop Cooling Stands NONE
Carry Case NONE
Monitor NONE
Keyboard & Mouse INTEGRATED BACKLIT UK KEYBOARD WITH NUMBER PAD
Mouse INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Speakers NONE
Webcam INTEGRATED 2.0 MEGAPIXEL WEBCAM
Headsets (VOIP) NONE
Surge Protection 6 Socket Compact 2M UFO Surge Protector (£9)
Printer NONE
External Hard Drive NONE
Warranty 3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour) (£5)
Home Installation NONE
Dead Pixel Guarantee 1 Year Dead Pixel Guarantee Inc. Labour & Carriage Costs (£19)
Insurance 1 Month Free Laptop Insurance inc. Accidental Damage & Theft
Data Recovery NONE
Delivery STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time Standard Build - Approximately 6 to 8 working days
Charity Calendar NONE
Pricing Information
Price (excluding VAT) £1,352.50
Price £1,608.00

Any recommendations, please let me know!
 
Rakk

Rakk

The Awesome
Moderator
robhar130 said:
No one is looking at my thread and as this is active can you also review my current spec - budget £2,000.
Click to expand...

Please keep to your own threads and don't hijack others if possible :)
I've merged your new post into your original thread and moved the entire thread to somewhere more relevant anyway, people will answer when they can, just try to be patient please.
 
M

M3zxu

Silver Level Poster
You could upgrade the GPU for the fastest available - GTX680M, it's been proven to be a beast that can almost match the high end desktop GPUs in terms of performance.
You could also go for a screen upgrade like the AUO matte if you'd like.

Heck, there's a lot of room to play with that kind of a budget.
 
H

HonestFlames

Bronze Level Poster
£2000? Get essentially the top spec Vortex 3 and add your own SSD (or two).

I'm convinced that Marvell based SSD's trump Sandforce in everyday performance terms. They are costly though. Plextor M3 Pro is what I decided upon. Total for my laptop including my own extras would be within your budget, except I went for 2 SSD's instead of 1.
 
R

robhar130

Bronze Level Poster
Went for this build - order placed :D very excited!

Chassis & Display Vortex Series: 17.3" Glossy Full HD LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU) Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Mobile Processor i7-3720QM (2.60GHz) 6MB
Memory (RAM) 16GB KINGSTON HYPER-X GENESIS 1600MHz SODIMM DDR3 (4 x 4GB)
Graphics Card NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 675M - 2.0GB DDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 11
2nd Graphics Card NONE
Memory - 1st Hard Disk 240GB INTEL® 520 SERIES SSD, SATA 6 Gb/s (upto 550MB/sR | 520MB/sW)
2nd Hard Disk 750GB WD SCORPIO BLACK WD7500BPKT, SATA 3 Gb/s, 16MB CACHE (7200 rpm)
RAID NONE
SSD CACHE DRIVE NONE
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive 8x SATA DVD±R/RW/Dual Layer (+ 24x CD-RW)
Memory Card Reader Internal 9 in 1 Card Reader (MMC/RSMMC/SD: Mini, XC & HC/MS: Pro & Duo)
Thermal Paste ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND (£9)
Sound Card Creative Sound Blaster® X-Fi™ Surround 5.1 PRO External (£69)
Network Facilities GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® ULTIMATE-N 6300 (450Mbps)
USB Options 3 x USB 3.0 PORTS + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT AS STANDARD
Firewire 1 X 1394a FIREWIRE PORT
Battery Vortex Series 8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (5,200 mAh/76.96WH)
Power Lead & Adaptor 1 x UK Power Lead & 220W AC Adaptor
Operating System Genuine Windows 7 Ultimate 64 Bit w/SP1 - inc DVD & Licence
Office Software FREE Microsoft® Office Starter 2010 (Limited functionality Word & Excel)
Anti-Virus NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Laptop Cooling Stands Zalman ZM-NC2500 Plus Ultra-Quiet Laptop Cooler, upto 17.3 inch (£35)
Carry Case TARGUS XL CITY GEAR 16" - 17.3" LAPTOP CASE TCG417 (£43)
Monitor NONE
Keyboard & Mouse INTEGRATED BACKLIT UK KEYBOARD WITH NUMBER PAD
Mouse INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Speakers NONE
Webcam INTEGRATED 2.0 MEGAPIXEL WEBCAM
Headsets (VOIP) NONE
Surge Protection 6 Socket Compact 2M UFO Surge Protector (£9)
Printer NONE
External Hard Drive NONE
Warranty 3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour) (£5)
Home Installation NONE
Dead Pixel Guarantee 1 Year Dead Pixel Guarantee Inc. Labour & Carriage Costs (£19)
Insurance 1 Month Free Laptop Insurance inc. Accidental Damage & Theft
Data Recovery NONE
Delivery STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time Standard Build - Approximately 6 to 8 working days
Charity Calendar NONE
Pricing Information
Price (excluding VAT) £1,497.50
Price £1,782.00
 
rickne

rickne

Master Poster
Congrats. It does annoy me there isnt a better internal sound card available. Im not sure Id want that external box.
 
R

robhar130

Bronze Level Poster
rickne said:
Congrats. It does annoy me there isnt a better internal sound card available. Im not sure Id want that external box.
Click to expand...

I agree - it would be nice, however, I use a Turtlebeach Z6A - the external sound card will work with this, obviously xD ..also, I usually have my laptop plugged into a Hi-Fi which sounds amazing, using that sound card should make it even sexier! xD I'm sure you could buy your own sound card and install it however? :) (again, being terrible with components, I'm unsure if that's even possible? xD)
 
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