Is a 60gb OCZ Sandforce SSD enough for A Boot Drive?

[DesignFusion]

Hi guys would like some opinions on getting a 60gb OCZ sandforce ssd as a boot drive for a 2010 mac pro.

Is it enough? I have done some research and found that this is good value and has what seems to be the best performance. 60gb is really the maximum I can afford at this time. I have read that OWC ssd drive are rated highly in the US but as I am in the uk the OCZ seems comparable.

This is my first post so I appreciate any feedback :)

[VirtualRain]

I think OSX takes around 10-15GB if you install it without all the optional language packs. If I recall correctly, CS5 and FCP add another 10-15GB (excluding the training and library material) so I think a fully loaded content creation workstation needs about 30-40GB minimum. 60GB should be ample to start.

[DesignFusion]

I think OSX takes around 10-15GB if you install it without all the optional language packs. If I recall correctly, CS5 and FCP add another 10-15GB (excluding the training and library material) so I think a fully loaded content creation workstation needs about 30-40GB minimum. 60GB should be ample to start.

Thanks I guess this is what I was thinking, as I am a design student I calculated all my system stuff at around 40 ish. SSD's are a bit out of my knowledge and it seems that all the other threads I read about SSD's are people getting 120gb plus. Thats what makes me question it.

Also any thoughts on the one i've chosen? Thanks again :)

[Demigod Mac]

It's plenty. But if you want to someday use Bootcamp on the drive, get a bigger size.

[holyjohn]

I bought 100Gb SSD and it's more than ample.

However, if you install VM or Parallels, it's different story.

Mine has CS5 whole package (which takes up more than 15Gb), iWork and Parallels with Windows 7 installed in the same SSD drive.

This takes up 60Gb right now.


If you are not using a virtual machine, I think 60Gb will be fine with CS5 package installed.

[DesignFusion]

I bought 100Gb SSD and it's more than ample.

However, if you install VM or Parallels, it's different story.

Mine has CS5 whole package (which takes up more than 15Gb), iWork and Parallels with Windows 7 installed in the same SSD drive.

This takes up 60Gb right now.


If you are not using a virtual machine, I think 60Gb will be fine with CS5 package installed.

Ok, thanks. I will be installing windows 7 on a separate 500gb drive for games but I plan on keeping the ssd and 1tb (stock) HD for OSX. Whats your opinion is £124 ish worth it? and what ssd you rockin?

[holyjohn]

Ok, thanks. I will be installing windows 7 on a separate 500gb drive for games but I plan on keeping the ssd and 1tb (stock) HD for OSX. Whats your opinion is £124 ish worth it? and what ssd you rockin?

If you are using bootcamp, it's OK to install Windows 7 on other drive but if you are using a virtual machine, you should install it on SSD. That's because virtual machine uses hard drive speed (not RAM or CPU) mainly for the performance.

My SSD is OCZ Vertex 100Gb.
It reads up to 270Mb/s and writes up to 250mb/s.
I bought it for performance-wise, not price-wise.
There are tons of SSD out there and the disk speed varies as well.

[DesignFusion]

If you are using bootcamp, it's OK to install Windows 7 on other drive but if you are using a virtual machine, you should install it on SSD. That's because virtual machine uses hard drive speed (not RAM or CPU) mainly for the performance.

My SSD is OCZ Vertex 100Gb.
It reads up to 270Mb/s and writes up to 250mb/s.
I bought it for performance-wise, not price-wise.
There are tons of SSD out there and the disk speed varies as well.

Yeah it will be via bootcamp, want to get full performance in games. It will have the power might as well use it!

Thanks for the input!! I think I might get the 60gb OCZ sounds like the same as yours but the 60gb variant. It looks to be a worthwhile upgrade, I cant really justify the money as I spent it all on the actual mac pro lol but apparently once you have used SSD you wont go back lol.

