Custom Intel X299 Workstation: Intel VROC RAID 1 NVMe WinSat Disk Score

We just finished a custom build for a client of ours in the US.

• Intel Core i9-7980XE
• Intel liquid cooling kit
• Gigabyte X299 UD4
• 128GB Kingston RAM
• Intel Virtual RAID on CPU (Intel VROC)
• SKU: VROCISSDMOD
• (2) 1TB Intel SSD Pro 7600p Series SSDs in RAID 1
• ZOTAC RTX 2080 Ti NVIDIA
• Intel X540-T2 10GbE
• Antec P100 with EVGA 850Wat Gold

The machine is extremely fast but quiet.

After kicking the tires a bit with Windows 10 Pro 64-bit and some software installs post burn-in we get the following performance out of the Intel NVMe RAID 1 pair:

C:\Temp>winsat disk
Windows System Assessment Tool
> Running: Feature Enumeration ''
> Run Time 00:00:00.00
> Running: Storage Assessment '-ran -read -n 0'
> Run Time 00:00:00.77
> Running: Storage Assessment '-seq -read -n 0'
> Run Time 00:00:02.38
> Running: Storage Assessment '-seq -write -drive C:'
> Run Time 00:00:01.64
> Running: Storage Assessment '-flush -drive C: -seq'
> Run Time 00:00:00.45
> Running: Storage Assessment '-flush -drive C: -ran'
> Run Time 00:00:00.38
> Dshow Video Encode Time                      0.00000 s
> Dshow Video Decode Time                      0.00000 s
> Media Foundation Decode Time                 0.00000 s
> Disk  Random 16.0 Read                       1020.73 MB/s          8.8
> Disk  Sequential 64.0 Read                   3203.52 MB/s          9.3
> Disk  Sequential 64.0 Write                  1456.24 MB/s          8.8
> Average Read Time with Sequential Writes     0.090 ms          8.8
> Latency: 95th Percentile                     0.146 ms          8.9
> Latency: Maximum                             0.316 ms          8.9
> Average Read Time with Random Writes         0.058 ms          8.9
> Total Run Time 00:00:05.91

The machine is destined for a surveying company that's getting into high end image and video work with drones.

All in all, we are very happy with the build and we're sure they will be too!

Philip Elder
Microsoft High Availability MVP
MPECS Inc.
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book
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Toshiba Tecra S11 Core i7-620M 160GB X25-M WinSAT Score

We have just completed configuring a number of new Toshiba Tecra S11 laptops with 160GB X25-M Intel SSDs.

• Toshiba Tecra S11 PTSE3C-011013

Our own Tecra S10 WinSAT scores can be found here:

• Intel 160GB SSD Performance In the Tecra S10 Versus RAID 0 2x 80GB SSDs on DX38BT

The Tecra S10’s scores were:

• Disk  Sequential 64.0 Read              203.74 MB/s        7.3
• Disk  Random 16.0 Read                    39.33 MB/s        6.3
• Disk  Sequential 64.0 Write              88.15 MB/s          6.3
• Total Run Time 00:01:25.32

The Tecra S11’s scores were as follows:

• Disk  Sequential 64.0 Read                   240.75 MB/s          7.5
• Disk  Random 16.0 Read                       215.20 MB/s          7.8
• Disk  Sequential 64.0 Write                  103.40 MB/s          6.6
• Total Run Time 00:01:10.07

The second stat in the S10’s numbers must have been an anomaly. We will revisit the WinSAT test on that unit to see how the performance has stood up over time.

There is a tangible performance difference on the Core i7-620M based Tecra S11 versus the Core 2 Duo T9600. The system is a lot more responsive in so many ways.

So, it is not surprising to see that the SSD performance on the new S11 takes a step up versus the previous generation.

In the end, the cost of the SSD is more than made up by our client’s users increased productivity.

While one of the drivers for having the SSD installed has been Windows XP Mode on Windows 7, most of our client’s line of business applications have come up to date and are Windows 7 compatible. There are still a few hold outs, but for the most part XP Mode is slowly being deprecated.

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book

*Our original iMac was stolen (previous blog post). We now have a new MacBook Pro courtesy of Vlad Mazek, owner of OWN.

