How to: Intel SRT setup on non system drive (z68 chipset)

[Neutron]

So i finally decided to upgrade my scope/DAW box to 64 bits.

I thought i would give the new intel SRT tech a try.

Here are the relevant parts i used
Asus P8z68-v pro motherboard
intel i7 2600k processor
2x 8 gb stick of ddr3-1600 memory
SSD for OS (OCX vertex 2 98GB)
Hard drive for data (2 TB WD black)
SSD for cache (20gb intel 311)

first of all i installed windows the normal way on the SSD. this is not the right thing to do, but i used the install to move my data from 500GB drive to the 2 TB drive, (with acronis perfectimage WD version, works as long as you have any WD drive in your system. and free)

The right ting to do is to make sure all your relevant drives are on the intel controller and switch it to RAID in the BIOS. windows will not boot if you switch it to RAID after installing.

you also need a thumb drive or CD with the intel RAID drivers on it

when you install windows, pick the drive which will be your boot drive, (in this case, not the drive to be cached or the caching drive)

there is a "install driver" icon on the windows installer. click it and find the driver on your CD or USB drive

install windows (very fast with SSD and thumb drive)

once windows has booted up, you need to install the intel smart response software, then reboot again (at this time i noticed the "non raid volume" still contained all the data i had previously copied, so it is not lost, but i would do a backup anyways.

open the smart response software and pick your data drive

then you can use the "accelerate" button to add the (so far unused) caching drive.

now you have fast boot, and when you load your latest project it will be cached as if it was on an SSD. this is good for me because 90% of the time when i use that machine i am loading the same project.

notes:
if you are a crazy sample user, (Jimv) it might be better to get a larger caching drive
if you have a pool of something you use ALL the time that does not take too much space, and you have a SSD for boot that is more than a 60GB one, put it on your boot drive so it is always there, (like scope, maschine sample pool etc)

This is still in installing and setup phase, i have a lot of crap to work on to get everything just right.

[AndrewTurnerAUS]

Hi Neutron,

How is your system performing on the Asus motherboard? PeterG is having problems with PCI overflow errors and I was wondering what PCI slot you have your card in and if you have done a masterverb test?

Cheers
Andrew

[Neutron]

it is working very well, but i am only using an xite-1 not PCI cards so it is a different senario.

[dawman]

The Intel Smart Caching on the 20GB SSD is a powerful solution indeed.
You probably ue Kontakt stuff, but a friend of mine uses the fantastic sounding Libraries using PLAY and they never worked in realtime very well, SSD's helped out, but it was an expensive OCZ on the PCI-e slot and RAID'd as if it needed that.
It still wouldn;t stream like we thought, but he changed everything around, got the Intel X79 as he doesn;t worry about OC'ing, and has the smaller and larger newer Intel SSD's and now Hollywood Brass and Strings is easily playable live, but even with SSD's it takes almost 45 minutes to load his template....
THe Z68 is the only other solution for i7 that has the Smart Caching I believe and I was going to go that way, but will wait for the Clevo X79 laptop. I might get one used at CES and save 1500 USD. Otherwise I'll wait until summer when there's more lap[top competition. ADK Pro says they will have one with the right slots for the express card, and even a built in card reader for Solaris.
Congrats...

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