Windows 10: Optane, the poor man's SSD

We had to do something while we wait for your usage report.

What are your findings so far?

 

Hi,

Ok, so keeping on topic, the information is just plain wrong. Nothing personal, just correcting.

You can use these modules as a mini ssd. At least I'm sure you can on the appropiate systems. So yes, you can install the OS on it, you can double, triple or even quadruple the 32 GB modules using an adapter card and so on.
Although I'm sure you can't use it as a caching module on systems that do not support such use, I am pretty much certain you can still use the modules as plain SSD drives in such systems.

I do agree @vram should have opened his own thread but it's still somewhat pertinent to this thread even though not everyone might understand how.

With all due respect, *Wink

 

No you are totally wrong, they are never a mini ssd, you can't double and triple 32gb ones and the 32 is overkill for 90% of users, and no you can't use it on any other systems than I specified (for any reason.) Do your homework before you start posting.

 

It might be overkill, but neither are what I’d consider expensive so I’d probably spring for the 32Gb version for future proofing.

How is it performing for you currently?

 

I don't think you would be proofing anything, from what I read only hi end gamers and heavy multitaskers can benefit from the 32gb (but I don't know what you do). Unfortunately the used M.2 module didn't work even though I have all the requirements. The error message meant I didn't have the small space at the end of my OS drive so I even shrunk it a bit. I have to ship it back but this new Dell XPS 8920 is pretty fast anyway.

 

Use cases/needs can change over time. May not need it now but might 6 months later. There just isn’t enough price difference IMO not to get the bigger version.

I still run a spinner on my main PC, mostly because I need to capacity and honestly, I’m too lazy to switch it over. Got a 275GB m.2 awaiting install as an OS drive but just haven’t felt like doing it.

Hope you get your Optane setup up and running soon.

 

Hi,

Sorry to say so but you are wrong again. It seems your mind is set to using these as caching devices only.
That is the intended purpose for these but they can be used as tiny SSDs and can be spanned or configured in raid 0 as well to create a larger drive.

Cheers, *Wink

 

You are correct fdegrove. They for sure can be setup in an R0 array and used for OS drive. I have a buddy with 3 of the 32 Gb versions in R0 for OS drive.

 

You are wrong again, while they can be used as a tiny ssd by itself they don't recommend it (read up) and they must be tied to the drive with the os on it. They don't affect more than 1 drive so a mirrored second drive should work with it. Only part of the OS is in the Optane module, what can you do with 32gb max by itself? Really?

 

So he has 3 m.2 slots? This is really getting far fetched.

 

You need to give it up bud. My Z170 Extreme 7+ Asrock board from two years ago has 3 M2 slots, and there are many of the newer 270's and 370 series that do as well.

ASRock > Z370 Taichi


ASRock > Z170 Extreme7+

My current board can use 4 M2 drives at once, not even counting the hyper M2 x 16 pcie card that take another 4 M2 drives.

You can absolutely raid those small optanes into an OS drive.

Nothing far fetched here at all.