Windows Live Writer

So, Just How Fast? 160GB X25-M Versus 250GB WD SATA – Both In Acer TM6592 Series

For comparison’s sake, we did the following tests on Acer TravelMate TM6592 series laptops with a fresh install of Windows 7 Enterprise x64 OS. Both laptops have the same CPU and RAM configuration as well as BIOS version.

This TM6592 is using the factory installed 250GB Western Digital WD2500BEVS SATA hard disk:

C:\Windows\system32>winsat disk
Windows System Assessment Tool
> Running: Feature Enumeration ''
> Run Time 00:00:00.00
> Running: Storage Assessment '-seq -read -n 0'
> Run Time 00:00:15.74
> Running: Storage Assessment '-ran -read -n 0'
> Run Time 00:00:13.56
> Running: Storage Assessment '-scen 2009 -drive C:'
> Run Time 00:01:26.55
> Running: Storage Assessment '-seq -write -drive C:'
> Run Time 00:00:13.29
> Running: Storage Assessment '-flush -drive C: -seq'
> Run Time 00:00:08.55
> Running: Storage Assessment '-flush -drive C: -ran'
> Run Time 00:00:13.01
> Running: Storage Assessment '-hybrid -ran -read -n 0 -ransize 4096'
NV Cache not present.
> Run Time 00:00:00.09
> Running: Storage Assessment '-hybrid -ran -read -n 0 -ransize 16384'
NV Cache not present.
> Run Time 00:00:00.05
> Disk  Sequential 64.0 Read                  44.80 MB/s          5.2
> Disk  Random 16.0 Read                     1.25 MB/s          3.5
> Responsiveness: Average IO Rate         5.79 ms/IO          5.1
> Responsiveness: Grouped IOs               13.61 units          6.3
> Responsiveness: Long IOs                   21.19 units          6.1
> Responsiveness: Overall                     288.42 units          6.0
> Responsiveness: PenaltyFactor                0.0
> Disk  Sequential 64.0 Write                 54.38 MB/s          5.5
> Average Read Time with Sequential Writes  7.824 ms       5.1
> Latency: 95th Percentile                     15.855 ms          4.9
> Latency: Maximum                             40.617 ms          7.9
> Average Read Time with Random Writes   8.321 ms         4.9
> Total Run Time 00:02:32.26

This TM6592 is using a second generation Intel X25-M 160GB SSD:

C:\>winsat disk
Windows System Assessment Tool
> Running: Feature Enumeration ''
> Run Time 00:00:00.00
> Running: Storage Assessment '-seq -read -n 0'
> Run Time 00:00:04.41
> Running: Storage Assessment '-ran -read -n 0'
> Run Time 00:00:00.36
> Running: Storage Assessment '-scen 2009 -drive C:'
> Run Time 00:01:20.96
> Running: Storage Assessment '-seq -write -drive C:'
> Run Time 00:00:07.86
> Running: Storage Assessment '-flush -drive C: -seq'
> Run Time 00:00:01.19
> Running: Storage Assessment '-flush -drive C: -ran'
> Run Time 00:00:01.19
> Running: Storage Assessment '-hybrid -ran -read -n 0 -ransize 4096'
NV Cache not present.
> Run Time 00:00:00.00
> Running: Storage Assessment '-hybrid -ran -read -n 0 -ransize 16384'
NV Cache not present.
> Run Time 00:00:00.00
> Disk  Sequential 64.0 Read                263.91 MB/s          7.6
> Disk  Random 16.0 Read                   243.05 MB/s          7.9
> Responsiveness: Average IO Rate       4.29 ms/IO          5.7
> Responsiveness: Grouped IOs            16.37 units          4.6
> Responsiveness: Long IOs                 100.06 units          1.9
> Responsiveness: Overall                   1638.23 units          1.9
> Responsiveness: PenaltyFactor                1.0
> Disk  Sequential 64.0 Write                 99.40 MB/s          6.5
> Average Read Time with Sequential Writes  0.427 ms       7.9
> Latency: 95th Percentile                     1.671 ms          7.9
> Latency: Maximum                             2.033 ms          7.9
> Average Read Time with Random Writes   0.489 ms       7.9
> Total Run Time 00:01:36.63