[Ice Dragon]

I'm of the opinion that 60 GB is not enough and if you are paying the price for the Mac Pro, I would go at the very least with the 120 GB (or 100 GB if going for the OWC Mercury RE). 240 GB is a bit much for now at $600+.

[DesignFusion]

I'm of the opinion that 60 GB is not enough and if you are paying the price for the Mac Pro, I would go at the very least with the 120 GB (or 100 GB if going for the OWC Mercury RE). 240 GB is a bit much for now at $600+.

If of that opinion, what are the reasons for a larger ssd if it is just for boot and applications? (assuming that this all fits with 10gb plus to spare? which i calculated would be the case).

Obviously if I could afford it I would however a 120gb OCZ sandforce drive is around £220 which is a big jump, especially as I spent a little more than planned on upgrading the mac pro! ops :)

[Ice Dragon]

I was going to say in case you were going to install a few more applications. If you will not, then the 60 GB is fine.

[DesignFusion]

I was going to say in case you were going to install a few more applications. If you will not, then the 60 GB is fine.

Oh ok fair enough thanks for your reply :) it is annoying that I cant afford more. However it will be cool !!

[holyjohn]

I was going to say in case you were going to install a few more applications. If you will not, then the 60 GB is fine.

I so think too 60Gb will be fine :)
Sandforce is a good choice for performance and price wise.

[mangrove]

I think OSX takes around 10-15GB if you install it without all the optional language packs. If I recall correctly, CS5 and FCP add another 10-15GB (excluding the training and library material) so I think a fully loaded content creation workstation needs about 30-40GB minimum. 60GB should be ample to start.

I took Mac Performance Guide suggestions and did a clean/hybrid install plus all apps on a 40GB SSD from OWC-$99 this month only. My OSX was 4.34GB. Take a look at the Mac Mini threads going about this. It has been a very good exercise in efficiency. The whole boot comes out to 27GB total-no Photoshop though. But with 12+ GB available could probably work. Just keep all data on another internal.

[sboerup]

My boot drive currently is 19GB. OSX 10.6 with CS5 suite, LR3, and a whole bunch of smaller apps. Surprised how small it is.

[johnnymg]

Hi guys would like some opinions on getting a 60gb OCZ sandforce ssd as a boot drive for a 2010 mac pro.

Is it enough? I have done some research and found that this is good value and has what seems to be the best performance. 60gb is really the maximum I can afford at this time. I have read that OWC ssd drive are rated highly in the US but as I am in the uk the OCZ seems comparable.

This is my first post so I appreciate any feedback :)

For optimum SSD performance you want to stay below 50% percent usage. i.e. for your hypothetical 60GB drive you will need to stay under 30GB. While possible (lightweight apps), that doesn't give you much room for apps after OSX is loaded.

For a workhorse like the MP, it would be a real shame to shortchange it with a compromised SSD. Man-up and get an SSD >= 100GB.

cheers
JohnG

[VirtualRain]

For optimum SSD performance you want to stay below 50% percent usage. i.e. for your hypothetical 60GB drive you will need to stay under 30GB. While possible (lightweight apps), that doesn't give you much room for apps after OSX is loaded.

For a workhorse like the MP, it would be a real shame to shortchange it with a compromised SSD. Man-up and get an SSD >= 100GB.

cheers
JohnG

I run my 240GB of SSD storage with around 30-80GB (10-30%) of free space and haven't noticed any issues after 8 months since the last secure erase. I think trying to only keep them half full is ultra conservative.

[stix666]

For optimum SSD performance you want to stay below 50% percent usage. i.e. for your hypothetical 60GB drive you will need to stay under 30GB. While possible (lightweight apps), that doesn't give you much room for apps after OSX is loaded.

For a workhorse like the MP, it would be a real shame to shortchange it with a compromised SSD. Man-up and get an SSD >= 100GB.

cheers
JohnG

I thought that rule applied only to regular hard drives with spinning platters, not SSDs.

