HDD Cache

[koldapu]

i've never understood the meaning of the hdd cache . . . i know the larger, the better, but what does it mean?

 

[TheMajor]

it means: all data wich ich written to your HD is first stored in its cache for more performance.

Downside: pulling the plug while writing data can couse data-loss.

That's all I know

 

[koldapu]

i see . . . so its best to get a UPC backup or something like that?

 

[koldapu]

so is it worth an extra $73 for 50GB more, upgrade from 8MB to 16MB cache, and native command queuing (i dunno if hitachi deskstar 250gb sata has that)

maxtors maxline III or something . . .

also, if you put two 8MB HDDs in RAID0, does it created a 16MB cache?

 

[jolancer]

no, data loss is posible no matter wat size buffer it is. major's description is pritty vague.

i myself dont know the definition of the HDD cach, but i imagin its prolly the exact same thing as the Cache's job on the CPU. like the 1mb L2 cache is faster then 512kb L2.

id be curiouse myself to know what its purpose is though...
is the cache actually a limitation that can cause bottleneck?
or is like a postproccess to increase performance above the pipe's, instead of being an actual limitation for the pipelines? (<--some of that wording maynot be correct but u know wat i mean)

 

[TheMajor]

I don't think it's worth it, no...but its your decision...its your money

I don't know about RAID, but theoreticcaly every drive has to process only half of the data right? this means each buffer is 50% less filled/used

 

[koldapu]

i dont think less filled, just less used . . . like the motherboard and stuff can handle it, but usually the drives are the bottleneck, so they both work at near full capacity

 

[TheMajor]

yes, there can be data loss, esspecially with older file systems

 

[TheMajor]

I think UPC is for power interupption?

 

[koldapu]

sorry not UPC, UPS