By the numbers:

• 250GB SATA drive:
• Disk  Sequential 64.0 Read       44.80 MB/s          5.2
• Disk  Random 16.0 Read            1.25 MB/s          3.5
• Disk  Sequential 64.0 Write       54.38 MB/s          5.5
• Total Run Time 00:02:32.26
• 160GB SSD drive:
• Disk  Sequential 64.0 Read       263.91 MB/s          7.6
• Disk  Random 16.0 Read          243.05 MB/s          7.9
• Disk  Sequential 64.0 Write        99.40 MB/s          6.5
• Total Run Time 00:01:36.63

Given the above numbers, it is not difficult to justify the extra cost of the 160GB SSD to our clients. The performance increase is so _huge_, that they see payback in a matter of weeks.

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book

*Our original iMac was stolen (previous blog post). We now have a new MacBook Pro courtesy of Vlad Mazek, owner of OWN.

Windows Live Writer

Asus Eee PC 1000HE WinSat Disk SSD performance

Since we have been on the topic of WinSat performance in the various configurations we have had here in the shop with Intel’s new second generation solid-state drives, we did not test the Netbook that started the whole thing off!

So, here are the results:

C:\>winsat disk
Windows System Assessment Tool
> Running: Feature Enumeration ''
> Run Time 00:00:00.00
> Running: Storage Assessment '-seq -read -n 0'
> Run Time 00:00:07.49
> Running: Storage Assessment '-ran -read -n 0'
> Run Time 00:00:01.03
> Running: Storage Assessment '-scen 2009 -drive C:'
> Run Time 00:01:02.59
> Running: Storage Assessment '-seq -write -drive C:'
> Run Time 00:00:13.43
> Running: Storage Assessment '-flush -drive C: -seq'
> Run Time 00:00:03.26
> Running: Storage Assessment '-flush -drive C: -ran'
> Run Time 00:00:02.67
> Running: Storage Assessment '-hybrid -ran -read -n 0 -ransize 4096'
NV Cache not present.
> Run Time 00:00:00.05
> Running: Storage Assessment '-hybrid -ran -read -n 0 -ransize 16384'
NV Cache not present.
> Run Time 00:00:00.03
> Disk  Sequential 64.0 Read                133.19 MB/s          7.0
> Disk  Random 16.0 Read                    122.65 MB/s          7.3
> Responsiveness: Average IO Rate        2.43 ms/IO          6.7
> Responsiveness: Grouped IOs             13.21 units          6.4
> Responsiveness: Long IOs                   11.57 units          7.3
> Responsiveness: Overall                    152.89 units          6.6
> Responsiveness: PenaltyFactor               0.0
> Disk  Sequential 64.0 Write                73.57 MB/s          6.1
> Average Read Time with Sequential Writes  1.192 ms       7.5
> Latency: 95th Percentile                     2.361 ms          7.4
> Latency: Maximum                             157.421 ms          7.5
> Average Read Time with Random Writes    1.440 ms       7.9
> Total Run Time 00:01:31.76

The specific Asus Eee PC 1000HE SSD performance variables we look at:

• Disk  Sequential 64.0 Read                133.19 MB/s          7.0
• Disk  Random 16.0 Read                    122.65 MB/s          7.3
• Disk  Sequential 64.0 Write                73.57 MB/s          6.1
• Total Run Time 00:01:31.76

This was the Toshiba Tecra S10’s 160GB Intel SSD’s Winsat performance (previous blog post) the last time we measured it.

Here are the Tecra S10’s single 160GB SSD read/write stats that we retook today:

• Disk  Sequential 64.0 Read              215.06 MB/s        7.4
• Disk  Random 16.0 Read                    63.50 MB/s        6.7
• Disk  Sequential 64.0 Write              87.69 MB/s          6.3
• Total Run Time 00:01:28.20

It looks as though the I/O bottleneck has been dealt a serious blow on both configurations. Though, the S10’s Random Read number does look a little low relative to the Netbook.

The Netbook is running Windows 7 Professional x86 (32bit) with no BitLocker Drive Encryption while the Tecra S10 is running Windows 7 Enterprise x64 (64bit) with BitLocker Drive Encryption enabled.

