ltldrummerboy
macrumors 68000
"It's expensive, but boy is it fast." Didn't SJ say something along those lines at MWSF? Is it $1000 fast?
MacBook Air: SSD vs HDD
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quantumbits
macrumors member
If Ars' results hold up in the least, then I can't wait to read the subjective spin that will ensue. Its already transcended comical...absurdity is sure to follow.
gotohamish
macrumors 65816
I agree. Perhaps you could RAID two of the flash cards buried within the new iPod Touch?
Slipperyskates
macrumors newbie
Its different in iPods, though, because they don't do a whole lot of writing to the drives. SSD has a finite write limit, so I would worry more about failure of SSD for non-physical reasons.
I'll be interested to see the data when it comes out of the lifespans of SSD MacBook Airs.
Very thorough reviews.
I'm still happy I got the SSD model, though, for one main reason: No more drive crashes. Even though I keep rigorous backups of my data, I've suffered through several HD crashes in my life, and it's painful every time. Switching to SSD will hopefully eliminate (or reduce substantially) that problem for me. Sure, the SSD is a lot of extra coin right now, but prices will come down...
And I'm used to being on the bleeding edge, anyway. It's good geek cred to have the SSD.
I would agree with this reasoning for having the SSD model, be it the 1.8 GHz or 1.6 GHz model (with the 1.6 saving as much as $300 off the 1.8).
I've gone through too many disk crashes and/or simply data corruption at the worst possible time. Loss of data to a business person can add up to $1000s and can be both time consuming and frustrating to the casual home user who may have lost personal current financial data.
The SSD hopefully provides good insurance against data loss when compared to the 1.8" HDD which has not had a very good history of reliability - (opinions and mileage may vary on this though).
If SSD offers same or slightly worse performance to HDD so be it. If it offers significant performance benefits over HDD that's also very good.
Is the SSD worth the extra $999 ? It all depends..... right ?
BornAgainMac
macrumors 604
I can see a revision B release of Macbook Air next year being a lot better. I consider this just a prototype that just happens to be good enough to ship.
I can hardly wait to see what Apple does to their flagship Macbook Pro line. It is a true desktop replacement that doesn't weight that much for what you get.
I can hardly wait to see what Apple does to their flagship Macbook Pro line. It is a true desktop replacement that doesn't weight that much for what you get.
BWhaler
macrumors 68040
My new MBA is sitting on my desk, 1.8 SSD, and this review broke my heart.
My initial battery life showed less than 2 hours. I kinda freaked out, but I also knew the battery was calibrated, etc. Still has me worried that perhaps I got a bad build, but I'm not going to freak out about it yet.
I still love this little sucker (so far.) Bad reviews and all...
My initial battery life showed less than 2 hours. I kinda freaked out, but I also knew the battery was calibrated, etc. Still has me worried that perhaps I got a bad build, but I'm not going to freak out about it yet.
I still love this little sucker (so far.) Bad reviews and all...
In a series of benchmarks, both Macbook Air variants had their asses handed to them by their beefier cousins, the Macbook and the Macbook Pro. But even when just comparing the two Macbook Air models there was such a tiny difference in performance as to make it unnoticeable. Booting up was quicker (about 12 seconds quicker, to be exact), yes, but still slower than a Santa Rosa Macbook Pro. And while random disk tests and reading from the disk was a bit faster on the SSD model, due to slower read times than the HDD, it actually performed worse when it came to sequential disk tests and general writing to the disk.
But what about battery life, that had to be way better, right? Nope. Battery life wasn't affected at all, strangely enough, with the SSD model providing a paltry 2.5 hours of use before needing to be recharged. In fact, it seems like there was really only one place where the performance was better on the SSD model.
HAH!
sorry ssd mba owners, but apple owns you. They will shove down your throat whatever they think is best for you, and you eat that sh*t up like no other! (nice justifications on the posts above btw )
don't get me wrong, i am not hating on the mba. only the grossly overpriced SSD version =]
But what about battery life, that had to be way better, right? Nope. Battery life wasn't affected at all, strangely enough, with the SSD model providing a paltry 2.5 hours of use before needing to be recharged. In fact, it seems like there was really only one place where the performance was better on the SSD model.
