Exploring SSD use cases

[Alex771]

I look at an SSD purchase decision as answering 3 questions:

What is the use case?
Which access pattern is typical for the use case?
Which SSDs perform well with this access pattern?

Moving from the second to the third question is ideally done with a good grasp of how the SSD should perform. Reading SSD reviews should be easier if you know – in technical terms – what you are looking for, e.g. virtual machine means IOPS-demanding application.

To help with the second question, I started a list to gather notes from around the Web: http://shared.ftml.net/ssd-use-case/

I'd like to offer this list as a way to collect observations. Use this thread to ask which access pattern best describes your use case and to share patterns you've identified.

(For a description of access patterns, see SSD Performance - A Primer)

To start, what does a Time Machine backup entail - are we looking at lots of random writes or lots of sequential writes? What's the read/write ratio?

 

[Fishrrman]

Your post is a classic example of "overthinking" things.

If you want to use an SSD for a tm backup, just buy one and use it.
I'd recommend this one:

SAMSUNG T7 Shield 1TB, Portable SSD, up to 1050MB/s, USB 3.2 Gen2, Rugged, IP65 Rated, for Photographers, Content Creators and Gaming, External Solid State Drive (MU-PE1T0R/AM, 2022), Blue

Samsung T7 Shield Portable SSD delivers high performance on-the-go, not matter the terrain. It has an IP65 rating for water** and dust* resistance, with Dynamic Thermal Guard to manage heat control. Transfer huge files instantly. USB 3.2 Gen 2 and PCIe® NVMe™ achieve soaring sequential read/write...

www.amazon.com

 

[Alex771]

I'd recommend this one

I am sure you can't articulate why you recommend it.

 

[chabig]

I am sure you can't articulate why you recommend it.

Compared to a hard drive?

Pros
- Faster
- No seek time
- No fragmentation
- No moving parts
- Lighter weight
- Variety of form factors

Cons
- Cost

 

[Alex771]

Compared to a hard drive?

No. Who is talking about hard drives in this thread? 😐

 

[chabig]

OK. Then I change my answer to questions 1:

Q. What is the use case?
A. Storing digital data.

 

[Alex771]

Q. What is the use case?
A. Storing digital data.

That's not the subject matter here. Did you follow the link in my post? The list should make it abundantly clear what "use cases" refers to. A use case is "Time Machine backup", as stated in my post. Other use cases are boot disk, gaming, video editing, etc. Alternatively, think of "PCMark 10", as their tests try to mimic certain use cases.