Click to see the video
Tests on original SSD on Dell:
RunCore SSDs on Dell Mini 9:
Next I will test RunCore's Dell SSD on Eee 901's internal slot with another one on the 2nd slot.. video coming soon..
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Monday, December 01, 2008
RunCore pci-e SSD on Dell Mini 9
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56 comments:
please test some 2,5" ssds :(
That´s great for all the new devices, but what´s with the eee 701? You are the one, who could solder the second mPCIe-Slot into a 701 and fire it up with a runcore ssd. All the owners of a 701 are waiting on it.
JKK, please help us.
I'm sure it would work on 701 if you solder the pcie connector to it...
Another great post!
Personally, I'm more interested in the day-to-day performance impact of these drives. So rather than (or in addition to) the benchmark numbers, I'd rather see the cold boot time, hibernate & restore times, Firefox launch time...
Too bad about the slave USB drive on the Dell. Not MDD's fault of course, but the modders were drooling over an extra USB port with that empty WWAN slot just sitting there...
You didn't mention the compressed/uncompressed issue. I'm assuming you installed the Dell image then UNCOMPRESSED it before running these benchmarks correct? Also, you're still using NTFS yes?
Also, I thought some of the Eee's used SATA rather than PATA so the Dell SSD's wouldn't work in them. Sounds like that's not true?
Samsung 2.5" SATA SSD on my MSI Wind:
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CrystalDiskMark 2.2 (C) 2007-2008 hiyohiyo
Crystal Dew World : http://crystalmark.info/
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Sequential Read : 96.658 MB/s
Sequential Write : 84.426 MB/s
Random Read 512KB : 94.466 MB/s
Random Write 512KB : 75.060 MB/s
Random Read 4KB : 16.843 MB/s
Random Write 4KB : 5.327 MB/s
Test Size : 100 MB
Date : 2008/12/01 16:49:34
Great post.
The cloning progran, it´s in SSD?
This SSD, may work on HP Mini 1000?
Transfer rates don't really tell you much about the real-world performance of SSDs. A less synthetic benchmark like SYSMark will give a better indication of the impact that the SSD has on the system.
Why did I point this out? I'm pretty sure the RunCore SSD uses the same JMicron controller as 99% of other MLC drives on the market (OCZ Core, SuperTalent, Patriot, etc) which suffer from high latency writes problems. Compared to conventional hard disks, these SSDs post much higher transfer rates, but in real-world situations, they are much slower.
I think this is the article that really brought the issue into the light:
http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/intel/showdoc.aspx?i=3403&p=7
I'd love to get an eeePC 901 or a Dell Mini 9 but current replacement SSD options don't look good at all.
I have one of these for my Asus and I don't notice any issues like in the previous post. I personally have never even seen a computer as fast as my 900a is now.
Hi JKK
Many thanks for the video. I have been waiting for this video for more than a week as I own a inspiron mini 9 with 16G SSD and planning to buy one Runcore.
I am not sure if you have tested it or not, is it possible to solder a mini-pcie connector on the empty WWAN slot and use both SSDs at the same time? I know how to solder the mini pcie connector (and already got the things) but I am not sure it will have power or not (Like tnkgrl's mod of Aspire one 3G where there was no power on the intalled pcie connector until a jumper was applied).
I appreciate your thoughts on this.
Regards
Siraje
which samsung 2,5" is it?
Is it at all possible to access the SSD using USB while it being mounted inside the machine (machine not powered, of course)? I'm guessing not.
Would be nice to be able to easily backup the drive from another machine or so.
DjDiff-the original idea was to do just that, though as a USB master port inside the machine to allow you to add other devices inside the bay, as MDD/Runcore has done with the Eee version, but apparently the USB ports aren't present on the SSD PCIe connector on the Dell so it won't work. If the cable will fit though you could use it as a slave though, without removing it. Not sure why you'd want to though... its just a couple of screws to remove it...
Samsung 32GB SSD 2,5" SATA2 SLC - MCBQE32G5MPP-0VA. I bought it off Ebay for $170 new after MS 30% cashback. Its reeallly fast!
Anonymous--that's a 2.5" hard drive. These are 5cm long (2 inch) mini-PCIe boards. They're W-A-Y smaller than that.
JKK what software do you use to do these speed tests?
I use ATTO disk benchmark
"JKK said...
I use ATTO disk benchmark"
what settings on ATTO do you use?
default settings
I bought 2,5" SATA 128 GB RUNCORE SSD, on ACER Aspire One, with same ATTO benchmark with default settings, write a little over 80 MB/S and read a little over 120 MB/S. I am very pleased with overall performance.
I would really love to know if this RunCore ssd will work to replace the physically smaller system ssd in the 1000, 8gb is not really large enough for Windows, etc. Please let us know!
Would be very interested to see ATTO or HD tune benchmarks for the Runcore Dell SSD connected "externally" via the slave USB port.
This might be a viable SSD upgrade for AAO users until Runcore get their AAO ZIF versions out.
if i soldered the mini pci express slot - can i use these ssd (dell / eee) in my aspire one?
