confusion around SSD may have a mental break down

[perfectshadows]

Okay I blame you all for this

You guys have convinced me to go for an SSD as my best performance upgrade but this TRIM and performance slow down issue has me worried about such a large spend to lose performance.

so I have been doing some googling and learning and feel like my brain is going to explode as I have read far to much!

I have come up with 2 drives I kinda like but I need to pic your brains there both fast drives

285 read and 275 write
OCZ:
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/240g...-read-275mb-s-write-includes-25-to-35-bracket

Corsair
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/240g...-read-275mb-s-write-includes-25-to-35-bracket

Do they have anything like this garbage collection I keep reading about?

if not could you suugest me a fast drive that does have it? I dont want to get left behind with lagging performace due to this TRIM issue.

thanks to you all

 

[DesmoPilot]

Slashdot did a little study, from their testing OS Xs lack of TRIM doesn't really matter for some weird reason. Between those drives, I'd personally go with the OCZ no question.

 

[perfectshadows]

why the OCZ over corsair?

if there is better please recommend

I've got the money to spend but had to save hard for it so I want to know its gone in the right direction, but I like to hope that is what everyone wants for the cash rather than see it wasted.

I am doing this plus an Upgrade to 8GB of Cruical Ram due to it being £112 instead of £214 for Kingston

 

[mac8867]

Trim doesn't matter because the operating system doesn't support it, therefore, the drive having the instruction is irrelevant to Mac OS... Not to mention that trim exists to support windows operating systems.

Boteh of those drives have firmware based garbage collection (meaning, they keep themselves clean)

I have to say, so many people are all excited about their SSD, it has caused a LOT of posting and discussion, its like trying to swim across an ocean. What I can tell you as an experienced SSD owner is... Buy either one of those drives, install it and enjoy. Stop worrying about the rest, it just wont matter when you machine screams for you.

 

[perfectshadows]

mac8867 thats the best no ************ answer I have ever had! I wish the my higher up bosses made that much sense lol

So in conclusion both have garbage collection built in so don't worry about Slow down in performance

TRIM is for windows not OSX

Buy it, enjoy it, shut up about it (you not my gf are u????)

 

[perfectshadows]

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HD-005-CR&groupid=701&catid=14&subcat=1427

this one has a very fast read speed and write but not sure if it has garbage collection doesn't say it anyway.

 

[Sneakz]

Don't bother with the Crucial. MacBook Pros don't have SATA3 (6Gb) anyway.

TRIM has nothing to do with the operating system of file system. Its a set of commands the drive is giving during writes. To say its a Windows thing is incorrect as some flavours of Linux support TRIM with ext3.

 

[perfectshadows]

this feels like a good thread I am learn some stuff now

 

[Macsavvytech]

Have You Checked the OWC Mercury Extreme SSD?

 

[perfectshadows]

OWC mercury extremes come up tops in a lot of reviews I have read but I can't seem to find a uk retailer?

 

[perfectshadows]

if i get the ocz drive what do you do with the 500GB hard drive?

 

[aimbdd]

if i get the ocz drive what do you do with the 500GB hard drive?

You can put it in a case and use it as an external drive.

 

[perfectshadows]

ahh clever, I am ment to have a brain that must of seemed so obvious...

 

[spinnerlys]

I recently made the switch to an SSD (Vertex 2, 60GB) and have put my 500GB HDD into an inXtron SK-2500 FW 400/800 & USB 2.0 SATA enclosure as backup (two partitions for two Mac OS X clones, one partition for Time Machine and one partition for data).
I'm pleased with that enclosure and think about getting another one for my other 500GB HDDs, as USB is not really my thing.

 

[perfectshadows]

why did you pick the vertex 2 over the vertex 2E

 

[spinnerlys]

why did you pick the vertex 2 over the vertex 2E

I have the Vertex 2 Extended as it seems. Cost me 104€.

Anyway, it has me on my toes regarding storing data, as I normally accumulate data very fast. I'm currently using 30% of its capacity just with applications installed.

 

[perfectshadows]

okay i have just ordered this :

240GB - OCZSSD2-2VTXE240G

OCZ vertex 2E just cost me £422 from scan.co.uk I'm gonna cry i think... I might just lose my credit card or sell a kidney or ebay

 

[paddyhazard]

@perfectshadows are you going to put your old HDD into an optibay or just an external enclosure? I've just ordered a 120GB vertex 2 from amazon for £180 which seems reasonably cheap and i've got a £10 optibay from ebay but after looking at the instructions from ifixit, am now wondering if i want to risk it. I never really use it and could always get an enclosure for it.

Also that's cheap for 8gb ram. If it's that low, i might upgrade now rather than next year.

 

[perfectshadows]

@paddyhazard

Well i was wondering that too.
I have had some ideas

1. Optibay and use it for storing media like music and films. As i have a time capsule so i wont need it for time machine.
But i can't find a retailer that sells optibay in the uk? U say bay?

2. Use it as an external drive in an enclosure,

3. If i could find opti bay then get another ssd and do raid0 on them, and use hdd for storage of media in an enclosure.

4. Sell it?


Whats your ideas? Is this optibay buyable? Is it complitcated to fit them?

 

[Heath]

Check the controller on the drive, the sandforce SF1200 controllers support trim in the firmware and will hence support trim on any OS, OS X included.
See here for some links and discussion.

 

[jamesryanbell]

I keep hearing the OWC Mercury Extreme is the one to go with. Not just from this forum either.

 

[perfectshadows]

Thanks for that great little review and write up i will stick will my vertex 2E

Owc is but its not uk available and importing annoys me customs always charge me

 

[paddyhazard]

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI....25556&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT#ht_3435wt_1141

This is the optibay i ordered but it's coming from china so isn't here yet but it seems like it will work. The instructions were from ifixit and seem a little complicated so might run with just the ssd for a week or two till i dare to risk it.

I'm probably just going to put my old files, itunes stuff, photos and other media files on it. All my working files will go on my ssd as 120gb should be enough for that. Idealy i'll use my 500gb hard drive for storage for a bit and maybe next year if ssd prices come down even more, i might pick up a large and relatively slow (read cheap!) one for storage in the optibay and be done with hdds for good!

I don't think i'd do raid0 as don't you need two identical drives for best performance and i think the speed increase from one ssd is good enough!

 

[perfectshadows]

that looks like a really good opitbay conversion looks simply drop in and screen in add hard drive. done.

have you got a mid2010 MBP?

I'd be interested in knowing how you got in with it and if it was awesome I'd order one

 

[paddyhazard]

No my MBP is late 2009 but it still uses the sata optical bay and the internals are all the same. SHould hopefully have everything by the end of next week so might be able to do it next weekend.

The instructions seem a little complicated as you need to remove a couple of things that are above the optical drive but it's mostly screws. The bay was only £11 so if it looks dodgy, hard to install or wont fit, I'll just bin it and use the 500gb drive as an external.