internal SSD vs. HDD + TRIM command

[blue22]

Hi, I just wanted to gauge the current pros & cons of using a Solid State Drive versus a Harddisk Drive inside a Mac, particularly with the MacBook Pros: which is the better drive to use right now (less on the pricing considerations) in terms of the overall longevity of the drive?

Also, It's my understanding that currently the use of the TRIM command is not yet an industry standard and that Apple doesn't have it implemented in OSX 10.6 so how are they addressing the issue of wear-leveling with SSD's in their systems? Otherwise, what is the best way as a user of their products to minimize the degrading of the SSD?

I'm asking this because I as much as the SSD sounds like an attractive option to upgrade my current laptop with (a MBP 15" i5 2.4GHz, 2010) I'm a bit hesitant to spring for one at the moment if it means I'll be replacing the SSD drive within the next 18 months or so.

Any info/suggestions is much appreciated, thanks!

 

[Hellhammer]

Get a SandForce based SSD (OWC Mercury Pro & OCZ Vertex 2 for example) and you don't have to worry about degradation. It has "built-in TRIM" so the firmware and the controller take care of wear leveling and stuff like that. SF drives are also the fastest on the market.

 

[blue22]

Get a SandForce based SSD (OWC Mercury Pro & OCZ Vertex 2 for example) and you don't have to worry about degradation. It has "built-in TRIM" so the firmware and the controller take care of wear leveling and stuff like that. SF drives are also the fastest on the market.

Sweet, thanks, I'll take a look at that SSD you recommended, but I have a nagging suspicion that current prices will make me wince, oh well

 

[blue22]

What about a hybrid drive like Seagate's Momentus XT Solid State Hybrid Drives is that a good balance between increasing the laptop's performance and lowering costs of a standard SSD? Can anyone with experience using that drive can comment on it's reliability?

 

[Hellhammer]

What about a hybrid drive like Seagate's Momentus XT Solid State Hybrid Drives is that a good balance between increasing the laptop's performance and lowering costs of a standard SSD? Can anyone with experience using that drive can comment on it's reliability?

It is decent but the SSD is only 4GB and you can't choose what goes there and what doesn't (it acts like cache so most frequently used files are there). It's a great option if you can't afford a real SSD, great bang for the buck.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/3734/seagates-momentus-xt-review-finally-a-good-hybrid-hdd/2

 

[blue22]

It is decent but the SSD is only 4GB and you can't choose what goes there and what doesn't (it acts like cache so most frequently used files are there). It's a great option if you can't afford a real SSD, great bang for the buck.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/3734/seagates-momentus-xt-review-finally-a-good-hybrid-hdd/2

I think the hybrid is what I'll go with since that is the most cost effective for my wallet AND it offers a substantial performance increase over a standard HDD. Done! BTW, I saw a 240GB SSD on OWC listed for $500+ but a 480GB SSD is listed at 3x the cost near $1600, that's insane!!!

Anyway, thanks a lot for the info and the link, which pretty much explained it all.

 

[Hellhammer]

I think the hybrid is what I'll go with since that is the most cost effective for my wallet AND it offers a substantial performance increase over a standard HDD. Done! BTW, I saw a 240GB SSD on OWC listed for $500+ but a 480GB SSD is listed at 3x the cost near $1600, that's insane!!!/QUOTE]

That's because high capacity NAND chips are very expensive. 240GB (which is actually 256GB) has 16 NAND chips, 16GB (128Gb) each. 480GB (actually 512GB) has 16 NANDs, 32GB (256Gb) each. 32GB NANDs cost more per GB, thus the price is more too.

 

[lixuelai]

The Hybrid has very little performance gain, if any, over a regular 7200rpm drive. Buy a SSD and Swap the ODD out if you need space.