So say one were to install an SSD drive in their Mac and only install the OS and programs on it, and then move their regular hd to the optibay for storage purposes. Then say if one were to open files from scratch from the regular HD such as a Photoshop or excel file, would the files still open at the same speed as if it were originally stored on the SSD? I'm talking from scratch, first time program has been opened.
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How fast will SSD open a file stored on a regular hd?
- Thread starter Snesley Wipes
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It will open the files on the HDD at the speed of the HDD not the SSD.
It will open the files on the HDD at the speed of the HDD not the SSD.
Well, it would have to be on the SSD to open at the same speed as the SSD. The file would still be limited by the speed of the HDD, as the SSD is not simply a system speed boost. That said, files should still open pretty fast, as word, excel type files don't take too long now, especially when the app is already running. If the program is closed, it will open at the SSD speed, which will give the file time to load from the HDD also.
I think the answer is that the HDD will still be a bottleneck.
Once an application is open you won't get much further benefit from it being on the SSD unless it is making heavy use of memory swap files (which they won't do if you have plenty of RAM).
Once an application is open you won't get much further benefit from it being on the SSD unless it is making heavy use of memory swap files (which they won't do if you have plenty of RAM).
You would think it would only be limited by the speed the application opens. If the application was on the SSD, the regular HD only needs to transfer the data, not actually run the program.
But it will still take just as long to transfer the data. Programs don't actually run off of the hard drive
If the data cannot be loaded as fast as the App opens, then it is irrelevant how quickly the app opens as you cannot use the file. If you only ever make new files and rarely access large existing ones, this may work...but it is still a loss in performance. It depends on what you do though...some of the larger .sav files I load are a few hundred megabyte spreadsheets, and SAS files are even larger. With a HDD, this is a painfully slow process.
Also, HDDs have longer latency periods so even if the data file is small, you still have to wait for the head to move to the place on the disk that corresponds to where the data is stored.
It is worth it getting a SSD for all data. Our 64GB SSD for the original MBA was a grand upgrade and no one regrets it (and it still works 100% FYI)...if SSDs were 3 times more than they currently are pricewise, I would still buy them as they are fantastic investments in both speed and longevity...also the security of your data cannot be overlooked.