All in all, bumping out the 160GB 5400RPM SATA drive in the Netbook was a _really good decision_!

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book

*Our original iMac was stolen (previous blog post). We now have a new MacBook Pro courtesy of Vlad Mazek, owner of OWN.

Windows Live Writer

160GB Pair of Intel G2 SSD’s RAID 1 and RAID 0 Performance On A W5590 Xeon Workstation

While putting together the trading station for our client, we did some bench testing of the Intel solid-state drives in two RAID array configurations.

The system configuration:

• Intel S5520SC Workstation Board
• BIOS 42, BMC 0.45, FRU/SDR 21
• Intel W5590 Xeon Processor (second is going into an identical setup)
• 12GB Kingston KVR1333 ECC Registered RAM
• 160GB Intel SSD -G2R5 Code pair of drives
• On Board Chipset LSI based RAID
• Intel SC5650WS Workstation Chassis with 1,000Watt PSU
• PNY nVidia Quadro NVS 450 PCI-E x16 (4 monitors)
• ATI FirePro 2450 PCI-E x16 (4 monitors)
• Windows 7 Ultimate x64 Edition

The Intel SSDs are using the factory default firmware and no trim tools have been installed. The RAID Web Console 2 was installed but the SSD trim tools built into it were not enabled either for both tests.

Here is the WinSat output for the RAID 1 configuration:

C:\Windows\system32>winsat disk
Windows System Assessment Tool
> Running: Feature Enumeration ''
> Run Time 00:00:00.00
> Running: Storage Assessment '-seq -read -n 0'
> Run Time 00:00:03.71
> Running: Storage Assessment '-ran -read -n 0'
> Run Time 00:00:00.31
> Running: Storage Assessment '-scen 2009 -drive C:'
> Run Time 00:00:55.51
> Running: Storage Assessment '-seq -write -drive C:'
> Run Time 00:00:07.55
> Running: Storage Assessment '-flush -drive C: -seq'
> Run Time 00:00:01.42
> Running: Storage Assessment '-flush -drive C: -ran'
> Run Time 00:00:01.37
> Running: Storage Assessment '-hybrid -ran -read -n 0 -ransize 4096'
NV Cache not present.
> Run Time 00:00:00.00
> Running: Storage Assessment '-hybrid -ran -read -n 0 -ransize 16384'
NV Cache not present.
> Run Time 00:00:00.00
> Disk  Sequential 64.0 Read               504.89 MB/s         7.9
> Disk  Random 16.0 Read                  242.46 MB/s         7.9
> Responsiveness: Average IO Rate     1.52 ms/IO          7.5
> Responsiveness: Grouped IOs          11.60 units          6.9
> Responsiveness: Long IOs                 3.62 units          7.8
> Responsiveness: Overall                  42.01 units          7.2
> Responsiveness: PenaltyFactor              0.0
> Disk  Sequential 64.0 Write             97.07 MB/s          6.5
> Average Read Time with Sequential Writes 0.997 ms     7.6
> Latency: 95th Percentile                     1.791 ms          7.8
> Latency: Maximum                             5.227 ms          7.9
> Average Read Time with Random Writes   0.879 ms          7.9
> Total Run Time 00:01:10.57

And here is the raw output for the RAID 0 configuration:

