Can I use SSD card to increase system speed?

English Install/Boot/Login
#1

Hallo:

I’m using Opensuse 13.1 on a laptop HP Pavillon DV6 with 4GB Ram and a HDD 640 GB.

I’ve a 8GB SSD card unused. I’d like to know.

  • Can use the SSD card to increase system speed?
  • Is there an appreciated difference speed using SSD card?
  • Can i use current install or should I do a new installation of Opensuse?
  • What should I do to use the SSD? Need to install mcache, md-cache, …?

If there is an appreciated difference, and a bigger SSD card is required, I’d acquire it.

Thanks

#2

It is unclear exactly what a SSD card is in reference to a notebook. Want to give some model info? Generally these things look like hard drives to the system. But it is unknow if the particular one you refer to requires a driver??? Sometimes they are used as a cache for the hard drive. So your question is to generic. Tell use about the device and what you expect it to do other then “speed things up” Replacing the hard drive with a SSD will definitely speed things up.

#3

Hallo:

I have is an unused SSD card. As my laptop has a SSD reader (which I never use), I’ve thought that perhaps I could use the ssd to speed hdd access.
I’ve read about md-cache, mcache, … but I’ve never used it (and I’ve read very few).
Don’t know if I can use it as a cache. Or should buy a bigger SSD (32GB) and my laptop would increase speed. Or perhaps it’d be better to wait to next laptop in a few years…
Don’t know if I can use it with my current installation of OpenSuse 13.1 or I should install it again in the SSD. And if I’m going to notice an speed difference or it’s going to be an spend of time…

Can this explain my question?

Thanks for your answer.

#4

My advice is to forget about it use the SSD card to backup or store pictures etc. SSD cards are like USB sticks in that they have very limited write life. A real SSD drive has extra memory and write leveling algorithms to extend the life of the device these cheap memory chips and sticks don’t have those and wear out relatively fast. Also they are not near as fast as a REAL SSD. So IMHO not worth the effort.

#5

Thanks for the suggestion.
That’s what I will do.

#6

On Sun, 28 Dec 2014 22:46:02 +0000, torcaz99 wrote:

> Hallo:
>
> I have is an unused SSD card. As my laptop has a SSD reader (which I
> never use), I’ve thought that perhaps I could use the ssd to speed hdd
> access.
> I’ve read about md-cache, mcache, … but I’ve never used it (and I’ve
> read very few).
> Don’t know if I can use it as a cache. Or should buy a bigger SSD (32GB)
> and my laptop would increase speed. Or perhaps it’d be better to wait to
> next laptop in a few years…
> Don’t know if I can use it with my current installation of OpenSuse 13.1
> or I should install it again in the SSD. And if I’m going to notice an
> speed difference or it’s going to be an spend of time…
>
> Can this explain my question?
>
> Thanks for your answer.

I think you’re referring to an SD card, not an SSD card. SSD is a solid
state hard drive technology that’s relatively new, smallest sizes I’ve
seen are about 64 GB, but most commonly 128 or 256 GB.

SD cards require a “reader” (which is what makes me think that’s what
you’re talking about), and no, that’s not likely to help you much with
performance.

Jim

–
Jim Henderson
openSUSE Forums Administrator
Forum Use Terms & Conditions at http://tinyurl.com/openSUSE-T-C

#7

… actually, if it is an SD card, its read rate will be a lot slower, so: No, it would slow down your system considerably.

#8

On 2014-12-28 23:46, torcaz99 wrote:
>
> Hallo:
>
> I have is an unused SSD card. As my laptop has a SSD reader (which I
> never use), I’ve thought that perhaps I could use the ssd to speed hdd
> access.

You mean you have a card slot on the outside to plug in flash memory
cards, about 2 centimeter wide?

Those things are slow write devices, and as they work over the USB bus,
they are also slow on read.

Those are not SSD. This page shows some SSDs:

http://www.pccomponentes.com/discos_duros_ssd.html

And they are intended to replace the existing hard disk (or to add
another, on some lappys)

–
Cheers / Saludos,

Carlos E. R.
(from 13.1 x86_64 “Bottle” at Telcontar)

#9

In total agreement but it appears that venders of the cards tend to mix up the terms which does confuse people.

#10

On 2014-12-29 14:56, gogalthorp wrote:
>
> In total agreement but it appears that venders of the cards tend to mix
> up the terms which does confuse people.

Ah. Yes, that is unfortunately typical.

–
Cheers / Saludos,

Carlos E. R.
(from 13.1 x86_64 “Bottle” at Telcontar)

#11

You are right.

Tested SSD card with hdparm and reading/writing 1GB file and speed with my SSD is very slow compared to HDD.

Thanks