----------  Original message  ----------
Subject: Re: SSD?
Date:    Monday, 12. November 2012
From:    Cameron Kaiser <[email protected]>
To:      [email protected]
> > Has anybody here experience with using a SSD on an OS that doesn’t know
> > the TRIM command?
> 
> It will work fine, it just will gradually get sluggish. However, some
> controllers (Sandforce) don't need to use TRIM; OWC sells these. They will
> work fine in OS 9 also.

Thanks.
I was peeking towards a Samsung 830 series SSD. It does _not_ use a Sandforce 
controller, but—if you believe some reviews out there—something very similar.

http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/Samsung-830-Series-256-GB-SSD-
Review/1631/7

----------  Original message  ----------
Subject: Re: SSD?
Date:    Monday, 12. November 2012
From:    James Knight <[email protected]>
To:      "[email protected]" <[email protected]>
> To piggy back on that, many controllers have different amounts of
> background garbage collection. I second the OWC recommendation. With good
> garbage collection and keeping say 10% free, you should be very happy with
> performance over time.

My understanding is that garbage collection is something completely different 
than ATA Trim. I.e. garbage collection also “optimizes” garbage. If a bit is 
not zero on the media, then it is ultimately also optimzed, whereas SATA Trim 
can be seen as the second half of the rent: it tells the controller which 
“used” bits can be irgnored when optimizing all the data bits (what is called 
“garbage collection”).

If only I could be certain that I got this right…

> That also said, you can saturate your ata 66 bus
> with a fast compact flash card, so a cheap IDE to cf adapter and cf cards
> may be a cheaper way to go with similar performance.

I used a CF (compact flash) card with one of these IDE to CF adapters in my G3 
B&W. It was fun, but it also was a bit of a slowdown, even on the slow IDE bus 
the G3 B&W has. Maybe it is also because I used a slow CF card… Anyway, I 
“upgraded” to a SATA-to-IDE adapter: I’ve had a spare 2.5″ SATA drive that was 
eager for some use. :-)

With flash other than SSDs the problem is, that—like e.g. CF—it doesn’t have 
ATA Trim or Garbage Collection at all. When in heavy use (meaning that a lot 
of files will be moved/copied/deleted) it will most likely wear out, equals 
slow down, quite rapitly…

On my G3 B&W the CF was always half empty and I didn’t do a lot of file 
moving, so this didn’t happen…

> For heavy use, I
> would still think OWC.

I really appreciate OWC as a good quality brand. That said, I don’t own a 
single OWC item, with the one exception that I happen to have a 1.4 GHz G4 
Accelerator card (that I don’t use that much really).

For the most part, they (OWC) use what is available out there. To use any 
other SSD with a Sandforce controller is the same difference IMHO.

> None of that advice is from experience.

Thanks for your good judgement on this! It helped me get my intentions 
clearer.

If I’d choose now I’d most likely go for a Samsung 830 series SSD… 
unfortunately I’ve decided to wait a bit more until the prices drop further… 
and then I’ll buy two SSDs at once: one for the Cube, and one for my tower 
(which is an AMD powered PC).


Thanks, both of you!
Cheers,
Andreas  aka  Mac User #330250


p.s.
> Just from prior research I've done
> when considering buying a used cube for fun...

If you should ever do get a Cube: it is really an awesome peace of technology! 
What really “breaks” its brilliancy is a loud 3.5″ HDD (like the original 
one). But this can nowerdays be easily fixed…

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