clone 5,1 HD to new Samsung 840 evo 1TB SSD

[flowrider]

My Info.

Note:

EVO shown as External SSD because, even though it's internal, it's on the Apricorn Solo x2. Yours is internal in Bay 2.

I have TRIM enabled with TRIM Enabler.

Now, the question is "Is there something I can do to improve the disk speed issue?"

Yes, with a SATA PCIe SATA III Card like the Apricorn Velocity Solo x2.

Lou

 

[QuickstartBridg]

enabled trim

Lou,

I used the free Chameleon to enable trim (screenshot). I wouldn't expect this change to have much, if any, effect since the SSD is freshly installed with few writes to the SSD (other than the initial clone) at this point.

I switched the SSD to Bay 1 and the HD to Bay 2.

Still no improvement in boot speed. No change in the Blackmagic speed test.

Brian

 

[QuickstartBridg]

Lou,

I used the free Chameleon to enable trim (screenshot). I wouldn't expect this change to have much, if any, effect since the SSD is freshly installed with few writes to the SSD (other than the initial clone) at this point.

I switched the SSD to Bay 1 and the HD to Bay 2.

Still no improvement in boot speed. No change in the Blackmagic speed test.

Yes, with a SATA PCIe SATA III Card like the Apricorn Velocity Solo x2.

I thought the SATA connectors in the bays were SATA III in the 5,1 and that an SSD would increase the disk speed significantly. Is that incorrect?

Brian

 

[MacVidCards]

Ah, now I understand.

cMP is all SATA II.

Your disk is performing to spec.

Why we suggest the SATA III cards and PCIE SSD cards.

 

[QuickstartBridg]

Blackmagic for HD

Here is the Blackmagic for the HD for comparison to the SSD on the right. It is less than half the speed. So the SSD does provide a boost in this test although it is not seen on boot times but applications do seem to start faster.

A SATA II controller is advertised as 3Gb/sec or 375MB/sec while the Blackmagic for my SSD averages about 260MB/sec. So I would say that it is operating at less than spec. I would still like to hear suggestions for at least getting full SATA II speeds.

An advantage of the SSD as the boot drive for me is that I don't hear the frequent background HD accesses while I am working on my nMP at the adjacent desk while my wife is working on her Mac; even when she is not working on her Mac.

Regarding Mexican Restaurants in Tucson: MVC, there are actually some very good and authentic ones near downtown in the barrios - one is famous for a visit by Bill Clinton while he was POTUS.

Brian

 

[h9826790]

AFAIK, you can never get 375 in real life, 260 is about the max you can get, which is considered perform to the spec.

For the boot time issue, there may be some other software bug rather than SSD performance related.

 

[QuickstartBridg]

cMP?

I have seen the "cMP" mentioned many times in other threads which apparently refers to the Mac5,1 but I am unable to find a reference to its meaning by googling it. Can someone explain the meaning of the 'c' designation and origin of its use?

 

[h9826790]

C = Classic

 

[Weaselboy]

I have seen the "cMP" mentioned many times in other threads which apparently refers to the Mac5,1 but I am unable to find a reference to its meaning by googling it. Can someone explain the meaning of the 'c' designation and origin of its use?

I think it is just an informal thing that evolved here on the forums. The cMP is the "classic" older model and the nMP is the new (n) model.

 

[QuickstartBridg]

Using PCIe card based SSD

Thanks for the explanation. It appears the 'c' designation is not specific to the MacPro5,1

I hadn't considered using a PCIe card because I had the unfounded feeling that its installation and use was a magical process that I wasn't capable of undertaking. After Lou's and MVC's suggestions, I reviewed some YouTube videos, such as https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hs4NnND7is , and discovered that it is almost as easy as plugging into a SATA II slot with an adapter sled. I can still use the same Samsung 840 EVO 1TB I already have with the additional purchase of a SATA III PCIe card that isn't terribly expensive - i.e. $89.99 at B&H for Apricorn Velocity Solo x2 Extreme Performance SSD. I would remove the SSD from the SATA II sled and install on the PCIe card. I wouldn't have to reformat the SSD and restore again from the HD - just use the current state of the SSD which already clones the HD and is capable of booting.

Although my wife likes the snappier opening of her applications and I like the decreased noise (only fan) as it is, it would be fun to do some additional surgery on her MAC and see if I can improve the disk speed to the 450MB/sec range and the boot times.

 

[flowrider]

I can still use the same Samsung 840 EVO 1TB I already have with the additional purchase of a SATA III PCIe card that isn't terribly expensive - i.e. $89.99 at B&H for Apricorn Velocity Solo x2 Extreme Performance SSD. I would remove the SSD from the SATA II sled and install on the PCIe card. I wouldn't have to reformat the SSD and restore again from the HD - just use the current state of the SSD which already clones the HD and is capable of booting.

You are correct - That's the procedure, it's really pretty easy. The only caveat, if you need to update the firmware on the EVO, it can't be done on the card, it needs to be mounted directly to one of the internal SATA II ports.

Firmware updates are here:

http://www.samsung.com/global/business/semiconductor/samsungssd/downloads.html

But, from your screenshots, it appears your EVO has the latest firmware. However, there are rumors of updated firmware coming out at the end of October.

Lou

 

[QuickstartBridg]

Lou,

Thanks for the link. Yes, I see that I have the latest firmware - EXT0BB6Q. I was aware of the update coming soon. I will use your link to check it later in the month. I don't think the update is as critical for me now since there has been so little activity on this new SSD but would be helpful to prevent future issues with decreasing speed.

And thanks for the encouragement that the PCIe installation is easy.

Brian

 

[QuickstartBridg]

Installed SSD on Apricorn Velocity Solo x2

Hi Lou and MVC,

As you recommended, I reinstalled the Samsung 840 EVO 1TB SSD on an Apricorn Velocity Solo X2 in an x4 PCIe slot. It increased my Blackmagic Speed Test to 457.5/484.9 .

HD in slot 1 111.0/110.0
SSD in slot 1/HD in slot 2 257.4/269.2
SSD in PCIe /HD in slot 2 457.5/484.9

Applications open even more snappily and there is no disk access noise.

Now the bad news. Boot time is still prolonged with the SSD selected as the startup drive; in fact, longer than with the HD alone.
HD in slot 1 110 sec
SSD in PCIe/HD in slot 2 130sec

Lou, you have indicated your boot time is 30-32 sec. Do you or anyone have a suggestion of how to improve the boot time?

Thanks,
Brian