Faster CPU, faster RAR extraction?

[Effortless88]

So I'm currently upgrading my systems and my Usenet box has these specs:

- A8 3870k @ 3.0GHz
- 8GB DDR3 1333MHz
- Samsung 830 256GB SSD (system disk, SAB is installed here)
- 500GB Seagate (temp download, extraction drive)
- 3TB WD Green (final extraction drive)

With 8GB+ .iso's taking 2.5min-3min and 5GB .mkv's taking 1.5min just to extract and an additional minute or two to verify, I was wondering how to cut those times down heavily (50%?).

EDIT: Fiddling with my budget, I can change the 500GB Seagate to a 128GB Samsung 830 SSD (as a temp extract drive), the processor to a 3470. Would this slash extraction speeds by ~50%?

[shypike]

Any of this is hard to guess without measuring.
By far the most time consuming operation is a substantial repair, but those should be rare.
With speeds like that you're 3T drive will be full faster than you can watch stuff.

[Effortless88]

Well I'm replacing the 500GB HDD with a 128GB SSD. If the 3TB fills I'll buy a few 4TB's. No problems there. I just want to slash speeds. Seeing as the temp drive is where the extraction happens, adding an SSD should boost speeds a lot.

[shypike]

Actually, in the typical setup you would have the SSD as "incomplete" folder
and the 3T as "complete".
So you're then unrarring from the SSD to the HD.
Using an SSD for files with a short lifetime will also shorten the life of the drive
(although I don't how serious an issue that is).
Final tip: use an ample article cache in Config->General.
You don't want SABnzbd to be dumping hundreds of article temp files to disk.

[Effortless88]

Well the issue is mute. I'm leaving everything as it is and building a $300 HTPC. I'll put up with the extra min or two. So the temp folder unrars to the green drive? Interesting. I always thought the 500GB unrars to itself, then moves to the green drive - ?

[shypike]

WI always thought the 500GB unrars to itself, then moves to the green drive - ?

It's more efficient to use two disks simultaneously.