How long (on average) will the SSD last?

PowerGamerX · Jun 24, 2010, 09:51 AM

Ok, I've got my MacBook Air, it's great, but, I have no plans to buy another computer for at least 2 years. So, under normal to heavy drive use, will the SSD hold up for that time?

Hellhammer · Jun 24, 2010, 09:58 AM

SSDs have expected life time of ~100 years (Mean Time Before Failure) but those are just guesses, too early to say which is the average and in the end, it depends on your luck.

It should last several years

LAS.mac · Jun 24, 2010, 10:00 AM

Both Maclife (Jun or Jul issue) and Macworld (Aug issue) have interesting trials and discussions about SSD.

TMRaven · Jun 24, 2010, 10:07 AM

They'll last just as long or longer than hard drives, let's put it that way.

abriwin · Jun 24, 2010, 10:34 AM

Theoretically an SSD should last longer as it has no moving parts to wear out?

PowerGamerX · Jun 24, 2010, 10:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by abriwin

Theoretically an SSD should last longer as it has no moving parts to wear out?

I'm not asking how long they'll last without use. Since, as far as I know, SSD's use flash and have a limited ammount of reads/writes per block, they should last less long?

Airforcekid · Jun 24, 2010, 12:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PowerGamerX

I'm not asking how long they'll last without use. Since, as far as I know, SSD's use flash and have a limited ammount of reads/writes per block, they should last less long?

I have flashed my thumb drive thousands of times booted Linux portable apps etc had it for years no issues I would expect 10 years with an SSD no problem unless or defrag or something like that in windows.

MikhailT · Jun 24, 2010, 01:04 PM

To help everybody understand, good-high end SSDs will last far longer than the cheap SSDs due to the nature of the wear leveling design, write amplification and finally the quality and type of the NANDs (SLC/MLC).

First of all, all NANDs have finite WRITE lifespan, not READ. They can have unlimited read lifespan, it doesn't take much to read. Write lifespan is dependent on which NAND type it is and the quality of it.

SLC: Single Layer Cell, MLC: Multiple Layer Cell, it means one bit is written per cell for SLC where as MLC can have multiple bits per cell, the highest right now is 3 bit but it's not out on the market right now.

SLC can have 100,000 P/E cycles (Program and Erase), meaning it can be written 100,000 times before it can no longer be written, what this mean that while you can still read those data, you can no longer write to it. Unlike HDD, once a sector is dead, you can't read data off it.

MLC are now around 5,000-10,000 P/E cycles depending on the quality of it. (

The smaller the the capacity of the SSD, the faster that P/E cycle get used up per cell, which means 30GB SSD will die "gracefully" much faster than a 120GB SSD. However understand that, in order for the SSD to die completely, each cell has to be dead or the controller itself crapped out.
What this mean is that 30GB will decline in capacity for writing capacity. Suddenly 30GB becomes 29.8GB only, slowly dying over time yet all data is still there.

Good SSDs usually have extra reserve of NANDs for this purpose as well, 60GB probably have 4GB of NANDs in reserve for multiple purposes.

So a good 30GB MLC SSD can last 3-5 full years of hardcore usage (24/7 intensive workload). The same SSD but with SLC NANDs will last far far more than that, maybe 10-20 years. 60GB MLC would probably last far more than 10 years. 120GB should last 20+, 1TB would last a century.

thinkdesign2 · Jun 24, 2010, 03:01 PM

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows CE; IEMobile 7.11) Sprint PPC6850SP)

MikhailT: So, in your opinion, is the SSD in the current 2.13 Air (or the same size SSD in the older 1.86 Air)... of the type you call "good"?

robeddie · Jun 24, 2010, 08:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thinkdesign2

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows CE; IEMobile 7.11) Sprint PPC6850SP)

MikhailT: So, in your opinion, is the SSD in the current 2.13 Air (or the same size SSD in the older 1.86 Air)... of the type you call "good"?

Yeah, really.

He takes up through the whole friggin' science course, but in the end doesn't tell us what we really want to know.

Come on dude!

MikhailT · Jun 24, 2010, 10:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thinkdesign2

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows CE; IEMobile 7.11) Sprint PPC6850SP)

MikhailT: So, in your opinion, is the SSD in the current 2.13 Air (or the same size SSD in the older 1.86 Air)... of the type you call "good"?

Samsung brand SLC SSD are good and will last a long time, I can't be sure about current Air, I know the original was MCCOE64GEMPP which is SLC. Check your system profiler and match it against this, if it doesn't match, let me know and I'll tell you what it is. Samsung don't make low ends. They are excellent and reliable but conservative in their speed in order to ensure stability over performance.

Quote:

Originally Posted by robeddie

Yeah, really.

He takes up through the whole friggin' science course, but in the end doesn't tell us what we really want to know.

Come on dude!

I think pretty much most students feel the same way about science and math.

I need the exact SSD serial number to know to come up with an answer as I explained in the above post.

mmulin · Jun 25, 2010, 12:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PowerGamerX

Ok, I've got my MacBook Air, it's great, but, I have no plans to buy another computer for at least 2 years. So, under normal to heavy drive use, will the SSD hold up for that time?

Yes, it should last you at least double. I have mine now around 2 years. Probably longer than any conventional HDD (and before you snap again, yes under usage). If you asking for exact real life experiences, please understand that the technology is not that long around and the "scientific" evaluations have to be taken the same way as for conventional HDDs.

