A new storage option from Apple is a compromise between a solid state drive and a hard drive. It uses both to create a single volume and automatically put the most used files in speedy SSD storage and the rest on the slower hard drive. This all goes on behind the scenes and gives nearly the speed of an SD drive at a fraction of the price.
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Comments: 7 Responses to “MacMost Now 779: Apple’s New Fusion Drive”
James
11 years ago
Hope this works better than a certain well known hybrid drive that I tried on my MBP a while ago.
Without OS support it kept changing its mind on what was the most used and proved slower than a conventional unit
Rick
11 years ago
I think with the new fusion drive we will see mixed results at a premium cost. IF the only parameter OS X uses to determine what lives on the SSD is 'access frequency' we will have issues. I use iTunes and music on my machine constantly. I have my ripped DVD collection for streaming that gets hit all the time. This doesn't mean I want my music or movies on expensive SSD. Personally, I would much rather have some very large video files or photos for editing (in FCP or PS) that I may reference a lot less. These would have a very noticeable load time if living on a slow 5400rpm drive. If allowed to manually chose I could simply copy those files to the SSD when ready to use them and then copy back when complete.
While certainly better than a very slow 5400rpm spinning disk I think it will be a mixed bag - apple Apple premiums.
Dave Estment
11 years ago
I have the latest Macbbok Pro 15.4 inch and have dumped the optical drive and replaced it with my original 750 HDD that came with the machine. I have replaced the HHD with a 500Gb SSD. Can I combine the two drives and make them into a fusion drive?
I'm pretty sure you can't. You'd need the actual hardware that Apple is putting into the new machines. But with a 500GB SSD you can probably manage the files yourself (what goes on which drive) and get even better performance.
I don't see any evidence that this method creates a fusion drive. It is just about creating a single volume from two drives, one that happens to be an SSD. That is NOT what a Fusion drive is -- a Fusion drive is managing the files between the disks so the files accessed the most often are on the faster one. I don't think that with this method that would happen at all.
Johan-Martijn
11 years ago
I wholeheartedly agree with James. While the Fusion Drive could help out a lot of people, power users would - and should - have command over these kind of operations, i.e. enabling them to make their own choice if wanted. Too much automatics can drive some of us wild. I still remember the harrowing stories about the relentless 1-hour kick-in rule of Time Machine, which could not be changed, that could create - admittedly rarely, but just once is sometimes all it needs to rip you hair out - havoc with massive video or data operations involving swapping gigabytes of material to and fro, ending up with a stuttering Time Machine and the devout wish to have chosen another career.
Hope this works better than a certain well known hybrid drive that I tried on my MBP a while ago.
Without OS support it kept changing its mind on what was the most used and proved slower than a conventional unit
I think with the new fusion drive we will see mixed results at a premium cost. IF the only parameter OS X uses to determine what lives on the SSD is 'access frequency' we will have issues. I use iTunes and music on my machine constantly. I have my ripped DVD collection for streaming that gets hit all the time. This doesn't mean I want my music or movies on expensive SSD. Personally, I would much rather have some very large video files or photos for editing (in FCP or PS) that I may reference a lot less. These would have a very noticeable load time if living on a slow 5400rpm drive. If allowed to manually chose I could simply copy those files to the SSD when ready to use them and then copy back when complete.
While certainly better than a very slow 5400rpm spinning disk I think it will be a mixed bag - apple Apple premiums.
I have the latest Macbbok Pro 15.4 inch and have dumped the optical drive and replaced it with my original 750 HDD that came with the machine. I have replaced the HHD with a 500Gb SSD. Can I combine the two drives and make them into a fusion drive?
I'm pretty sure you can't. You'd need the actual hardware that Apple is putting into the new machines. But with a 500GB SSD you can probably manage the files yourself (what goes on which drive) and get even better performance.
Yes . You can . Look video :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_odnNpv-FQ
I don't see any evidence that this method creates a fusion drive. It is just about creating a single volume from two drives, one that happens to be an SSD. That is NOT what a Fusion drive is -- a Fusion drive is managing the files between the disks so the files accessed the most often are on the faster one. I don't think that with this method that would happen at all.
I wholeheartedly agree with James. While the Fusion Drive could help out a lot of people, power users would - and should - have command over these kind of operations, i.e. enabling them to make their own choice if wanted. Too much automatics can drive some of us wild. I still remember the harrowing stories about the relentless 1-hour kick-in rule of Time Machine, which could not be changed, that could create - admittedly rarely, but just once is sometimes all it needs to rip you hair out - havoc with massive video or data operations involving swapping gigabytes of material to and fro, ending up with a stuttering Time Machine and the devout wish to have chosen another career.