Need recommendation for upgrading Mac main drive. :-)

Macintosh software/hardware discussion and troubleshooting

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HCMarkus
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Re: Need recommendation for upgrading Mac main drive. :-)

Post by HCMarkus »

mikehalloran wrote:
chadd wrote:...it seems to have slowed down over the years, especially after I updated to OS 10.8.
Since you are not running Yosemite, you should head over to cindori.com and install Trim Enabler.app if you haven't done so already. This allows the OS to trim the drive and may speed up your boot drive performance for other applications.
+1 on Mike's recommendation, with an additional suggestion…

Running an SSD without Trim can compromise performance over time. Since it appears you have been running your SSD without Trim for a while, it might be a good idea to install and turn on Trim Enabler on another physical boot drive (SSD or spinner), then, while booted from that drive, perform a Repair Disc operation on your SSD in Disc Utility. If Trim is enabled on the drive you booted from, at the end of the Repair Disc operation you will note Disc Utility will display the message "Trimmed".

You may be pleasantly surprised at the result, although I should mention that the SandForce SSD controller used in OWC drives can be backed into a corner if a drive is overfilled.

Now, I DO hope you have everything backed up as well. I always hate it when folks have to report tales of woe when drives fail without backup.

Those PCIe SSDs are super fast for big data transfers but, IMHO, regular old SATA SSDs still deliver the goods for audio work and as a boot drive, even when connected via SATA2.
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Re: Need recommendation for upgrading Mac main drive. :-)

Post by chadd »

mikehalloran wrote:Since you are not running Yosemite, you should head over to cindori.com and install Trim Enabler.app if you haven't done so already.
HCMarkus wrote:You may be pleasantly surprised at the result, although I should mention that the SandForce SSD controller used in OWC drives can be backed into a corner if a drive is overfilled.
Thanks for the suggestions. OWC claims that Trim is unnecessary (and possibly detrimental) for their SandForce-controlled SSDs: http://blog.macsales.com/11051-to-trim- ... the-answer

Getting back to Greg's initial inquiry, one of the interesting things in the macRumors thread about using Apple MacBook SSD blades is that they support Trim natively, even in Yosemite. I'm considering upgrading to Yosemite soon, so that's a factor. OWC claims that their SSDs don't need Trim, but I'm not very impressed with the 105 MB/Sec read/write times I'm getting with my OWC Electra now.

And yes, I clone backups of my boot and project data drives weekly.

I've always kept my system and applications on a separate drive from my DP project files, because that's just what was always recommended with spinning hard drives. If those PCIe SSDs are indeed so fast, would it be advisable to get a 1TB SSD and keep my system, applications AND project data on it?
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Re: Need recommendation for upgrading Mac main drive. :-)

Post by mikehalloran »

Thanks for the suggestions. OWC claims that Trim is unnecessary (and possibly detrimental) for their SandForce-controlled SSDs: http://blog.macsales.com/11051-to-trim- ... the-answer
That is old news, contradicted by newer, better advice. There are old threads here, many pages long, that exhaust the subject. The OEMs of the OWC drives are all recommending that Trim be enabled.

The fact that your SSD is slowing down is another reason to ignore it.

Trim is part of the Apple OS and is not detrimental. Apple blocks it from non-Apple SSDs. Trim Enabler unblocks it. Only in Yosemite are there issues and the link I posted earlier explains them.
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Re: Need recommendation for upgrading Mac main drive. :-)

Post by HCMarkus »

What Mike said on Trim.

And, yes, one SSD could possibly handle it all, especially a PCIe SSD. I haven't tried it, because I have a bunch of SATA SSDs.
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Re: Need recommendation for upgrading Mac main drive. :-)

Post by mhschmieder »

I've got the same issue as Greg regarding huge sample library inventory in my main bays.

I settled on the PCIe SSD approach a few months ago but haven't done it yet as my day job has slowed down finishing the album I'm producing (not my own, so I'm more cautious than usual about disrupting workflow).

I may finally get around to this over the next few weeks. Mike's advice about NOT cloning and instead installing the OS on the new drive is very timely and appreciated.

What about if you're on Mavericks. Is it possible or advisable to install Yosemite on the new drive before using Migration Assistant, or does that not work? Do you have to use the same OS level first and then upgrade after? Would Mavericks even be supported and installable anymore?
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Re: Need recommendation for upgrading Mac main drive. :-)

Post by mikehalloran »

mhschmieder wrote:...What about if you're on Mavericks. Is it possible or advisable to install Yosemite on the new drive before using Migration Assistant, or does that not work? Do you have to use the same OS level first and then upgrade after? Would Mavericks even be supported and installable anymore?
I would install Yosemite first, then use Migration Assistant. This will pull over your settings, apps and user files but will not install the OS unless you check the box to do so.

You are not prevented from reinstalling Mavericks if that's what you want to do unless you are on 10.9.4 (there's a Time Machine Restore bug in 10.9.4).

I regularly install older OS back to 10.6.8 to test weirdness from client machines on mine instead of in the field, then I use Time Machine Restore to bring mine back to life (in case you were wondering how I found the bug in 10.9.4).

I will recommend in your case to either (a) save a TM backup of your current system or (b) disable TM until you have tested Yosemite or (c) make a bootable DVD-DL or usb flash drive of Mavericks 10.9.5 – you download Mavericks from the App Store through the Purchased tab and use Terminal to create the bootable media (you would wipe your SSD, install 10.9.5, then use Migration Assistant). There are other ways to restore a system to Mavericks after a Yosemite install but these are the easiest.
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Re: Need recommendation for upgrading Mac main drive. :-)

Post by mhschmieder »

Thanks, Mike. I now feel a LOT safer and less intimidated about this long-delayed upgrade.

I had no idea this album project would drag out so long, but it's a combination of my day job going even more insane than ever, ramping up my game many levels beyond what I dreamed possible in terms of my personal production skills, and a complete disintegration of the band followed by legal threats if I finish and/or release the project (that's all I'm willing to say in a public forum).

I am hoping that procrastination will pay off. Due to the long lingering aftermath of Southeast Asian floods and the Japanese nuclear accident, it seemed like SSD prices (at least PCIe-hosted solutions) weren't budging much for almost a year and a half. I haven't checked in a few months now, so hopefully the summer will see some downward price movement.
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Re: Need recommendation for upgrading Mac main drive. :-)

Post by mikehalloran »

a complete disintegration of the band followed by legal threats if I finish and/or release the project
"The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench,
a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free,
and good men die like dogs.

"There's also a negative side."


- Hunter S. Thompson
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Re: Need recommendation for upgrading Mac main drive. :-)

Post by mhschmieder »

Thanks, Mike. I've been made out to be the villain in all of this, even though I've made unprecedented personal sacrifices to see this through. Hunter S. Thompson's musings are a good antidote for self-blame. :koolaid:

The two who remained (and who were the better of the four talents) are hoping that completion will heal the schism (at least part-way). Unfortunately I know of too many cases (including one of my co-workers who made a "cannot be released" album with a VERY famous guitarist who died a couple of years ago) where it doesn't play out that way.

Nevertheless, when I make a promise, I follow through, and in this case it means I have had to put off basic computer upgrade needs far longer than I imagined would be the case. So be it.
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