@Siraje;
Where did you buy the connector? How much was it? Will you also solder in the sim card slot near the battery? If so where did you get that? I appreciate the "easy way" as provided by JKK ... But, Id prefer to have both the wifi and the broadband card as they were ment to be from the factory. sad to say the mini 9 I bought was not equipped with the WWAN slot connecter as im guessing it also does not have the sim card slot installed. Might check with Dell to see if they offer a rebate to "upgrade" it for another that has it. Great Job and a huge thanks for JKK for making this information available. If anybody knows where to buy the two items needed to install the WWAN card in the proper slot AND the sim card near the battery...Please feel free to let me know on my page at >> (http://360.yahoo.com/bounty_orions) Thanks for your time.
In your test, was the "original" ssd the slower 4/8 GB ssd or the faster 16GB ssd that you used against the runcore ?
it was 16gigs
wow.... that does seem to be an upgrade !
Excellent video JKK - thanks a lot!
TO JLM re. backup software - JKK said 'acronis' as in www.acronis.com ($49 or free trial whatever that allows one to do ;-)).
I have my 32Mb on order from MDD - they have been delayed but I hope to get it this Fri. no biggie.
Cheers
Just received my runcore 16 gig for my dell mini. I am getting disappointing results under Vista using ATTO, basically maxing out at 23000/82000 write/read. I have run it multiple times after fresh vista boot. No other items running in the background (this is a stripped Vista install). I have tried enabling/disabling write caching for the drive with no real difference. Any ideas?
I just received my 32GB SSD for my Dell Mini 9. It is just as fast (if not faster) for my usage than the original drive. I'm very happy with the extra space and happy overall with this product given its price. Don't be afraid of this item, embrace it :)
So I’ve been reading all the stuff here about SSD and the Mini 9, and a little on generic SSD’s. I had bought a stripped down Mini 9 for $100 as a special offer with a XPS I’d bought for my son. I wanted to beef it up from the little 4GB SSD and the Ubuntu operating system (I’ve done my time with Unix derivatives and wanted a mainstream Op Sys so I had access to more apps).
So I created a Vista Home Premium 32 with SP1 image using vLite using the copy of Vista I’d bought for the Mini. I didn’t get wild with trying to downsize the Vista image and was fairly conservative taking out some driver support (lots to save there), floppy support, some of the accessibility stuff, etc. I’d also bought one of the Runcore 64GB SSD’s from MMD. And, I’d bought a Transcend 2GB PC5400 DDR2 667MHz SODIMM Memory module for the machine. (I’ve dealt with them several times now and they’ve always been great. I’m a little sorry they’ve gotten a little black eye over the Runcore delivery times.)
Vista doesn’t support FAT32 format for their base install. Vista with SP2 does accept exFAT and I’ve seen tricks to move Vista onto a FAT32 formatted drive, but I was looking for something more straight-forward. So with that in mind, I decided to experiment. I varied from the common and accepted practice for SSD’s and used NTFS as the format for the Runcore and then proceeded to load my vLite image of Vista.
I don’t have the experience that some have had with some of the earlier SSD’s folks bought from MMD. And initially I didn’t do any of the tweeks suggested by some to reduce shuttering. So I can’t compare that experience with mine.
I can say that the system responsiveness is on par with what I’d expect compared to my ThinkPad T61P (Intel T7700, 2GB memory with XP), my son’s Dell XPS (Intel T8100, 4GB memory with Vista Home Premium 64) and my wife’s Dell Studio (Intel T8100, 4GB memory with Vista Home Premium 64). I haven’t run any stats, just going by general feel of the computer. My Mini is almost as snappy as the above, It is pretty close to the same feel. I haven’t seen any distinct shuttering caused by the SSD (what us mainframe guys used to call being swapped out).
Using Internet Explorer as a standard for small file write and the problems one might expect from a SSD, I’m not disappointed there either. The speed is quite acceptable. The only tweek I finally allowed myself to the operating system is to move the IE Temporary Internet files to a Sandisk 16GB Ultra II SDHC Memory Card (writes at up to 9MB per second and reads at up to 10MB per second) to see if IE became any more responsive. I’d say it didn’t become noticeably more responsive.
So I’m thoroughly happy with Vista on my Mini 9 using the Runcore 64GB drive formatted using NTFS. I don’t plan to change a thing or do any more tweeks. While the information on www.ocztechnologyforum.com in relation to SSD’s seem right on target, I wasn’t particularly crazy about the tweeks because they exposed the file system to possible corruption (might in some circumstances cause me to loose a file). In practical terms, I really don’t see how I could modify the Mini 9 and make it any more acceptable. Like I said, in comparison to the machines above I don’t feel like they are noticeably quicker than the Mini 9. I’m happy ;o)
HAVING TROUBLE INSTALLING OS ON MY NEW RONCORE 64GB SSD FOR DELL MINI 9. USING THE SUPPLIED USB CABLE FOR THE PORT TO "CLONE" THE OS BUT IT STILL ISNT WORKING
centnom dell mini 4 now 32gb now i have a computer fast and enough memory to do update.
delivery is fast i am in canada i receive it 3 days later this is business.many thanks to runcore and jkk.
