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SSD in 2011 Mac Mini

post #1 of 10
7/27/11 at 8:34pm
Thread Starter 
Just was wondering what is used and what the read/write speeds are?
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post #2 of 10
7/28/11 at 5:43pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Winter View Post

Just was wondering what is used and what the read/write speeds are?

Mine came with a TS256C. In other words a Toshiba. If I'm not mistaken, this has been used in past Macbook Air models. I've been getting speeds of around 180 MB/s write and 204 MB/s read. Not sure if this is about right for that model but I think it is. The 7200RPM drive that can be coupled with it is doing something like 122MB/s write and around 127MB/s read.

My 5400 RPM Mini is doing closer to the 40 range. A whole other class of performance.
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post #3 of 10
7/29/11 at 12:03am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Carmissimo View Post

Mine came with a TS256C. In other words a Toshiba. If I'm not mistaken, this has been used in past Macbook Air models. I've been getting speeds of around 180 MB/s write and 204 MB/s read. Not sure if this is about right for that model but I think it is. The 7200RPM drive that can be coupled with it is doing something like 122MB/s write and around 127MB/s read.

My 5400 RPM Mini is doing closer to the 40 range. A whole other class of performance.

I didn't realize there was that much difference between 5400 and 7200 RPM drives. I'm also disappointed that SSD performance isn't at least 3 times that of a 7200 RPM drive.
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post #4 of 10
7/29/11 at 3:21am
Quote:
Originally Posted by ArchAngel21x View Post

I didn't realize there was that much difference between 5400 and 7200 RPM drives. I'm also disappointed that SSD performance isn't at least 3 times that of a 7200 RPM drive.

Overall the machine is rather good though and the benchmarks in general for the machine are impressive. My geekbench score in the 8200 range indicates a machine capable of doing serious work.

The other point is that an SSD is an upgrade on a regular HD so it doesn't mean that the boost, though disappointing, is insignificant. Booting up in less than 20 seconds is a good thing.

Imagine what the Mini will be like a year from now with quad-core, a graphics upgrade, and so on and so on. In addition SSD technology has the potential to go further, being as it's not really a mature technology.

Still, I had to have the latest and greatest and so I got the SSD yet the smart, sensible way to go probably would be to start off with the 7200 RPM drive only and upgrade to an SSD down the road when the technology is more evolved and probably a lot cheaper.

On balance, though, I don't regret buying the latest Mini. It's spectacularly better all-around than the 2.53Ghz Mini it replaces. Eventually I'm going to get good use out of the Thunderbolt port though for now my urge to spend on technology is satisfied (and my bank account drained).
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post #5 of 10
7/29/11 at 4:07am
Quote:
Originally Posted by ArchAngel21x View Post

I didn't realize there was that much difference between 5400 and 7200 RPM drives. I'm also disappointed that SSD performance isn't at least 3 times that of a 7200 RPM drive.

There's quite a bit of difference between 7200rpm and 5400rpm drives. There's an even bigger difference between SSD and 7200rpm drives. There are many factors to consider when it comes to hard drive access and SSD is still a level beyond 7200rpm. Burst read and burst write speeds are only a small part of the picture, for example.

I wouldn't use a laptop without a 7200rpm drive minimum. If you can afford it, go SSD.
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post #6 of 10
8/11/11 at 10:36am
Thread Starter 
Anyone have a Samsung SSD in theirs or is it strictly Toshiba? I'm just curious as I'm still sold on the Mini thus this won't affect anything.
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post #7 of 10
8/11/11 at 1:17pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ArchAngel21x View Post

I didn't realize there was that much difference between 5400 and 7200 RPM drives.

There's not, 7200 rpm drives are about 25% faster. Modern 5400 rpm drives are around 50MB/s and 7200 rpm drives are around 70-80MB/s:

http://www.hdtune.com/testresults_speed.html

7200 is 33% faster than 5400 so given the same platter density, that's your upper limit on the difference.

Some SSDs can be as slow as mechanical drives but the newest ones tend to keep over the 150MB/s mark:

http://thepracticeofcode.com/post/86...s-2011-vs-lion

You get more for you money with 3rd party hardware though. As you can see in the following video, the Crucial M4 is extremely fast in a Mac:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8EDCvKnJlg0

It benchmarked 420MB/s read. You can see what this means during the application launch test at 5:00. This drive is priced at $1.60 per GB vs $2.35 from Apple and you can sell the drive you take out of the Mini:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820148443
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post #8 of 10
8/11/11 at 10:32pm
Thread Starter 
I'm pretty sure the Toshiba one used in the Mac Mini is far faster than a mechanical drive, right? Also, stability is an issue as well with SSDs.

My main concern (and this goes back to the 2010 Mini) is that I don't want to buy a Mini and go through the hassle of putting in a third party SSD, have something go wrong with the Mini (god forbid) and have to take it out, put the HDD back in, and so forth.
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post #9 of 10
8/12/11 at 12:39pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Winter View Post

I'm pretty sure the Toshiba one used in the Mac Mini is far faster than a mechanical drive, right?

Yes, someone on Macrumors lists the model they got:

http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=1199208

At least double the performance of a 7200rpm HDD. You can see where it comes vs HDDs and other SSDs here:

http://www.harddrivebenchmark.net/hd...PLE+SSD+TS256C

It benchmarks at half of the Crucial M4 though:

http://www.harddrivebenchmark.net/hd...M4-CT256M4SSD2

Quote:
Originally Posted by Winter View Post

My main concern (and this goes back to the 2010 Mini) is that I don't want to buy a Mini and go through the hassle of putting in a third party SSD, have something go wrong with the Mini (god forbid) and have to take it out, put the HDD back in, and so forth.

True, although the Minis are pretty reliable and taking the drive out the Mini takes under 30 minutes:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTA3dk8HBOk

You're right though, it would be less hassle dealing with official warranty support if you used their brand of drive. I just wouldn't pay the extra $200, lose the resale of the bundled HDD and settle with half the performance for it but I think you'd have some peace of mind buying the Apple drive.
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post #10 of 10
8/12/11 at 9:15pm
Thread Starter 
Yeah it's a shame I won't have the fastest available in general or for the best price although I'm considering getting one of the LaCie Little Big Disks down the road as well so that will make up for things.
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