SSD Question.

[i0s]

So i have the 13" MacBook Pro 2010 and was originally going to replace the hard drive with an intel x-25 80 gb ssd, and move the hard drive to the opti bay because of what I've read about degradation.

However, with all these firmware updates, if I get one big enough for my needs, will this top of the line ssd show its wear and tear after putting all my media, internet files, programs, etc on it?

 

[i0s]

Anybody?
Should i stick to the original plan or go with just a 160 gb ssd?

 

[nuckinfutz]

Anybody?
Should i stick to the original plan or go with just a 160 gb ssd?

Larger SSD gives you more "room" to move data around so write endurance should theoretically be improved.

If you can live with the 80GB today you might want to do that and wait until Q4 and see how the Intel/Micron 25nm SSD perform and are priced. Chances are you'll be able to buy a 160GB for the same price you paid for today's Postville 80GB or you could jump up then and get a 300GB SSD for what a 160GB costs today.

 

[m85476585]

Don't worry about degradation. When the drive is new, all the flask cells are empty, so writes are fast. Once all the flash cells have data in them, they have to be erased before they are written, which takes slightly longer. All the cells can be full even if the drive is not full because of load balancing. So an 80gb drive might last a week (ballpark estimate) before its performance is degraded, and a 160gb drive might last 2 weeks, but from then on the speed will be constant until the drive dies (several years, depending on how much you use it). When the drive degrades, writes are something like 10% slower, which you really won't notice. It doesn't make sense to get a drive twice as big just so it's 10% faster for another week or so.

 

[lionheartednyhc]

So i have the 13" MacBook Pro 2010 and was originally going to replace the hard drive with an intel x-25 80 gb ssd, and move the hard drive to the opti bay because of what I've read about degradation.

However, with all these firmware updates, if I get one big enough for my needs, will this top of the line ssd show its wear and tear after putting all my media, internet files, programs, etc on it?

Get an OCZ Vertex. It has "Garbage collection" which is basically a firmware level TRIM.

And its awesome. Put mine in my brand new MBP13"

 

[barefeats]

I agree with LionHeart. OCZ Vertex 2 or Agility 2 do firmware "garbage collection" so they don't slow down after repeated use. We ran what I call an SSD "thrashing" test on the Vertex 2 and Vertex LE. They never slowed down.

Two other brands that did NOT slow down are the Corsair Force and OWC Mercury Extreme -- which are based on the same SandForce chip and firmware that OCZ uses.

On the other hand, the Intel X25-M's write speed (slow 100MB/s to begin with) dropped to 30MB/s after the thrashing. Pathetic.

Crucial M225 and C300 drives slowed down, too, with repeated use.

 

[germinator]

Nothing I have seen so far has convinced me that anything OCZ or Crucial have is superior to Intel's X25-M. So I have bought the 80 GB Intel and I am very happy about it. There are just too many horror stories from OCZ owners.

Just my 0.02, don't flame please.

 

[i0s]

I won't flame haha.
Don't really know what I'm talking about well enough.

I just had heard that the Intels were the best around.
So are the new ones for sure coming Q4? I could definitely live off the standard hard drive until then. For sure 300 gb, etc?

And Lionheart, did you put the hard drive in the optical bay?

 

[highADP]

Can anybody explain more about "Garbage Collection" or "TRIM"? I've read a lot during the past few days about SSD. One of the websites that I visited and I would like to acknowledge is Anandtech (http://anandtech.com/show/2829/2). It provides so much information about SSD but I can't digest all of that. (I am more familiar with gene, DNA and stuff rather than SSD but I love computer and new technology) Anyway, my impression is that TRIM will benefit the performance of SSD and slow down the drive degradation. Unfortunately, SL doesn't support TRIM??

I plan to get a 15" core i7 with a stock HDD then swap it with Intel X25-M. I'd better know about SSD as much as possible before I invest in this pricey gadget!! Please advice. Thanks!!

 

[i0s]

So I think I may have decided on the Crucial m225 256 gb. Less than 600 dollars.

If anyone has any objections or advice for a device around the same cost and storage capacity speak up!
Or if i should wait another 8 months