Questions tagged [ssd]

Solid State Disk, a generic term for computer storage devices that have no moving parts and do not involve a "hard disk". A hard disk, in contrast, is a device incorporating a spinning platter or platters that store information magnetically.

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85 votes
3 answers
152k views

Does FileVault encryption slow read/write access on an SSD?

Never fancied enabling FileVault on previous Macs but now I'm running OS X on an SSD. Is there a noticeable decrease in speed?
57 votes
4 answers
150k views

Do MacBooks support NVMe SSD drives via the use of a Sintech adapter?

My question: Can anyone confirm or disprove the support of NVMe drives (like the Samsung 960) by the Sintech M.2 PCIe SSD MacBook adapters for macOS Sierra and High Sierra, or would you have any ...
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55 votes
15 answers
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Why would I disable swap file in Mac OS X?

I came across a thread about installing an SSD drive in MacBook Pro. Someone in the comments also recommended to disable the swap file but didn't say why: sudo launchctl unload -w /System/Library/...
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55 votes
6 answers
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Can I make a DIY Fusion Drive?

I have a Mac Mini with two drives: a 256GB SSD and a 500GB HDD. From what I've read, the new Fusion Drive does all of it's magic in software, using the Core Storage APIs. Can I get my setup to ...
39 votes
3 answers
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How to securely erase an SSD drive?

I'm pretty new to SSD technology, so I don't know how it compares to hard drives when it comes to securely erasing the drive. Is it enough to run Disk Utility and erase the drive with the option "...
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36 votes
11 answers
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Macbook pro stuck on 'About a second remaining' for an hour

I'm trying to upgrade my Macbook pro late 2011's hard disk to an SSD from Corsair. I have inserted the USB stick with the OSX Mavericks installer, and everything went great: I made a GUID single ...
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32 votes
4 answers
12k views

Optimize macbook pro for internal SSD+HDD drives

I upgraded my MacBook Pro by replacing the SuperDrive with an SSD. I'm now using the SSD as the boot volume and have all my applications. My home folder is on the HDD. My question is how to best ...
30 votes
4 answers
71k views

Why is a secure erase 'not necessary' for SSD's?

I'm about to trade in a 2010 MacBook Pro with an SSD. However, I'm unable to do a Secure Erase from the recovery disk (as I used to do with mechanical hard drives before selling or giving away a ...
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30 votes
3 answers
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How to know whether Mac has SSD or HDD installed

How do I know whether my Mac has a SSD or HDD installed without having to literally open my Mac? PS. Is there anyway to know it from Disk Utility?
user avatar
29 votes
9 answers
49k views

Is there a way to securely erase an SSD on my MacBook Air?

I have a late 2011 MacBook Air with an SSD and Lion. I used it for a while and then I activated FileVault 2. Now the data is encrypted, but I need to securely erase it so I can sell the computer. I ...
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27 votes
3 answers
225k views

Is "flash storage" the same "SSD"?

I'm looking to see if the two are interchangeable and if not what the differences are. If the two in fact have a difference, perhaps adding devices or cases where each are normally used over the ...
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26 votes
4 answers
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MBP SSD upgrade - which settings to change?

After replacing the harddisk drive in MacBook Pro with a Solid State Disk I am wondering which settings I should change and how. Thinking of things that are supposed to protect the SSD like ...
22 votes
5 answers
17k views

Why do I get different Available/Used spaces with Disk Info and df?

I have an early '13 MBP running Mavericks. Today, I got a SSD external drive today, and moved my virtual machines and Lightroom catalog files over to it to free up disk space, since 256GB goes fast. ...
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22 votes
7 answers
36k views

Is RAM upgrade worth it if I have an SSD already?

I recently purchased a Macbook Pro. I had an SSD from my last computer which I formatted, installed into my Mac, and used as my one and only HD (I don't need that much space so I didn't opt to do the ...
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18 votes
5 answers
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Does the use of SSD give one a dramatic performance boost?

I use Mac book pro 15", and it's time to buy a new one. For HDD, now I see a new option of SSD, which is pretty expensive. I can expect shorter boot-up time and faster access of files, but I'm not ...
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18 votes
2 answers
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Installing High Sierra on OWC Aura SSD - missing firmware partition

I have an early 2015 Macbook Pro running Mac OS Yosemite. Last year I replaced the Mac's internal 500GB SSD with a OWC Aura 1TB SSD. Everything has worked fine up to now, although the OS still ...
17 votes
4 answers
86k views

Changing SSD's and keeping everything

I have a mid 2010 13" MBP. I have an SSD, its not big enough so I am upgrading from 128GB to 256GB. How can I take everything from the current SSD and then upload it to the new SSD - effectively ...
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17 votes
5 answers
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How much data has been written to my SSD over its lifetime?