HAH!
sorry ssd mba owners, but apple owns you. They will shove down your throat whatever they think is best for you, and you eat that sh*t up like no other! (nice justifications on the posts above btw
)don't get me wrong, i am not hating on the mba. only the grossly overpriced SSD version =]
MazingerZ
macrumors 6502
What's overpriced about it? From the comments when the MBA was announced, the SSD upgrade was in line with that other manufacturers were charging.
Obviously SSD drives will have their (dis)advantages, however besides the potential for speed and reduced energy consumption I would like to add another ingredient into the mix;
Reliability !
At least I have a feeling it'll be much more reliable than a traditional HD with moving parts. On the other hand the technology is still very much in its infancy whereas the traditional HD drive has been "tried and tested". Can anybody comment on it's reliability?
I noticed that DV Nation offers a consumer and pro grade drive for servers etc. If this is a solid state drive - why the hefty premium for a "server grade" SSD?
Bukem
Reliability !
At least I have a feeling it'll be much more reliable than a traditional HD with moving parts. On the other hand the technology is still very much in its infancy whereas the traditional HD drive has been "tried and tested". Can anybody comment on it's reliability?
I noticed that DV Nation offers a consumer and pro grade drive for servers etc. If this is a solid state drive - why the hefty premium for a "server grade" SSD?
Bukem
Right on my friend. The aspect of data loss/corruption means or could mean a loss of $1000s in a business environment. The extra $999 pales in comparison. In a personal home use it could mean the loss of valuable and irreplaceable photos, docs, financial data, etc.
The SSD is a wise choice if the above is meaningful to you. It's simply a better insurance against data loss.
You know I did find it odd that they did not mention boot time in the article. Not a huge issue for most people, but a convenience one that is fair to mention.
One reason I love my ibook is how long it takes me to boot my PC at work.
You should try again and let us know. I am going 1.6 SSD to maximize battery life. I do wonder about the wide variances though. Seems strange...
Sweetbike40
macrumors 65816
So what's the point of it being so portable if the battery life sucks. I'd expect a lower battery life from my MBP but not on something that doesn't do nearly as much. Like i said before.... how will that power adapter fit into the envelope? I don't dislike the MBA for what it is otherwise. Although... i wasn't floored by it in person. I could look at it again and change my mind. I think just the black keyboard bothers me butto others, the black keyboard may be a nice thing.
But hard drives have a write limit as well, how do the two compare?
Why did you rush to buy the SSD before anyone had a chance to review it?
Regarding the battery test...
Regarding the battery test...
From the ArsTechnica review:
"I did less during the second rundown than the first, since my cable service was down and I couldn't do anything on the Internet. I wrote a few paragraphs of this review and watched some TV shows stored on my drive...I didn't do anything intensive"
Since when is a sustained H.264 (most likely) decode "not intensive"?
Regarding the battery test...
From the ArsTechnica review:
"I did less during the second rundown than the first, since my cable service was down and I couldn't do anything on the Internet. I wrote a few paragraphs of this review and watched some TV shows stored on my drive...I didn't do anything intensive"
Since when is a sustained H.264 (most likely) decode "not intensive"?
MacTheSpoon
macrumors 6502a
Maybe there is a battery vendor problem here, I wonder. Some people in the forums have reported excellent battery life with their SSD. I remember one person unplugged an MBA SSD in an Apple store and it showed 7 hours of battery life remaining.
I'll be interested in Ars Technica's followup investigation of the battery discrepancies.
I'll be interested in Ars Technica's followup investigation of the battery discrepancies.
the next macbook pro's are speculated to be graced by the presence of those black mba keys.
MacTheSpoon
macrumors 6502a
Good point! This could be making the difference.
Sweetbike40
macrumors 65816
YIKES
Now i am even happier i bought mine when i did. It's just my personal taste. Wouldn't keep me from buying it if i was in the market again for one.