I've been running SSDs in a RAID-0 for a few months now. I outlined a few of the issues and problems I've had with stuttering here. But, for the most part, those problems have really only been fairly minor – extending just a tiny bit above being a nuisance. Stated differently: I have no real regrets about my SSDs – they're totally awesome – though the stuttering thing can be a bit of nuisance when I'm doing larger installs or when windows updates are being slurped down to my box.
Happily a new breed of SSDs is starting to make a foray into the market – which should provide all of the benefits I'm seeing, with none of the messy side-effects.
Engadget outlined the details of a new SSD from Corsair:
MLC
256GB Capacity
220MB/sec Read
200MB/sec Write
'Sophisticated' Samsung Controller IC
128MB cache and
NCQ
Sadly, this SSD weighs in at a whopping $700 – which is a lot more than what I paid to get my RAID-0 up and running.
But what's cool about this new Corsair drive is that it has ALL of the right components and the correct configuration.
From here on out, it's just a question of time before similarly configured SSDs come down in price. But once they do, they're going to be WELL worth the cost.