Is there a Terminal command which will show me how many GB has been written to my SSD through the whole lifetime of the disk? I'm asking because I want to find out how many cycles have been done. SSD ...
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17 votes
3 answers
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Does the “Put hard disks to sleep when possible.” option in macOS have any affect on SSD drives?

I completely understand the value of putting a hard disk (specifically) to sleep in some cases especially in the pre-SSD days of the past. It can save power, lower noise and such. But in the case of ...
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16 votes
5 answers
14k views

Is a 3-5 second delay normal for a Retina MacBook Pro to wake up from sleep?

For 3 days, I now got a new rMBP. I am a first time Mac user. I had a friend with a MBP and it usually wakes up in a mere second, as soon as he opens the laptop's lid up. However in my Retina MBP, it ...
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16 votes
1 answer
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Is defragmenting an SSD drive a bad idea?

I have heard that defragmenting SSD drives will shorten the life span of a drive. Just wondering if there is any truth to this and if so could someone elaborate as to why this happens.
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16 votes
2 answers
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Trying to securely erase hard drive, but Security Options not available (Mavericks)

Recently got a new Macbook Pro 13″ and I'm preparing my old Macbook Air for sale. I'm following steps in the Apple Support article on this topic (as well as other similar articles I've found). I'm ...
16 votes
2 answers
6k views

WhatsApp using huge space on my Mac SSD

My parents gave me a MacBook for Christmas with a 256GB SSD and a few days ago I notice I only have 40GB left on the SSD. I tried researching this and according to this question (How can I figure out ...
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Will changing my harddrive to a SSD void my MBP 2011 warranty?

I want to upgrade my harddrive to a SSD. Does apple offer this service? I was going to do it myself, since its easy. Does this void my warranty?
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16 votes
3 answers
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What happens at the user/OS level when an SSD finally wears out?

I have been reading up on SSD technology current as of 2011 and don't know of any first hand reports on what happens when an SSD eventually fails due to over use. I am most interested in the SSD that ...
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16 votes
1 answer
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Change APFS Volume to case sensitive

I have a macbook pro with 1TB internal glued flash drive, of which around 600GB are full. I would like to change the volume format from APFS (case insensitive, encrypted) to APFS (case sensitive, ...
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15 votes
6 answers
74k views

Cloning a half-full 500 GB drive to a 256 GB SSD drive

Before I buy a new SSD, I wanted to see if the following is possible: I have a 500 GB HD in my MacBook Pro that is using only 240 gigs. Can I clone this to a 256 GB SSD drive? (My goal is to replace ...
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15 votes
4 answers
5k views

Reformat Mac SSD drive so fast - did it really work?

I followed the directions here for erasing my 500 GB SSD drive on a MacBook Pro: How to reinstall macOS I chose the strongest erasing option under the security options. I hit the erase button, and ...
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14 votes
5 answers
45k views

Is there a utility for mac that shows the information of an SSD like the health etc…?

I am wondering if there is a utility for the mac that allows you to see the details of an SSD like the health of the drive, TBW (total bites written), how many running hours etc... In researching for ...
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14 votes
1 answer
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Replacing SuperDrive with secondary storage?

I'm familiar with the OWC Data Doubler, a kit which allows you to remove your Macbook's SuperDrive and replace it with secondary storage. What alternatives exist for this product? A complete answer ...
13 votes
5 answers
50k views

How long will an Apple SSD last?

Like all tools, an SSD will wear out from use and eventually fail. Are there data on roughly how long the SSD's that Apple ships in it's portable line last? From my research, it seems that the ...
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13 votes
4 answers
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How can I avoid an error preparing macOS Monterey installation on a Mac with an OWC Aura Pro x2 SSD?

I have a 1TB OWC Aura Pro X2 on my MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015) model. I'm currently running macOS BigSur 11.6.1. When I tried to upgrade to macOS Monterey the update fails with a generic ...
13 votes
2 answers
18k views

How to know if Drive is SSD or HDD through Terminal?

I would like to know if there is a way through Terminal commands in Mac OS X to find out if an external drive is SSD or HDD.
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13 votes
2 answers
7k views

Do MacBook Air's SSDs fail?

