Moving to an SSD: Questions.

[deconstruct60]

Is there a way do a clean installation of Mac OS X on a SSD and designate the Home folder be installed on a secondary non-SSD hard drive?

On a clean installation there is nothing in the home folder since it just got created along with the install. ( It is quite easy to not migrate data from the old machinie; just don't do it. )

Now that clean install is done. remap "home" (which is mostly empty) somewhere else.

If trying to uses Apple's Migration tool before remapping because it may get confused ... just avoid it. That tool is the source of the problem in that case. Can do an rsynch (as superuser ) to copy into new home if Apple's tool is too dim to do it right later. Only have to make sure got the accounts user id numbers aligned on the new machine with the old ones. If only had one account that's trivial. If had Admin/Install and a user account a bit more work but not that hard.

This would save me from moving the Home folder from the SSD to another hard drive, so that it won't waste unwritten blocks on SSD.

SSDs with a even half way decent garabage collector aren't as fragile as some folks are making them out to be. Unless your home directory is 50% of the size of the entire drive this wouldn't be a huge deal even if it was "installed".

 

[2contagious]

I have a few questions:

1) I have a Mac Pro 6-core on order with 3GB RAM only. I'll be using it for Photoshop and Final Cut Pro. Would it be more beneficial for me as a first purchase to get a single stick of 8GB RAM (for now) or to get a 120GB SSD from OWC? Which one should I get first? SSD - to be able to install the system on it right away when the Mac Pro arrives - or RAM because 3GB will be to limiting? Considering I am usually not using several programs at once, the SSD should give me more of a speed increase, no?

2) Second question is about free space on the SSD. I've read a few times about Mac OS X being faster if there is a lot of free space on an HDD. Is this still true for SSDs?

3) Third question is about OWC's SSD models: Is the 60GB model any "worse" or slower than the 120GB model? (I've read about some speed differences with other makes)

see you,
2c

 

[johnnymg]

I have a few questions:

1) I have a Mac Pro 6-core on order with 3GB RAM only. I'll be using it for Photoshop and Final Cut Pro. Would it be more beneficial for me as a first purchase to get a single stick of 8GB RAM (for now) or to get a 120GB SSD from OWC? Which one should I get first? SSD - to be able to install the system on it right away when the Mac Pro arrives - or RAM because 3GB will be to limiting? Considering I am usually not using several programs at once, the SSD should give me more of a speed increase, no?
JMO, but I'd go for the SSD and add RAM later.

2) Second question is about free space on the SSD. I've read a few times about Mac OS X being faster if there is a lot of free space on an HDD. Is this still true for SSDs?
"A lot of free space" is the answer. How much is dependent on who you ask. I try to keep 50% free.


3) Third question is about OWC's SSD models: Is the 60GB model any "worse" or slower than the 120GB model? (I've read about some speed differences with other makes)
True: The Crucial drives are size/speed dependent. The tests I've seen of the OWC SSD's indicate this isn't an issue.

 

[2contagious]

Thanks for the answers For a Mac Pro, is the OWC SSD drive the best choice for a 120GB model?

 

[strausd]

Well explained! You really are extremely helpful so thanks for everything!

In terms of hard drives I've gone with the SSD and then 3 x 1TBs of whatever Apple use. My home folder will just go on one of them. Okay for speed?

Apple will give you Caviar Blacks, which are really good drives in my opinion. So ya, that should be fine.

Hi,

I am thinking of getting a 6-core Mac Pro 3.33Ghz and I am thinking of installing 2 SSD drive in the 2nd optical drive bay. Is that possible? I understand that there is an extra SATA cable, but by any chance there is 2 extra?

Reason is OWC 40Gb SSD are now at $99.

--
jtoh

It is physically possible to fit 2 SSDs in the empty optical bay, it is even physically possible to fit 8. The problem is that there is only one extra SATA port, so if you want more than one SSD in the empty bay, you will need a PCIe controller, SATA cables, and a splitter to provide power to both SSDs. Then you have to worry about the PCIe controller not working under Mac, or being rendered unusable after than OS X update. Also, you will need to find a good one that works well, not to mention you will have to spend more money on it.

Thanks for the answers For a Mac Pro, is the OWC SSD drive the best choice for a 120GB model?

Well the OCZ Vertex 2 is basically the same thing as the OWC SSD.

 

[300D]

1) How much space does the OS occupy on a disk, just so I can get an idea of what the bear minimum SSD I'd need would be?

Anything on the market will work.

 

[2contagious]

I don't know why, buy I had a dodgy feeling about the OCZ SSDs, so I went ahead and bought a 120GB OWC SSD.

 

[jtoh]

It is physically possible to fit 2 SSDs in the empty optical bay, it is even physically possible to fit 8. The problem is that there is only one extra SATA port, so if you want more than one SSD in the empty bay, you will need a PCIe controller, SATA cables, and a splitter to provide power to both SSDs. Then you have to worry about the PCIe controller not working under Mac, or being rendered unusable after than OS X update. Also, you will need to find a good one that works well, not to mention you will have to spend more money on it.

Thanks for the info. Looks like I will have to buy a bigger SSD then. I think the next best value OWC SDD is the 120Gb.

 

[2contagious]

Thanks for the info. Looks like I will have to buy a bigger SSD then. I think the next best value OWC SDD is the 120Gb.

So far I'm impressed. I ordered the 120GB SSD from OWC yesterday in the morning and Fedex says it's on schedule to be delivered tomorrow morning- and this is a shipment to the UK!