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Hard drive performance and FW800

B

brentsg

macrumors 68040
Original poster
So I've got a weird situation.

On one hand, I've got an Intel X25M 160GB SSD available that could go into my MBP. On the other hand, it would replace a WD 640GB drive that I really like for the capacity. Oh I also currently have time machine running to an external FW800 drive.

I tend to use a lot of space because for my work I have to use a LOT of unique virtual machines for connecting to all of my clients. I think this alone is pushing me away from the SSD.

I am considering putting in the SSD and having my OS/apps be there. Then adding another external FW800 drive (fast one I guess) for my VMs. I would then chain my time machine drive from that.

Does anyone have experience with this kind of setup? I'm wondering if moving the VMs to the external drive will be too sluggish.

Thanks

B
 
Firewire 800 will give you 65 to 70/5 MB/s, so that might slow down things a bit.

How much HDD/SSD space would those VMs take away?
 
brentsg said:
So I've got a weird situation.

On one hand, I've got an Intel X25M 160GB SSD available that could go into my MBP. On the other hand, it would replace a WD 640GB drive that I really like for the capacity. Oh I also currently have time machine running to an external FW800 drive.

I tend to use a lot of space because for my work I have to use a LOT of unique virtual machines for connecting to all of my clients. I think this alone is pushing me away from the SSD.

I am considering putting in the SSD and having my OS/apps be there. Then adding another external FW800 drive (fast one I guess) for my VMs. I would then chain my time machine drive from that.

Does anyone have experience with this kind of setup? I'm wondering if moving the VMs to the external drive will be too sluggish.

Thanks

B
Click to expand...

hehe I don't use VM's, but I do spend hours in Adobe. I like having the x25 in my MB. I have a USB 160GB external drive (converted the old drive with an enclosure) for iTunes, and a 3.5" 7200rpm 320GB Hitachi for Time Machine and storage also via USB. I will never go back to platter for a boot disc if I can help it.
 
brentsg said:
So I've got a weird situation.

On one hand, I've got an Intel X25M 160GB SSD available that could go into my MBP. On the other hand, it would replace a WD 640GB drive that I really like for the capacity. Oh I also currently have time machine running to an external FW800 drive.

I tend to use a lot of space because for my work I have to use a LOT of unique virtual machines for connecting to all of my clients. I think this alone is pushing me away from the SSD.

I am considering putting in the SSD and having my OS/apps be there. Then adding another external FW800 drive (fast one I guess) for my VMs. I would then chain my time machine drive from that.

Does anyone have experience with this kind of setup? I'm wondering if moving the VMs to the external drive will be too sluggish.

Thanks

B
Click to expand...

Do you use your burner much? If not you can by a bay for where your superdrive connects and add your 640gb there. I did this on a much smaller scale (64gb SSD and 250gb in the bay). It works great and still super fast. I think I paid $45 for the bay. I do not use the superdrive at all. I burn with my iMac. They do sell an external case for your superdrive (USB) but I did not get it.
 
spinnerlys said:
Firewire 800 will give you 65 to 70/5 MB/s, so that might slow down things a bit.

How much HDD/SSD space would those VMs take away?
Click to expand...

I haven't looked but I'm giving away several hundred GB total. I didn't put most of them together, and some of the customers have finicky networks. It's just easier to use the VM they threw together that works than try to recreate it.
 
Jason Beck said:
hehe I don't use VM's, but I do spend hours in Adobe. I like having the x25 in my MB. I have a USB 160GB external drive (converted the old drive with an enclosure) for iTunes, and a 3.5" 7200rpm 320GB Hitachi for Time Machine and storage also via USB. I will never go back to platter for a boot disc if I can help it.
Click to expand...

No doubt. I had the SSD in my workstation for a couple weeks and it was nuts. I used it for some general purposes, but it's generally for video encoding. Let's just say Handbrake with the 6 core i7 980X, a nice SSD, and a healthy dose of triple-channel RAM is really, really good for HD video encoding. 😀
 
The FW-ness is going to be slow. Unless you copied the VM to the SSD beforehand, which isn't as bad.

You can put an optibay in and put the SSD in that. Keep the HDD in the stock location because it has motion protection and stuff.
 
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