Finally beaten Microsoft...after 15 years

[Mallette]

Gotta brag. Granted, it's due to the fact that Intel has competition even if MS doesn't that CPU power has finally outstripped MS bloated, buggy, code and plan to keep us "upgrading" constantly.

Just commissioned the system I a using to post this.

Time to load Word...less that a second.

Time to load Visio...less than a second.

Time to load Photoshop CS 5.5...less than 2 seconds.

Total cost, about 1100.00.

No moving parts except the fans.

I won't bore with the specs unless someone is interested, and, of course, it doesn't fix our nasty OS. However, for a moment, I feel almost as good about it as I did my Commodore 64 which was about this fast at loading apps.

Even Microsoft will pass...

Dave

[Brac]

Sounds like someone got some Solid State Drives!

[Mallette]

Sounds like someone got some Solid State Drives!

Built my first one with SSDs (actually DOM which was all that was available at the time) in 2008. This one didn't even have fans...no moving parts at all.

it wasn't designed for speed but for size and use in hostile conditions.

Right now, SSD's are absolutely essential. You can can get between 50 and 100 percent speed up in ANY system simply by replacing the system drive with an SSD. If you wanna go REALLY fast, go for the RAM based REVOdrive. I put one in our solids rendering computer at work and we get about a 6 second Windows 7 boot up. I was going for cost performance at home and settled for a SATA III SSD. 120gb ones are running just a bit over a dollar a gb.

Dave

[MechMan]

I would love to build a machine with SSD's for my media server. That would be awesome.

[seti]

I deal with high dollar extremely spec'd servers on a regular basis and the OS can only go so fast then improvements are just sending money out the window. I'd like to see more improvements to boot time.

[jheis]

Why on earth are you still using MicroCrap?

James

[Mallette]

Why on earth are you still using MicroCrap?

James

Try making a living without it. I run Linux on every machine at home I can, but as a training professional I develop simulations, courseware, and other materials and functions. What am I going to run them on?

There is no other option. Mac isn't an option. Besides being every bit as archaic and bloated as MS it is an expensive vertical monoply rarely seen outside Hollywood and print shops and those who'd like to think they are revolting against MS. Apple exists at MS's pleasure to ensure MS cannot be considered a monoply. If they ever actually tried to compete they'd be shut out.

Linux, especially Ubuntu and Mint, are very near to being viable options for Joe Average. When they work, installation and performance is very good. When they don't, you are screwed and questions to the community about arcance sudu commands and such are generally met with derision as Linux heads are geek to the max. Ever try to map a network drive in Linux?

Anyway, even Linux still doesn't have REAL preemptive multitasking a la the old Amiga OS and Linux, Mac, and MS all still use HDD virtual memory that is utterly archaic and disastrous to performance.

If you have another option, I am all ears...

Dave

[Mallette]

I would love to build a machine with SSD's for my media server. That would be awesome.

You can get one plenty big enough for Linux for well less than a hundred bucks. Store your music on a conventional drive or NAS and you'll have performance to spare. I've a 5 year old Dell with 2gb RAM that boots Linux Mint in less than 10 seconds. Shutdown is even faster.

OpenOffice will replace MS Office for almost every task, and the freebie photo, graphics, audio and other programs you get are as good or better than all but the highest price spread on Windoze.

Dave

[Groomlakearea51]

I'd love to "resurrect" my 10 year old Dell.... I would need a SSD that mimics IDE rather than SATA. Advise? Or gimme' a call and talk dirty!!!

[Mallette]

I'd love to "resurrect" my 10 year old Dell.... I would need a SSD that mimics IDE rather than SATA. Advise? Or gimme' a call and talk dirty!!!

Easy Marshall. SATA cards can be had for 20,00 or so. Dig one up and if you have problems setting it as boot drive let me know.

Dave

[JJkizak]

And remember that Win7 doesn't like old hardware.

JJK

[Mallette]

Yeah. Probably best to go with Linux Mint, or XP if you gotta have something only Windows can do.

For music, I can't really think of anything you can do with Windows that you can't do as well or better with Linux...and a lot cheaper, too.

Dave

[Quiet_Hollow]

No one needs to use Windows, OS X, Linux, or what ever. Look at the explosion in popularity of apps for example. People just put up with software bloat because its the norm, but not because they want to. Just like crappy tools in the garage. You can do what ever the heck you want with a computer. Check out the PC-BSD crowd for example. In addition, you can make Windows hell'a fast from a resource level, but it takes some time and savvy to strip it down....stability on the other hand, well we can only polish a turd so much. [pi]

Glad to hear your recent success with SSD. []

[Mallette]

....stability on the other hand, well we can only polish a turd so much.

Amen. But you are wrong. Some of us have to use Windows as, in my case, I am a training professional, the company is all Windows, and that's that.

As to SSD...it's part, but only one part of a formula that includes overclocking, lots of fast RAM, a kickn' GPU, as well as reining in some Windoze bloat.

I don't have a computer at home or at work without an SSD system drive. Major false economy to run mechanical drives, but a fast drive alone doesn't do everything you need to beat the MS bloatware conspiracy.

