How fast is the "slow half" from a fusion drive?

idutch · 03:13 PM

Because the SSD option on a 27' mac is a ridiculous $1300 i'm considering a Fusion drive.
I know a Fusion drive puts the stuff you use the most on the 128gb SSD part, But what if you need data from the other half? how fast is the other half?
Is is at fast as a normal 7200-rpm hard drive? or maybe even slower?

In that case i rather have a consistent speed.

I'm also afraid if you use a lot of different files and the Fusion drive is always busy swapping data from the SSD part to the normal part the benefits of the Fusion drive quicky become disadvantages.

JustMartin · Nov 28, 2012, 09:41 AM

Difficult to say without knowing their caching algorithm. My guess is that accessing a file from the hard disk instead of the SSD would be regular hard disk speed. I suspect a file would have to be accessed a number of times before it was moved onto the SSD and that process would be at an idle moment in the background.

Not sure why consistent access is more important to you than some fast, some not so fast.

idutch · Nov 28, 2012, 03:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JustMartin

Not sure why consistent access is more important to you than some fast, some not so fast.

I mainly gonna use my mac for producing music, and i got a lot more then 128 gb of samples,presets ect. and always use dirfrent ones and i'm constantly searching thru and prelistening te files.

xgman · Nov 28, 2012, 03:32 PM

The 27" version uses 7200 drives.

rhoydotp · Nov 28, 2012, 03:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by idutch

I mainly gonna use my mac for producing music, and i got a lot more then 128 gb of samples,presets ect. and always use dirfrent ones and i'm constantly searching thru and prelistening te files.

what kind of machine did you have before when you were doing this?

Mac32 · Nov 28, 2012, 03:52 PM

Yep, Apple should have given us a 256gb or 512gb SSD option.
If you use many big samples, get plenty of ram, that should help.

idutch · Nov 28, 2012, 03:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rhoydotp

what kind of machine did you have before when you were doing this?

I now have a late 2007 imac (duall 2.4 ghz , 4gb) that is realy showing its age.

Nov 28, 2012, 08:48 AM	#1
idutch macrumors newbie Join Date: Nov 2012	How fast is the "slow half" from a fusion drive? Because the SSD option on a 27' mac is a ridiculous $1300 i'm considering a Fusion drive. I know a Fusion drive puts the stuff you use the most on the 128gb SSD part, But what if you need data from the other half? how fast is the other half? Is is at fast as a normal 7200-rpm hard drive? or maybe even slower? In that case i rather have a consistent speed. I'm also afraid if you use a lot of different files and the Fusion drive is always busy swapping data from the SSD part to the normal part the benefits of the Fusion drive quicky become disadvantages. Last edited by idutch; Nov 28, 2012 at 03:13 PM.
	0

Nov 28, 2012, 09:41 AM	#2
JustMartin macrumors 6502 Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: UK	Difficult to say without knowing their caching algorithm. My guess is that accessing a file from the hard disk instead of the SSD would be regular hard disk speed. I suspect a file would have to be accessed a number of times before it was moved onto the SSD and that process would be at an idle moment in the background. Not sure why consistent access is more important to you than some fast, some not so fast. __________________ Words and music written to order
	0

Nov 28, 2012, 03:32 PM	#4
xgman macrumors 68040 Join Date: Aug 2007	The 27" version uses 7200 drives. __________________ {2012 27imac-3.4i7-680mx-32gb ram-768SSD+External TB Samsung840pro ssd + TB velociraptors-UAD Apollo/Marantz/Amphion/Bowers&Wilkins Sound-Impulse 61} {ipads}{iphones}
	0

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
Show Printable Version Email this Page	Search this Thread: Advanced Search
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

Nov 28, 2012, 03:52 PM	#6
Mac32 macrumors 6502a Join Date: Nov 2010	Yep, Apple should have given us a 256gb or 512gb SSD option. If you use many big samples, get plenty of ram, that should help.
	0