| |
|
Review of the
Fusion-IO IODrive 80GB SSD |
|
page 2 |
|
Test System |
|
Our test system is similar to
what a high-end consumer workstation or gaming system would be. |
| MOTHERBOARD |
Asus Striker
Extreme |
| CHIPSET |
nVidia 680i |
| CPU |
Intel Core 2
Extreme QX6850 Quad Core @ 3.25Ghz |
| RAM |
2GB (2X 1GB
sticks) Corsair XMS2 DDR2 800MHZ |
| GRAPHICS |
GeForce
8800GTX |
| CHASIS |
HighSpeed PC Tech Station
stand |
| OPERATING
SYSTEM |
Windows XP
PRO 64-bit (Linux also supported, not tested. 32bit Windows NOT
supported) |
| BOOT DRIVE |
MTRON 3.5"
64GB PRO-7000 SATA SSD (ioDrive is not YET bootable; will be in Q4
with firmware upgrade) |
| TARGET DRIVE |
Fusion-IO ioDrive |
|
|
|
|
Installation |
|
The ioDrive installs just like any other
card. A PCI-E X4 (or faster) slot is required. We
installed ours into the vacant PCI-E X16 slot (the other X16 slot was
being used by the GeForce 8800GTX Video card. The ioDrive acts
at every level like an add-in mass storage controller. Therefore
you do not see the ioDrive in BIOS, just like you would not see an
add-in RAID controller such as the Areca 1231ML in BIOS (Nor would you
see any drives attached to it). Note that in Q4, Fusion-IO will
release a firmware upgrade that WILL show the ioDrive in BIOS and
therefore the ioDrive WILL become bootable at that time! |
|
 |
|
While the ioDrive is compatible with
many distros of Linux, we are focusing on Windows. In this case,
we decided to install and use Windows XP 64-bit for the first time. It
was just as easy to install as as any other version of XP or Vista.
Since the ioDrive is not currently recognized as a boot device, we
installed Windows onto the MTRON SSD, then loaded the video card and
other 64-bit drivers that were required. Then we powered
down the system, installed the ioDrive, and booted. After
Windows launched, we were greeted with the common "Add Hardware
Wizard." |
|
 |
|
We pointed toward the beta drivers from
Fusion-IO and the ioDrive was instantly recognized. Now it acts
like any other drive you have ever used. That means our next
step was to get into Disk Manager, partition, then format the ioDrive. |
| Sometimes installing a mass
storage controller can be tricky. With some controllers, when
you point to the correct drivers, you are presented with several
choices and you may not know which one to pick. And picking the
wrong one will ruin your installation. Not so in this case.
If you would like to see every step of the installation, view the
pdf. |
|