Hi Jkk, well i was looking for the benchmarks of the 32Gb stec and the 64gb ssd that cames with the dell mini, did you have the write and read speeds of them. Thanks
Yes the Runcore is indeed faster. I only wish I wouldn't have taken the advice from JKKMobile on the MyDigital SSD because they are extremely flawed and can not be used because of the slow speed. It took over 4 hours to install XP and another 3 hours installing 4 drivers. It's useless and Doug at MyDigital will only replace it with another flawed drive! I wasted $180 on this useless drive. This drive should have been tested properly.
centnom :you must done some wrong what is the size did you buy.in what mini9?
hi JJKmobile, i just got the 64gig SSD runcore today. does this SSD need to be formatted before clone?
thanks
Hi, JJK, I see there are three PCI-E slots on this machine, does this mean I can install three PCI-E SSDs? Thanks
Nope, only one slot is for ssd
I have a Dell Studio XPS 1340. I did not get a WWAN with it so I have a vacant Mini PCE-E. will this drive work, or fit, inside my Dell?
I know that it will not be recognized as the main drive. I plan to keep the hard drive I have already and get this as an extra fast storage and for ReadyBoost. Will the computer recognize it inside Windows Vista Home Premium 64-Bit?
Thanks.
Thank you so much for your site! I needed my Dell mini to be able to run Office and other programs for my work, but it was not large enough. Now with the Runcore 64g, I can take my Mini to the hospital for my daughter's kidney transplant and stay with her the whole time. You made it so easy to make the modifications!!! Thank you!
Jballchat here- installed the Runcore 32G and cloned it using Acronis True Image. Now when I turn on the Mini9 all I get is the message:
"Remove disks or other media
Press any key to restart"
what did I do wrong?
Jballchat again - never mind, I had done a backup instead of a clone. All is good now.
The standard STEC is quite a bit faster on reads.
what program did you use to clone the original hard drive?
Hi, I have a dell mini 9. I installed a 64gb ssd loaded windows xp. The unit works. but it is slower than normal...what I did was installed the card. booted the computer with a usb dvd drive loaded the OS...then the drivers. did I do something wrong?
Having some problems. Would appreciate some advice....
Have purchased the RunCore 64GB from MyDigitalDiscount.
The Acronis Program is not recognising the RunCore. When I try to run Cloning mode it tells me that I only have one Drive, even though on 'My Computer' it appears that the RunCore is recognised; however if I choose to format it it tells me that its capacity is only 1.92GB.
Do you have any useful comments you could send my way????
Please help.
Having some problems. Would appreciate some advice....
Have purchased the RunCore 64GB from MyDigitalDiscount.
The Acronis Program is not recognising the RunCore. When I try to run Cloning mode it tells me that I only have one Drive, even though on 'My Computer' it appears that the RunCore is recognised; however if I choose to format it it tells me that its capacity is only 1.92GB.
Do you have any useful comments you could send my way????
Please help.
I purchased the 32GB Runcore SSD for my Dell Mini 9 running Ubuntu 8.04+ LTS and it doesn't recognize the drive when I plug into the USB so I can't clone my 8GB. When I plug it into my home PC running Vista it is recognized. Any ideas?
for those of you who loaded windows XP, try removing or turn off the page file. I have the runcore 64GB and after fresh itstall of windows XP and norton anti-virus my system seem to slow down after boot up and during multi-tasking. As soon as I removed the pagefile the response is and playback is incrediable... enjoy! Dev
For those who are interested...the Dell Mini 9 is no longer sold on the dell website. However, they have now re-branded it in the Vostro line as the A90. The area aroundthe keyboard is now black instead of silver but the guts are exactly the same.
The STEC SSD seems faster on reads than the runcore discs - which is what you want for an operating system disc right?
So then put in a fast 32G Sandisk SDHC card for data and keep costs down.
Is that a valid way to go JKK?
Nope, you want faster write speeds.. SD cards are still slow on writes.
Hi JKK, Seen your video on how easy to clone over Dell Mini 8GB SSD to 16GB SSD on windows xp.
I have Dell Mini9 successfully installed with Mac OS 10.5.6. I bought a Runcore 16GB SSD and would like to seek your view if this can be cloned over using the USB route. Please guide me best way to do it.
Many thanks
Guys, Is it possible to use the USB port in the Runcore SSD to Install MAC OSX in the hard drive as an external HD. Then when you switch hard drives will it boot OSX? or you definetively need to install the Type 11 boot loader? I have an 8 GB SSD and want to replace it with a 32GB Runcore SSD and hackintosh it. Once hackintoshed can the machine go back to XP?
Hello All,
I trying to upgrade my mini9 with a runcore 64gb. the cone and installation went very easy however when I try to startup after the bios start the computer is asking for a HDD password. I have no idea what this password might be ... any ideas?
When I look in the bios it says for the sdd password [set]
please help me with this ...
I have tried a kill disk erease but still it is asking for the password with of without the clone done
thanks
Nardi
Have purchased the RunCore 64GB from MyDigitalDiscount.
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