[DesignFusion]

For optimum SSD performance you want to stay below 50% percent usage. i.e. for your hypothetical 60GB drive you will need to stay under 30GB. While possible (lightweight apps), that doesn't give you much room for apps after OSX is loaded.

For a workhorse like the MP, it would be a real shame to shortchange it with a compromised SSD. Man-up and get an SSD >= 100GB.

cheers
JohnG

hmm thanks for your thoughts however I to was under the impression you needed to keep space free for performance on spinning harddrives, i did not realise the same rule applied to SSD's.

As much as I would like to "man-up" unfortunatly Im not in a situation that I can afford it. Even getting the 60gb would be a struggle! Im also trying to justify the price/need even for this as I need to start saving for a decent monitor. As I do Design and photography based media a good screen is necessary which is not cheap either.

[mangrove]

hmm thanks for your thoughts however I to was under the impression you needed to keep space free for performance on spinning harddrives, i did not realise the same rule applied to SSD's.

As much as I would like to "man-up" unfortunatly Im not in a situation that I can afford it. Even getting the 60gb would be a struggle! Im also trying to justify the price/need even for this as I need to start saving for a decent monitor. As I do Design and photography based media a good screen is necessary which is not cheap either.

Probably another thread, but take a look at the HP ZR30w. It's a matte monitor sold through HP Small Business site. Macmall had it for like $1250, 6 weeks ago. Comes with all cables (including dual link) 3 year warranty extendable to 5 years. Also serves as 4 port USB hub.

[kellen]

Buy the 60 and if it isn't enough, add another one later in a raid 0. You won't be able to boot into windows, but the speed should be killer with them raided.

[johnnymg]

hmm thanks for your thoughts however I to was under the impression you needed to keep space free for performance on spinning harddrives, i did not realise the same rule applied to SSD's.

As much as I would like to "man-up" unfortunatly Im not in a situation that I can afford it. Even getting the 60gb would be a struggle! Im also trying to justify the price/need even for this as I need to start saving for a decent monitor. As I do Design and photography based media a good screen is necessary which is not cheap either.

Understood ~~~~~~~~ :p

If you're very careful with the apps the 60GB will be OK. i.e. I'm only using under 40GB for OSX, FCS, Office 2008, and PSE. That's a fairly robust suite of programs so it is possible to have a working OS drive with apps and not used too much of the SSD real estate. Again, try to stay at/below 30GB for optimum performance with that 60GB SSD. You're buying a performance drive so try to use it optimally.
FWIW, you can get the vertex 2 drive for pretty cheap buck with the rebate:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227550

cheers and congrats on the new MP ~~~~
JohnG

[Woodgrove@macla]

Buy the 60 and if it isn't enough, add another one later in a raid 0. You won't be able to boot into windows, but the speed should be killer with them raided.

I had planned to do just this, but then I learned about the Windows issue. Since that is important to me, I skipped the RAID and went for one 180 GB OCZ Vertex 2 SSD. That way I can use 40-50 GB on it for Boot Camp and the rest for Mac OS X. I hope that will work out nicely. I know there is a workaround this Windows+RAID issue but I rather stick to the Apple standard and not mess around. Best case, Apple maybe can fix this in the future?

[CaoCao]

Hi guys would like some opinions on getting a 60gb OCZ sandforce ssd as a boot drive for a 2010 mac pro.

Is it enough? I have done some research and found that this is good value and has what seems to be the best performance. 60gb is really the maximum I can afford at this time. I have read that OWC ssd drive are rated highly in the US but as I am in the uk the OCZ seems comparable.