I have seen many discussions describing SSD as fail-prone. I have read Jeff Atwood's warnings. Portman Wills' experiment looks alarming: Super Talent 32 GB SSD, failed after 137 days OCZ Vertex 1 ...
13 votes
5 answers
8k views

How to keep an SSD in shape on Yosemite?

As of OS X 10.10, Apple uses kext signing. Ever since it has become difficult and dangerous to manually activate TRIM for third-party SSDs on OS X. That means users with non-Apple SSDs will sooner or ...
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13 votes
3 answers
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APFS Errors: fsck can't repair

TL;DR Asked the same question on Apple communities, nothing useful. Find the post here: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/8123614 bash-3.2# fsck_apfs -d -l /dev/disk5 fletcher64_init:58: ...
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12 votes
7 answers
155k views

OS X Internet Recovery Globe stuck

I've deleted my recovery disk; or you can say more accurately, I've completely erased, by mistake, my SSD. Now, my only option is to recover via Internet, but the globe on Internet recovery keeps ...
12 votes
2 answers
3k views

Will FileVault 2 wear out my SSD faster?

I'm considering using FileVault 2 when I upgrade to Lion. Though my understanding of it is weak, it seems as though it shouldn't really increase the number of reads or writes per disk operation ...
11 votes
4 answers
35k views

Is it possible to enable TRIM for an external SSD?

I have an iMac from 2011, Mac OS X 10.6.8, and an SDD in a FW800/USB3 case. Which interface can let me enable TRIM: USB2, USB3, FW800 or Thunderbolt ?
11 votes
6 answers
31k views

MacOS High Sierra: An error occurred while verifying firmware

I have a Mid 2011 iMac currently running MacOS 10.12 Sierra. It’s not my main machine, but I would like to install 10.13 on it. Updating starts smoothly enough, but when it comes to restarting, I get ...
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11 votes
1 answer
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Power Nap support

I read that Power Nap coming with Mac OS Mountain Lion will require a Mac notebooks with flash storage. Do they mean that by upgrading an early 2011 MacBook Pro to a Crucial M4 SSD would allow Power ...
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11 votes
2 answers
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Can the data on an MacBook Pro SSD be recovered after formatting using Disk Utility

My MacBook Pro is going to a new owner and I want to be certain the data is adequately erased on the internal SSD (PCIe flash). There are two Stack Exchange questions/answers that appear to present ...
11 votes
2 answers
8k views

Tool for determining performance bottleneck

I am using my early 2011 MacBook Pro for iOS development, Photoshop work, and the like, and it is at times quite sluggish. Is there a tool that I can just run for a day, and then look at the ...
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10 votes
3 answers
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How can I upgrade MacBook Pro disk space?

I have a fairly new MBP with a 256 GB SSD. I am running out of disk space now. Most of it is being used by Pictures and Music and I have done all the cleaning I could. What's the best way to upgrade ...
10 votes
3 answers
8k views

What happens when you remove (or lose) the SSD from a Fusion Drive?

After storing data on a Fusion Drive, is it possible to downgrade your Mac to use the hard drive (HDD) by just removing the solid state drive (SSD)? In particular, I was wondering what happens when ...
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10 votes
2 answers
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Is it possible to manually TRIM the unused blocks (free space) for an existing APFS volume?

When migrating a MacBook from HDD to SSD, I did a block-level copy using dd. I believe for optimal flash lifetime and performance, it would be the best to issue a TRIM for every unused block in the ...
10 votes
3 answers
9k views

Turning off hibernate on a mid 2012 MacBook Pro with an SSD

I've been reading several articles on the Internet how to "optimize your Mac with an SSD". I'm not sure whether or not to agree with the articles because I think that Apple knows what's the best ...
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9 votes
10 answers
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What is the benefit of using flash memory in the Macbook Air?

I don't understand why Apple does not use SSD drives in the Macbook Air like some other manufacturers to (e.g. Asus, Samsung). The technical specifications of the Macbook Air on Apple's website never ...
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9 votes
6 answers
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What is spotlight indexing and should I turn it off?

So I want to know what indexing really does, from my understanding it keeps tabs on where all your documents are at. I use spotlight all the time to look for different files or to open programs, and I ...
9 votes
4 answers
5k views

Does FileVault 2 interfere with TRIM when using an SSD?

Let's assume I have an SSD that supports TRIM-supported drive, and I create a single encrypted partition that fills the entire disk (minus the obligatory GUID and recovery partitions). Is FileVault 2 ...
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