C:\Windows\system32>winsat disk
Windows System Assessment Tool
> Running: Feature Enumeration ''
> Run Time 00:00:00.00
> Running: Storage Assessment '-seq -read -n 0'
> Run Time 00:00:04.13
> Running: Storage Assessment '-ran -read -n 0'
> Run Time 00:00:00.26
> Running: Storage Assessment '-scen 2009 -drive C:'
> Run Time 00:00:51.11
> Running: Storage Assessment '-seq -write -drive C:'
> Run Time 00:00:04.30
> Running: Storage Assessment '-flush -drive C: -seq'
> Run Time 00:00:01.11
> Running: Storage Assessment '-flush -drive C: -ran'
> Run Time 00:00:01.09
> Running: Storage Assessment '-hybrid -ran -read -n 0 -ransize 4096'
NV Cache not present.
> Run Time 00:00:00.00
> Running: Storage Assessment '-hybrid -ran -read -n 0 -ransize 16384'
NV Cache not present.
> Run Time 00:00:00.02
> Disk  Sequential 64.0 Read           537.33 MB/s          7.9
> Disk  Random 16.0 Read              375.88 MB/s          7.9
> Responsiveness: Average IO Rate        0.76 ms/IO          7.9
> Responsiveness: Grouped IOs             8.99 units          7.3
> Responsiveness: Long IOs                     1.69 units          7.9
> Responsiveness: Overall                      15.21 units          7.9
> Responsiveness: PenaltyFactor                0.0
> Disk  Sequential 64.0 Write             197.47 MB/s          7.3
> Average Read Time with Sequential Writes    0.947 ms     7.7
> Latency: 95th Percentile                     1.719 ms          7.9
> Latency: Maximum                             5.686 ms          7.9
> Average Read Time with Random Writes   0.952 ms          7.9
> Total Run Time 00:01:02.78

Taking the above statistics we get:

• RAID 1 configuration:
• Disk  Sequential 64.0 Read        504.89 MB/s         7.9
• Disk  Random 16.0 Read           242.46 MB/s         7.9
• Disk  Sequential 64.0 Write         97.07 MB/s          6.5
• Total Run Time 00:01:10.57
• RAID 0 configuration:
• Disk  Sequential 64.0 Read         537.33 MB/s          7.9
• Disk  Random 16.0 Read            375.88 MB/s          7.9
• Disk  Sequential 64.0 Write        197.47 MB/s          7.3
• Total Run Time 00:01:02.78

It is pretty clear that having the SSDs in a RAID 0 or RAID 10 configuration will provide a significant performance advantage in real world usage.

The write speed more than doubled when the drives were striped and took a huge step for the random read tests as well.

So, what do the numbers translate to? They translate to extremely fast OS loads, application loads, RAM cache like behaviour for any swap file activity, and an all around great user computing experience.

For anyone that generates revenue on system setups and the speed that they accomplish their computing tasks, this is one rig to consider.

By the way, the peak power consumed by the box was 195Watts under load. The average power usage while running its various tasks was 110-120Watts as measured by the APC BR1500LCD UPS. Only the workstation was connected to the UPS.

When the components for the second workstation arrive, we will run the same tests but with an add-in RAID controller to see if that further improves disk I/O performance.

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book

*Our original iMac was stolen (previous blog post). We now have a new MacBook Pro courtesy of Vlad Mazek, owner of OWN.

Windows Live Writer

Intel 160GB SSD Performance In the Tecra S10 Versus RAID 0 2x 80GB SSDs on DX38BT

The following is the output of the WinSat disk test on the Windows 7 Enterprise x64 Toshiba Tecra S10 with an Intel 160GB SSD installed:

C:\Windows\system32>winsat disk
Windows System Assessment Tool
> Running: Feature Enumeration ''
> Run Time 00:00:00.00
> Running: Storage Assessment '-seq -read -n 0'
> Run Time 00:00:04.79
> Running: Storage Assessment '-ran -read -n 0'
> Run Time 00:00:00.87
> Running: Storage Assessment '-scen 2009 -drive C:'
> Run Time 00:01:03.66
> Running: Storage Assessment '-seq -write -drive C:'
> Run Time 00:00:09.03
> Running: Storage Assessment '-flush -drive C: -seq'
> Run Time 00:00:03.85
> Running: Storage Assessment '-flush -drive C: -ran'
> Run Time 00:00:02.45
> Running: Storage Assessment '-hybrid -ran -read -n 0 -ransize 4096'
NV Cache not present.
> Run Time 00:00:00.01
> Running: Storage Assessment '-hybrid -ran -read -n 0 -ransize 16384'
NV Cache not present.
> Run Time 00:00:00.02
> Disk  Sequential 64.0 Read             203.74 MB/s          7.3
> Disk  Random 16.0 Read                    39.33 MB/s          6.3
> Responsiveness: Average IO Rate       0.88 ms/IO          7.9
> Responsiveness: Grouped IOs             10.02 units          7.2
> Responsiveness: Long IOs                     7.13 units          7.6
> Responsiveness: Overall                      71.52 units          6.9
> Responsiveness: PenaltyFactor                0.0
> Disk  Sequential 64.0 Write              88.15 MB/s          6.3
> Average Read Time with Sequential Writes  1.143 ms     7.5
> Latency: 95th Percentile                     2.246 ms          7.5
> Latency: Maximum                             207.342 ms          7.3
> Average Read Time with Random Writes   1.048 ms         7.9
> Total Run Time 00:01:25.32

It is important to note that the above stats are on a _laptop_!

