Alienware Aurora raid, changing HD to SSD ones

Hi all,

My AIlenware currently have two 1 TB HDrives, acting as one single drive, that is how Dell set it up.

Is it possible to connect a SSDrive to the Raid or should I have the new Sold State drive connected seperately via Sata connection.

As I don't necessary need OS on SSD, just some games.

Although would I loose the benefits of the SSD if OS is not on it?

Would this work?

Thanks

Phil

What I would do if I was you:

install the OS and your most played games on a SSD and keep the rest on the HDD. If you have the OS and important programs and such on the SSD the overall speed will be quite good. You won't get the same effect if you only run games off of the SSD.

Hi StigtriX, thanks for reply and suggestion, yeah that makes sense now I think about it.

So is it easy to connect a SSD to the ARRAY0 Raid  I have, is it a matter of connecting the drive to the cables, although I have not checked but are their spare cables to add anotehr drive in Aurora systems? Silly me yes there are other cables there, will that fit the SSD? If so, is a matter of then going into ARRAY0 configuation during the boot up and adding drive? I know Sorry for many questions, Just one more, what brands of SSD do you recommened?   Thanks Phil

Just connect the SSD and it will show up in the My Computer interface. SSDs use the same interface as HDDs to connect to the MB, so that shouldn't be a problem ;) If you already have Windows installed on the disks you have in a raid, you will need to wipe the OS and install it on the SSD instead. I would suggest that you use the RAID 0 disks for data storage and programs only. 

HDD + SSD in raid isn't something you want to try. You'll be limiting the speed to that of the mechanical type(s).

It's a bit complicated to recommend brands, as recommending a brand without going into specifics would just be biased and without substance. You should first find out what's most important to you: speed, stability, longevity or a mix of these. Then, you should read a few reviews of the drives you find interesting and compare them.

Some tests with benchmarks:
Tom's Hardware - Best SSDs for the money: April 2012 
The Guardian - SSD tests 
Hardware Heaven - SSD reviews 

Try to Google if you want more information :)

Hi again and thanks again for all the information, all this has cleared up my queries, I did wonder about using SSD in a Raid situation as Raid 0 is mainly for secuity of data etc, as we have the same thing for our business server. Main reason we ordered Raid was secuity and data reliability of our Data on server. I am aware of Tom's hardware, didn't know the other two sites you suggest, I will check them all out, once again Thanks.

No problem! If there's anything else, please let me know! :)