I don't understand the Fusion Drive

[utekineir]

Not sure if this has been mentioned in the thread, but my understanding is that because you have a 2012 Mac Mini, your only choice will be the fusion setup when you have a SSD and HDD internally. That is, disk utility forces you to 'fix' it (from my experience) to make it a fusion drive.

What i did is install the os on the ssd while connected via usb. No issues maintaining a separation.

 

[50voltphantom]

This has been beat to death, clearly. But if I may add something...

I really don't think Fusion Drive is for the "ultra mainstream consumer". For one, it is a BTO option. You don't really buy it without understanding it. I think the whole concept is a great example of the classic Macintosh mindset where you just let the machine handle it, simple, no-worries..."it just works". It handles the grunt work for you. Do you REALLY need to waste time fiddling around with file management when it can be handled in software (up to 120GB) anyway?

I love all the bad press saying Apple stopped innovating in 2011....blah blah blah. No one else had the vision to market a "best of both worlds" product (executed with existing hardware and SOFTWARE being the killer component!). There are plenty of reasons to hate on Apple, but things like Fusion drive are a shining example of why they are a great company.

Are you theoretically doubling you chance of failure using Fusion drive? I suppose, but we all should be backing up our systems anyway. Moot point as far as I'm concerned...

I couldn't be happier with Fusion drive.

 

[ChrisA]

awseome! thanks for the explanation. yeah..i would rather manage my files manually so i will stick with my original plan

Why? You can't possibly manage what goes where as well as the software can. You will put an entire app in one place even if some of the files are never used. The software will measure usage and place what get used most one the faster location.

Place it yourself if it makes you feel empowered but if you are after best over all performance let the software figure it out. It works at a lower leveland will decide block by block.

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... let the machine handle it, simple, no-worries..."it just works". It handles the grunt work for you. Do you REALLY need to waste time fiddling around with file management when it can be handled in software (up to 120GB) anyway?

Even if you had all the time in the world to fiddle with this you still simply can't do what fusion does. If you work at it your self you have to move large chunks of data to one place or the other but fusion can decide at a lower level and only moves tiny bits of data

 

[dapitts08]

I saw a post somewhere I think from philipma about how to set up an unfused setup of a SSD and HDD in the current Mac Mini if you want to take that path.

Sorry if this has been mentioned already.

if this is indeed true...by chance can you link me to the thread...i searched here and could not find anything...my mac mini and ssd are due to arrive today so i will need to make a decision ASAP...thanks.

 

[dapitts08]

Why? You can't possibly manage what goes where as well as the software can. You will put an entire app in one place even if some of the files are never used. The software will measure usage and place what get used most one the faster location.

Place it yourself if it makes you feel empowered but if you are after best over all performance let the software figure it out. It works at a lower leveland will decide block by block.

i have a separate drive for any project files so fusion doesn't benefit me from that perspective. if i am working on a specific project that i need the horsepower for i would rather be able to choose the ssd for it rather than let some algorithm figure it out.

the internal 1TB will only house media (tv shows, movies and music) and possibly a clone of the ssd. i don't see any benefit to having the media files moved to the ssd in the fusion setup.

so for me, separate drives makes the most sense.

 

[philipma1957]

Still, can we agree linking drives introduces a greater risk, and there are advantages to maintaining distinct volumes for different purposes, rather than a conglomerated hodgepodge.

The last i was reading fusion was nice and all and fantastic in the mainstream market it is intended for, but gave no real tangible advantage for someone who doesn't have a mental hurdle when it comes to working with more than one hard drive.

Not saying there aren't upsides to fusion, just the upsides have a distinct diminishing returns the more comfortable you are with managing a computer.

Actually I don't agree with you. but your gear is your gear and my gear is my gear. I am getting a 1tb ssd from crucial next week and I am putting it in fusion with a 1tb 7200rpm hdd from host. giving me a 1.96 tb fusion drive.

I will then have 1 time machine and 2 clones of the fusion in a pegasus r 6. Set it and forget it for a few years. But thats my choice. I have so much other stuff to tweak with> That I could not care less about tweaking my files from hdd to hdd. I will have an auto tm an auto clone on wed and an auto clone on sun.

 

[Santabean2000]

i would rather not unecessarily write to the ssd....why would i add that wear and tear to the ssd just to use the additional storage....i get that from my external...i didn't buy the ssd to increase my storage...that is what the 1TB internal and any externals i add are for...

You're not going to wear out your SSD before you'll want to upgrade your computer.

do you have an article like that which specifically addresses the samsung 840 series (non-pro) 250 gig? if so, I would be interested in seeing what the life span is for the specific drive I have over a generalization. for instance, from what i have read the life cycle for the samsung pro is longer than the regular series.

The Pro is rated for longer, but its the speed jump that is the defining difference.

Actually I don't agree with you. but your gear is your gear and my gear is my gear. I am getting a 1tb ssd from crucial next week and I am putting it in fusion with a 1tb 7200rpm hdd from host. giving me a 1.96 tb fusion drive.

I will then have 1 time machine and 2 clones of the fusion in a pegasus r 6. Set it and forget it for a few years. But thats my choice. I have so much other stuff to tweak with> That I could not care less about tweaking my files from hdd to hdd. I will have an auto tm an auto clone on wed and an auto clone on sun.

Exactly! Thisˆ is what the aim of the game is.

 

[utekineir]

I have so much other stuff to tweak with> That I could not care less about tweaking my files from hdd to hdd.

Op said he uses external for work.

Media folder
Photos/Home videos
Downloads?

2-4 items or folders and a redirect with itunes, photo software, etc, Done. Not exactly building the ark.

Takes more time to get the mail.

Actually I don't agree with you. but your gear is your gear and my gear is my gear

Thanks for saying it without being a dink like the other guy at the start of the thread.

 

[Fishrrman]

"my understanding is that because you have a 2012 Mac Mini, your only choice will be the fusion setup when you have a SSD and HDD internally. That is, disk utility forces you to 'fix' it (from my experience) to make it a fusion drive."

Not correct.

You can easily maintain an SSD and an HDD internally in the Mini as "separate drives".

What you CANNOT do is run Disk Utility from the recovery partition.

If you do that, DU will "see" the two separate drives as "broken fusion", and try to "meld" them back into a fusion setup, whether you like it or not.

The solution is to NEVER run Disk Utility from the recovery partition, if you have such a setup.

In fact, I did away with the recovery partition altogether when I added an SSD to my Mini setup (that SDD is booted exernally, however). With a completely bootable backup kept online and mounted at all times, the recovery partition serves no purpose to me.

 

[philipma1957]

Op said he uses external for work.

Media folder
Photos/Home videos
Downloads?

2-4 items or folders and a redirect with itunes, photo software, etc, Done. Not exactly building the ark.

Takes more time to get the mail.





Thanks for saying it without being a dink like the other guy at the start of the thread.

your welcome.

I wrote it based on how I used to tweak files all over the place. The internet can be too nasty. So on a good day I try To make it better.

 

[dapitts08]

Downloads?

this is the one folder i haven't completely decided where i want to do with.

i am anal about cleaning out my downloads folder so i am not worried about it getting cluttered.....

i will likely leave it on the ssd since most of my downloads come from my plex set up and i have the files set to move automatically to the appropriate folder after being downloaded.

btw - i'm a chick