Now, let’s have a look at what two 80GB SSDs in a RAID 0 configuration via the onboard Intel DX38BT (Intel product site) chipset RAID gives us with Windows 7 Enterprise x64:

C:\Windows\system32>winsat disk
Windows System Assessment Tool
> Running: Feature Enumeration ''
> Run Time 00:00:00.00
> Running: Storage Assessment '-seq -read -n 0'
> Run Time 00:00:05.36
> Running: Storage Assessment '-ran -read -n 0'
> Run Time 00:00:00.59
> Running: Storage Assessment '-scen 2009 -drive C:'
> Run Time 00:00:56.94
> Running: Storage Assessment '-seq -write -drive C:'
> Run Time 00:00:06.47
> Running: Storage Assessment '-flush -drive C: -seq'
> Run Time 00:00:02.16
> Running: Storage Assessment '-flush -drive C: -ran'
> Run Time 00:00:01.69
> Running: Storage Assessment '-hybrid -ran -read -n 0 -ransize 4096'
NV Cache not present.
> Run Time 00:00:00.02
> Running: Storage Assessment '-hybrid -ran -read -n 0 -ransize 16384'
NV Cache not present.
> Run Time 00:00:00.01
> Disk  Sequential 64.0 Read              461.83 MB/s          7.9
> Disk  Random 16.0 Read                  282.86 MB/s          7.9
> Responsiveness: Average IO Rate        1.41 ms/IO          7.6
> Responsiveness: Grouped IOs              11.15 units          6.9
> Responsiveness: Long IOs                     9.11 units          7.4
> Responsiveness: Overall                    101.50 units          6.8
> Responsiveness: PenaltyFactor                0.0
> Disk  Sequential 64.0 Write               164.71 MB/s          7.2
> Average Read Time with Sequential Writes  0.721 ms       7.8
> Latency: 95th Percentile                     1.960 ms          7.7
> Latency: Maximum                             147.954 ms          7.5
> Average Read Time with Random Writes  0.782 ms          7.9
> Total Run Time 00:01:13.77

Now, given the hardware differences between the two configurations, this is obviously an unfair comparison. However, they do provide a good reference point for the solid-state drive’s capabilities.

Here are the Tecra S10’s single 160GB SSD read/write stats:

• Disk  Sequential 64.0 Read              203.74 MB/s        7.3
• Disk  Random 16.0 Read                    39.33 MB/s        6.3
• Disk  Sequential 64.0 Write              88.15 MB/s          6.3

Here is the DX38BT 80GB x2 RAID 0 read/write stats:

• Disk  Sequential 64.0 Read              461.83 MB/s          7.9
• Disk  Random 16.0 Read                  282.86 MB/s          7.9
• Disk  Sequential 64.0 Write              164.71 MB/s          7.2

What do these loosely put together stats that tell us?

That the Intel second generation Solid-State drives are _fast_!

Realistically, the above stats show that the on board RAID has the ability to improve disk I/O quite substantially when the drives are striped together.

The Tecra S10:

• Intel T9600 2.8GHz
• 4GB RAM
• 160GB Intel SSD

The desktop:

• Intel QX9650 Core 2 Quad Extreme
• 4GB KVR1333 series Kingston RAM
• Intel DX38BT BoneTrail
• 80GB Intel SSD x2 RAID 0 via on board chipset

We will test some additional configurations as they pass through our shop.

Given the above stats we may look to start using a pair of 80GB SSDs for our SBS 2008 OS drives to help reduce the OS’s boot times.

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book

*Our original iMac was stolen (previous blog post). We now have a new MacBook Pro courtesy of Vlad Mazek, owner of OWN.

Windows Live Writer