Now that I have SLI & BP=0 working great, it's time to look at the last performance limitation, the HDs.If you updated from the velociraptor and are currently using an SSD drive, single or RAID0, please share your findings.Is the added cost really worth it? My goal is texture loading (AG pop reduction etc.) So far my system is about 95% complete.Thanks.Jose

Raid kills FSX performance. Don't use it.

Chris,Is it because trim is not fully supported?I thought that Raid0 meant faster performance.

It claims to have faster performance, but many studies have gone into RAID with FSX, and it is shown that it performs better without RAID. Have a look at this website: http://www.jetlinesystems.com/performance.htmlIt shows, compares and explains different performance issues and components in FSX.

It claims to have faster performance, but many studies have gone into RAID with FSX, and it is shown that it performs better without RAID. Have a look at this website: http://www.jetlinesystems.com/performance.htmlIt shows, compares and explains different performance issues and components in FSX.

Thanks for the link.I've tried many configurations and I'm happiest with my Raid 0 and SLI configuration. :(

Did you see th bit at the bottom concerning harddrives? The performance in FSX using RAID is less than half of the performance with FSX on a dedicated HD. I don't believe that your computer is the one and only exception in this entire forum.

Did you see th bit at the bottom concerning harddrives? The performance in FSX using RAID is less than half of the performance with FSX on a dedicated HD.

Right, the chart is for HD(s), not SSD(s). SSD(s) have essentially no latency, so when you array them, you don't need the sophisticated buffering techniques that dedicated RAID controller cards use to overcome rotational latency present in HD arrays.Enter ICH10R (onboard RAID), which doesn't use sophisticated buffering techniques and as a result will introduce less latency into SSD arrays than many dedicated controller cards. Plus, if you keep the array simple (e.g., two SSDs in a Raid 0 configuration), you don't introduce significant CPU occupancy either. The drawback for FSX though is that ICH10R doesn't support a large enough stripe size that is optimized for the average FSX file size. Again though, this is mitigated somewhat by the essentially zero latency present in SSD arrays.The drawback generally is lack of trim support (for now).Here's a good article: http://www.anandtech.com/show/3618/intel-x...5m-g2-for-250/1 See how the toughest measure of random access reads (4KB random) actually increased in RAID configuration, not by a lot though. In a traditional HD onboard RAID, the 4KB random reads would have actually taken a hit. Random reads are supposedly important in FS9/FSX (although a better characterization is that FS9/FSX have a high share of random reads, but many reads after initial file access are still sequential in nature).I use an two Intel G2(s) arrays for FS9 and two G1(s) arrays for FSX. Both perform great, no stuttering (or very little) for the most part. I don't know how much an advantage it is over a comparable, single SSD however. I suspect not that much. My FS performance has certainly not been "killed."

Read NickN's performance optimization guide for FSX. In there he clearly states that RAID "kills" performance in fsx. Are you saying he is wrong? It has been tested and shown that playing with FSX on a dedicated HD or SSD gives better performance on a shared or RAID config.

Read NickN's performance optimization guide for FSX. In there he clearly states that RAID "kills" performance in fsx. Are you saying he is wrong? It has been tested and shown that playing with FSX on a dedicated HD or SSD gives better performance on a shared or RAID config.

Come on...NickN was very big proponent for using 3ware hardware RAID in FSX for HD(s). If I remember correctly, he used it himself. Did he change his position? If you have a link to RAID SSD performance results specific to FSX, that would be great (really).

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=230492see post #9

Chris493,You are wrong about RAID not being a benefit to FSX. It is a benefit to FSX if you are using a dedicated RAID card. If you are using onboard RAID your performance will be worse than using a dedicated hardrive. Hence the recommendations not to use onboard RAID. I think you should go back and read Nick's guide and also go back a reread the 9th post you referenced at extremesystems.orgNow getting back to the original topic. I am also curious to know anyones experience that has made the change to SSD.

I never said that RAID with a card will kill performance. And thankyou very much, I did read the post correctly and I saw that it only kills performance if you use onboard RAID controllers. What I am saying is, if you spent say $3000 on a gaming computer, are you going to go and pay another $600+ for 2 identical SSD's plus About $150 for a controller card? Majority of people who have built these computers exhaust there budget getting the best CPUs, GPUs, RAM and mobos, and will use onboard RAID, not realising the effects it is having. You cannot deny that onboard RAID is quicker, cheaper, easier and safer to use than a controller card.

"It is a benefit to FSX if you are using a dedicated RAID card."BINGO!Even on the link you will notice "on board" controllers as the culprit.I always get a chuckle when I read about RAID or SLI don't work with FSX. It's working for me.

Did you see th bit at the bottom concerning harddrives? The performance in FSX using RAID is less than half of the performance with FSX on a dedicated HD. I don't believe that your computer is the one and only exception in this entire forum.

Chris,I appreciate your input, but before you make a statement about my system being an exception, more research would prove otherwise. I want everyone to share their ideas without fear of being ridiculed.

Jose, just to have a reference, can you please post your FPS in a big airport (EGLL is my benchmark hub) and a good addon aircraft (PMDG maybe?) and your FSX & GPU settings?cheers

Chris,I appreciate your input, but before you make a statement about my system being an exception, more research would prove otherwise. I want everyone to share their ideas without fear of being ridiculed.