1 TB Fusion vs 512 GB Drive?

[filmboy]

Is there a marked trade off between having a larger, but slower 1 TB Fusion drive vs. a smaller, but faster 512 GB all flash internal drive?

In other words, will the computer suffer or be lacking for the smaller drive?

 

[deluxeshredder]

A proper SSD will be faster than a hybrid drive as caching takes time, system resources and covers only the most used data on the volume.

 

[gnasher729]

A proper SSD will be faster than a hybrid drive as caching takes time, system resources and only affects the reading speed.

Misleading, misleading, misleading.

Fusion drive is not a "hybrid" drive.
Writing is hugely accelerated. Fusion has a 4 GB write cache, so up to four GB can be written at maximum speed - a normal SSD drive can't do that.
Fusion works in the background, when your computer isn't doing anything else, so it doesn't have any noticeable impact on any system resources.

If 512 GB is enough, ask yourself whether the SSD drive is worth the additional money.
If 512 GB is not enough, then you need a drive that is bigger.

 

[Tumbleweed666]

Is there a marked trade off between having a larger, but slower 1 TB Fusion drive vs. a smaller, but faster 512 GB all flash internal drive?

In other words, will the computer suffer or be lacking for the smaller drive?

I went for 512 SSD so my imac had no moving parts.

 

[deluxeshredder]

Misleading, misleading, misleading.
Fusion drive is not a "hybrid" drive.

It is a very refined implementation of a HDD/SSD hybrid.

Writing is hugely accelerated. Fusion has a 4 GB write cache, so up to four GB can be written at maximum speed - a normal SSD drive can't do that.

Corrected.

Fusion works in the background, when your computer isn't doing anything else, so it doesn't have any noticeable impact on any system resources.

There is still some overhead, and not all of data can be moved on a SSD.

 

[DeltaMac]

I went for 512 SSD so my imac had no moving parts.

You forgot the fan 😀

 

[filmboy]

I understand that SSD is generally faster and that there is the advantage of no moving parts. However it sounds like the advantage to the Fusion drive is it "works in the background, when your computer isn't doing anything else, so it doesn't have any noticeable impact on any system resources." So does this make an SSD a comparatively lesser choice??

I've been told that a 256GB SSD is enough to run general applications, but I don't mind paying a bit more to be on the safe side with a 512GB.

So again, I'm left wondering which is best for a system on which I'll be editing video (again, with all media stored externally): a 1TB Fusion or a 512GB SSD?

 

[Tumbleweed666]

You forgot the fan 😀

Yeh I thought that as I pressed send and wondered if someone would spot that 😎
But the fan doesn't seem to operate much so its only got moving parts some of the time 😀

To the OP if all your data is going to be on an external drive then I'd go for a 256 or 512 depending how much user stuff you think might end up on an internal, some is bound to. I had 200gb on my old mac so went for a 512 so I wouldn't be continually looking at managing disk space, plus I thought it might be easier to resell in a few years with a bigger disk. And 512 might give you the freedom to switch current files you are working on onto the SSD whereas 256 might not.

 

[DeltaMac]

...
But the fan doesn't seem to operate much so its only got moving parts some of the time 😀
...

The fan spins all the time, and never stops unless your Mac is off or sleeping.
You won't likely notice, unless your system is under load, or just gets warm enough for the fan(s) to speed up

 

[ppenn]

I understand that SSD is generally faster and that there is the advantage of no moving parts. However it sounds like the advantage to the Fusion drive is it "works in the background, when your computer isn't doing anything else, so it doesn't have any noticeable impact on any system resources." So does this make an SSD a comparatively lesser choice??

I've been told that a 256GB SSD is enough to run general applications, but I don't mind paying a bit more to be on the safe side with a 512GB.

So again, I'm left wondering which is best for a system on which I'll be editing video (again, with all media stored externally): a 1TB Fusion or a 512GB SSD?

I also edit video for a living. IF you can afford the SSD, go that route. I have the 1TB Fusion Drive, but if I could get the SSD, I would.