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SSDs are a new technology and they are constantly improving. A lot of the posts here were posted in 2009 when SSDs where less mature and not as fast. What was recommend back then is probably out of date today because of better options.

The SSD is used to hold SQL Server databases. Size is probably 128G. The database is used with a CMS and web server so web pages need to get their data and render as fast as possible.

Which modern SSD is recommended for such a use? Is there an SSD better than Intel X-25 E/M in terms of performance/cost?

(I am also evaluating cost between : RAM + UPS (semi persistent) vs SSD for same amount of gigabytes. No RAID is involved)

Tony_Henrich
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Check out what AnandTech has to say about SSDs. They seem to have understood their strengths and weaknesses right from the beginning. I'm still guessing that Intel X-25E is a safe bet, but maybe not the ultimate choice.

ptman
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Paul Randall (SF profile) has started a series on SSDs specifically for SQL Server.

The first 2 (the only 2 just now) is about log files and overloaded log files.

Personally, I'd consider them only if I was really, absolutely and utterly spanking the IO stack because of cost and capacity

Community
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gbn
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Things change constantly, yet everything is the same... The SSD landscape hasn't really changed much since those "2009 posts".

Fusion IO is the top of the line. There are some other manufacturers of professional SSDs like STEC which are mostly OEM only.

Intel's SSD's are the best buy based on availability, speed and maturity. Intel is set to refresh their line of SSDs in Q4 2010 and Q1 2011. Until then we pretty much 'only' have the existing Intel G1 and G2 drives (and G2 was really more a generation 1.1 on the controller side).

Several new players are making controller logic for SSDs, fx Indilinx and Sandforce. I have an OCZ Vertex (Indilinx based) SSD in my laptop, and I'm happy with it -- but ready for server use it is not. IMHO none of these are ready for production server use.

So really, much less has changed than you might have thought. SSDs in servers are still early adopter territory, and true "next-gen" drives (whatever that means) are not coming to market soon.

  • Why aren't they ready for server use? What is your criteria for an SSD to be ready for server use? – Tony_Henrich May 16 '10 at 05:17
  • @Tony_Henrich: My faith in their wear leveling algorithms and my guesstimate on their real-life write endurance, from vendors who have just sprung up. There is (anecdotal) evidence of SSDs dying young in server use. –  May 16 '10 at 13:05