Well, I gues

[Quiet_Hollow]

the company is all Windows, and that's that.

Why?

[Brac]

So, I haven't bought an SSD because between my different drives I have almost a TB. I never thought of getting one for just the system drive. Maybe I'm numb but will I gain much even if storage is still on a mech drive?

[Mallette]

the company is all Windows, and that's that.

Why?

Because there is no alternative. If you know of one please let me in on the secret.

Dave

[Mallette]

So, I haven't bought an SSD because between my different drives I have almost a TB. I never thought of getting one for just the system drive. Maybe I'm numb but will I gain much even if storage is still on a mech drive?

Oh, yeah. In my case, I don't store anything in the computer itself anymore. I have one that I put a RAID array in as an NAS as they are just as secure and useful in a home network as a dedicated NAS. Pointless to spend money for an enclosure and RAID hardware when it comes with most computers these days.

As to local storage, I've used external eSATA boxes for several years as they are just as fast as an internal drive and more portable...as well as less hassle when you change out the PC.

Now, I've recently gone to USB 3.0 docks. Cheap (about 40.00) and I can stick any bare drive in whenever I want either 2.5 or 3.5...plus the dual docks provide high speed duplication for backups or whatever.

USB 3.0 cards are available cheap for legacy machines and they are FAST...just as fast as an internal drive.

Think outside the box. The stuff I described above is cheap to implement, and a lot less hassle than stuffing unnecessary drives into a box.

Anyway, as to your question, you will see at least a 50% increase in speed up to twice as fast or even more. Depends on any other bottlenecks you might have. But the bottom line is that you'll see more improvement for less money and hassle switching to an SSD than by any other thing you can do.

RAM is important and I'd not run less than 8 gb with W7...more on a 64bit system. It helps a lot.

BTW, easiest way to clone your existing system drive and add flexible storage as well is one of the dual dock USB drive stations I mentioned. That and a USB 3.0 care shouldn't set you back much more that 75.00 or so.

Dave

[skonopa]

There is no other option. Mac isn't an option. Besides being every bit as archaic and bloated as MS it is an expensive vertical monoply rarely seen outside Hollywood and print shops and those who'd like to think they are revolting against MS. Apple exists at MS's pleasure to ensure MS cannot be considered a monoply. If they ever actually tried to compete they'd be shut out.

That may have been the case 15 years ago, but not any more today. Nowadays, if anything, Apple could easily shut MS out, and practially already have in the mobile and tablet space. Apple does not need MS anymore than GM needs Ford or Pepsi needs Coke.

That being said, I have quite the collection of Apple, MS and Linux boxes. Being a senior developer, I pretty much need familiarity with all of these platforms. I have both an iPad and Android-based ASUS Transformer Prime tablets (especially since we are getting into Android development at my company). Also dabbling in iOS development. As much as you and others on here may not like Apple (I refuse to get into those utterly childish platform holy wars), there is no ignoring the millions of iPads and iPhones out there, thus find it a very viable platform to develop on. People are going to use whatever they like to use and are comfortable with and will get thier job done.

Yes, I'd love to continue to develop on more open platforms such as Linux (technically am with the Android stuff), especially since much of my original experience came from the VAX/VMS days and then Unix (mostly Sun Solaris and HP-UX). My company is still primarily a Windows shop, though, so that is were my current bread and butter is (and yes, I do plan on playing with Windows 8 when it becomes available, even though I really do not care for that Brady Bunch looking 'Metro" interface they are now pushing).

Much like the musical tastes and audio equipment choices here, whatever floats your boat when it comes to your choice of computing platform.

[Mallette]

Nowadays, if anything, Apple could easily shut MS out, and practially already have in the mobile and tablet space. Apple does not need MS anymore than GM needs Ford or Pepsi needs Coke.

Proves my point. They got into toys because they were not allowed to expand in the PC market.

As much as you and others on here may not like Apple (I refuse to get into those utterly childish platform holy wars),

Where did I say I didn't like it? I don't like or dislike it anymore than Windows. Frankly, I don't see any difference except much higher costs with Apple and I almost never see one except on TV.

Much like the musical tastes and audio equipment choices here, whatever floats your boat when it comes to your choice of computing platform.

Not really. Windows has an iron boot on the neck of corporate America...and pretty much the world. I managed to get a single Linux server installed for some experiments...and that caused quite a stir in IT!

Anyway, when all the available platforms still do not perform as well in a number of respects...notably preemptive multitasking...as those of years past I don't have any interest in rooting for one POS (pitiful operating system) over another.

Since you are a pro, perhaps you have a take as to why one cannot purchase a raster based graphic subsystem for any of the currently availalbe OSs? Video production, in particular, and simulations as well, are SO hamstrung by vector based GPUs and things that are simple with a raster GPU, like 2D animation, are a bleeding nightmare in vector.

In the mid-90s, I used the Amiga OS for a number of projects and having access to both vector and raster output was awesome and allowed us to do things easily that will bring a current flagship machine to its knees in seconds. In one, we ran a hardward PC card with Windows and another with Mac SIMULTANEOUSLY! Did that largely for grins...because we could.

Dave