Qusus · Jun 25, 2010, 03:04 AM

Only the original Macbook Air used had an SLC SSD.

The 2.13 ghz version that the poster has is a Samsung MLC SSD.

mmulin · Jun 25, 2010, 04:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Qusus

Only the original Macbook Air used had an SLC SSD.

The 2.13 ghz version that the poster has is a Samsung MLC SSD.

yes, but that probably won't change the fact that it also will last long enough.

kernkraft · Jun 25, 2010, 04:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MikhailT

1TB would last a century.

Yes, but do I know that in a century I will still want an SSD?

MikhailT · Jun 25, 2010, 11:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kernkraft

Yes, but do I know that in a century I will still want an SSD?

Mmmm, holographic memory.

dal20402 · Jun 25, 2010, 05:58 PM

The OP asked a yes or no question.

The answer is yes.

halledise · Jun 27, 2010, 01:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dal20402

The OP asked a yes or no question.

The answer is yes.

+1

Jun 24, 2010, 09:51 AM	#1
PowerGamerX macrumors 6502a Join Date: Aug 2009	How long (on average) will the SSD last? Ok, I've got my MacBook Air, it's great, but, I have no plans to buy another computer for at least 2 years. So, under normal to heavy drive use, will the SSD hold up for that time? __________________ MacBook Pro 13" 2010 2.66ghz, 4gb, 320gb WD Scorpio Black
	0

Jun 24, 2010, 09:58 AM	#2
Hellhammer Demi-God (Moderator) Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Helsinki, Finland	SSDs have expected life time of ~100 years (Mean Time Before Failure) but those are just guesses, too early to say which is the average and in the end, it depends on your luck. It should last several years __________________ SSD Editor for AnandTech You can also follow me in Twitter!
	0

Jun 24, 2010, 10:00 AM	#3
LAS.mac macrumors 6502 Join Date: May 2009 Location: Mexico	Both Maclife (Jun or Jul issue) and Macworld (Aug issue) have interesting trials and discussions about SSD. __________________ 27" Al iMac, 8Gb RAM, i5, spring 2011; 13" MBP, mid 2009, 120 Gb OWC SSD; 16Gb iPhone 4s; 32Gb wifi+3G iPad
	0

Jun 24, 2010, 10:07 AM	#4
TMRaven macrumors 68020 Join Date: Nov 2009	They'll last just as long or longer than hard drives, let's put it that way. __________________ 27" iMac i7 860 @ 2.8ghz; 8gb DDR3 1066 ram; 1tb HDD @ 7200rpm; ATI Mobility 4850, 512mb GDDR3 ram http://www.armoredcoreuniverse.net/Fan site for Armored Core enthusiasts.
	0

Jun 24, 2010, 10:34 AM	#5
abriwin macrumors member Join Date: Apr 2009	SSD V HD life Theoretically an SSD should last longer as it has no moving parts to wear out?
	0

Jun 24, 2010, 01:04 PM	#8
MikhailT macrumors 68030 Join Date: Nov 2007	To help everybody understand, good-high end SSDs will last far longer than the cheap SSDs due to the nature of the wear leveling design, write amplification and finally the quality and type of the NANDs (SLC/MLC). First of all, all NANDs have finite WRITE lifespan, not READ. They can have unlimited read lifespan, it doesn't take much to read. Write lifespan is dependent on which NAND type it is and the quality of it. SLC: Single Layer Cell, MLC: Multiple Layer Cell, it means one bit is written per cell for SLC where as MLC can have multiple bits per cell, the highest right now is 3 bit but it's not out on the market right now. SLC can have 100,000 P/E cycles (Program and Erase), meaning it can be written 100,000 times before it can no longer be written, what this mean that while you can still read those data, you can no longer write to it. Unlike HDD, once a sector is dead, you can't read data off it. MLC are now around 5,000-10,000 P/E cycles depending on the quality of it. ( The smaller the the capacity of the SSD, the faster that P/E cycle get used up per cell, which means 30GB SSD will die "gracefully" much faster than a 120GB SSD. However understand that, in order for the SSD to die completely, each cell has to be dead or the controller itself crapped out. What this mean is that 30GB will decline in capacity for writing capacity. Suddenly 30GB becomes 29.8GB only, slowly dying over time yet all data is still there. Good SSDs usually have extra reserve of NANDs for this purpose as well, 60GB probably have 4GB of NANDs in reserve for multiple purposes. So a good 30GB MLC SSD can last 3-5 full years of hardcore usage (24/7 intensive workload). The same SSD but with SLC NANDs will last far far more than that, maybe 10-20 years. 60GB MLC would probably last far more than 10 years. 120GB should last 20+, 1TB would last a century.
	0

Jun 24, 2010, 03:01 PM	#9
thinkdesign2 macrumors newbie Join Date: Jun 2010	Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows CE; IEMobile 7.11) Sprint PPC6850SP) MikhailT: So, in your opinion, is the SSD in the current 2.13 Air (or the same size SSD in the older 1.86 Air)... of the type you call "good"?
	0

Jun 25, 2010, 03:04 AM	#13
Qusus macrumors member Join Date: Jan 2009	Only the original Macbook Air used had an SLC SSD. The 2.13 ghz version that the poster has is a Samsung MLC SSD.
	0

Jun 25, 2010, 05:58 PM	#17
dal20402 macrumors 6502 Join Date: Apr 2006	The OP asked a yes or no question. The answer is yes.
	0

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