This is my first post so I appreciate any feedback :)

60GB is plenty, my Windows computer only has 49GB of data

[DesignFusion]

Understood ~~~~~~~~ :p

If you're very careful with the apps the 60GB will be OK. i.e. I'm only using under 40GB for OSX, FCS, Office 2008, and PSE. That's a fairly robust suite of programs so it is possible to have a working OS drive with apps and not used too much of the SSD real estate. Again, try to stay at/below 30GB for optimum performance with that 60GB SSD. You're buying a performance drive so try to use it optimally.
FWIW, you can get the vertex 2 drive for pretty cheap buck with the rebate:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227550

cheers and congrats on the new MP ~~~~
JohnG

Haha :rolleyes: unfortunately im in the uk, so not sure if I can get a rebate. Its driving me crazy the 120gb OCZ is tempting found it for £217 still a lot! I might have to leave it until its affordable, I dont want to hinder my machine :P but I now feel that when it arrives il be pining for the ssd hah

[dissolve]

I'm running off the same drive and it's working perfectly. They give you 60GB because they save some (~4GB) for over-provisioning so I believe you can actually get it pretty full and still see the same performance. With all of my apps, I've only used 20GB. Just move you Home folder to a traditional large drive and install libraries (Soundtrack, etc.) on it. I also installed my larger games on the Home Applications folder as I don't really need them on the SSD. From reviews, these drives seem to work well in raid so you can always add another as prices drop.

[hugodrax]

Hi guys would like some opinions on getting a 60gb OCZ sandforce ssd as a boot drive for a 2010 mac pro.

Is it enough? I have done some research and found that this is good value and has what seems to be the best performance. 60gb is really the maximum I can afford at this time. I have read that OWC ssd drive are rated highly in the US but as I am in the uk the OCZ seems comparable.

This is my first post so I appreciate any feedback :)

Pointless, your day to day work is on your data (Where 90% of the I/O happens). Once you booted up your machine on that SSD most of the I/O will happen on your slow drive. Kind of throwing away money.

You are better off investing the money in more RAM (Which has a big impact) and if your gonna do SSD, go big and put everything including the home files and data, where 90% of the I/O occurs.

Buying a 60GB SSD just for the boot drive is like buying a Ferrari engine and trying to stick it in a Toyota Corolla and somehow mate it to the 4 speed automatic transmission.


Why dont you wait and get your computer first.

[DesignFusion]

Pointless, your day to day work is on your data (Where 90% of the I/O happens). Once you booted up your machine on that SSD most of the I/O will happen on your slow drive. Kind of throwing away money.

You are better off investing the money in more RAM (Which has a big impact) and if your gonna do SSD, go big and put everything including the home files and data, where 90% of the I/O occurs.

Buying a 60GB SSD just for the boot drive is like buying a Ferrari engine and trying to stick it in a Toyota Corolla and somehow mate it to the 4 speed automatic transmission.


Why dont you wait and get your computer first.

That kinda makes sense I guess. Im just exited for once being able to upgrade components. So maybe in the future I will get one, for now maybe I should enter the real world and get a screen first.

[deconstruct60]

hmm thanks for your thoughts however I to was under the impression you needed to keep space free for performance on spinning harddrives, i did not realise the same rule applied to SSD's.


It isn't performance as much as durability. If you have 75-99% of your drive full of static data it wears out faster. What you are effectively doing is disabling the wear leveling mechanism on the drive.

Most folks around here get fixated on the I/O speed numbers, there is more to a drive than just one dimension.

Unless you have moved your home directory there is a decent amount of writing going on. That's not an above normal amount, but it pragmatically is as fill the drive up to low free space percentages.

The over-provision buffers will mean the performance doesn't go completely into the crapper right away, but you are cranking up the number of writes to a smaller set of cells. That is going to make the write amplication go up over what the vendor planned on.



As much as I would like to "man-up" unfortunatly Im not in a situation that I can afford it.


If the SSD drive isn't going to make you more money by using it, then don't buy it. If buying just so that Photoshop opens fast when you double click it .... that isn't important if don't have core basis of the system in place. If a student not going to do 10 more commercial assignments in a couple of months in saved time. If don't have a quality monitor that would be a higher priority.