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While introducing the new ridiculously thin iMac, Apple also revealed its new Fusion Drive. What is it? It’s a new storage system that supposedly combines the best of SSD and HDD. Basically, the speed of a SSD with the storage space of a big spinning HDD.
The Fusion Drive is made of a 128GB SSD and a 1TB or 3TB HDD that’s fused into a single volume through software. How does it work? Apple says it can figure out which apps and stuff you use the most and shift those apps onto the SSD while keeping other less frequently used apps on the HDD. Basically, the OS and your core apps are zippy fast on the SSD while documents are on the HDD.
During the keynote, Apple demonstrated how Fusion Drive would work if you’re a heavy Aperture user. Aperture would be moved to the SSD storage side and would perform nearly 3.5x faster (over the old spinning disk of HDD) and nearly matches traditional, SSD-only storage.
Of course, hybrid drives and smart caching and things like that aren’t exactly brand new. Fusion Drive is just Apple branding something that already exists.
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So it’s basically a Hybrid Drive?
No its a Fusion drive… /s
According to Wikipedia Samsung came up with this 5 years ago.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hybrid_drive
Apple should sue.
According to this, it isn’t just a hybrid drive. There is no duplication.
http://www.macobserver.com/tmo/article/digging-into-fusion-drive-details?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
Of course it is, its a total rip off of the idea, you have flash, and physical in the same box. The fact it’s done through software is a bad thing.
Hmm, I disagree with you there. It doesn’t duplicate your files it physcially moves them over. Rather than just copying it over.
As for software being the management part of it, I don’t see a problem with it.
Ahh, so you don’t even get data redundency if your SSD fails?
Nice.
Or you use one of the best backup systems out there. Time machine.
Which requires you to spend an extra ~£100.
Nice.
You just need an external drive. Several if you want to be really sure about your backups.
Getting software to run it is less reliable than hardware. As for what the (in the case of the traditional method) firmware does, is somewhat immaterial in terms of the physical device. I’ve no experience of time machine, but a redundant backup is always helpful.
Intel Smart Response Technology?
“Works automatically”
Because I have to wind up my hard drive each time it’s used. I have to jump start my SSD. My graphics card runs on solar power and my processor’s power is brought in by tidal waters. It’s like they’re intentionally trying to look retarded.
Can’t wait for the pricing as well. A good, reliable 128GB Samsung (seriously, they are one of the best SSD manufacturers) SSD sets you back £70, a TB HDD will set you back roughly £60. I estimate this to be priced around £500.
Remember boys, it’s still just a caching SSD drive, if you want SSD speeds, buy an SSD.
Your lucky, I only have a hamster in a wheel to start my HDD and he is a lazy fucker too
You’re lucky, I have to hand crank my HDD.
You’re lucky, your phone didn’t autocorrect you’re to your and make you look like a douche
You’re lucky you have a phone with autocorrect, I’m typing this on my typewriter. I lol’d though.
What I want to know is how locked down this will be. I’ve stuck an SSD in my Mac Mini along with the original hard drive, and I would be nice to be able to merge the volumes with Fusion. I highly doubt it will work straight out of the box, but it would be nice if a hack to enable it comes out
Basicly its an SSD and a HDD each using 1 sata connector (so 2 in total) and the computer treats them as one. Its done by the chipset so there will not be a hack.
This has been around for ages, and the performance is really not worth the price tag. For that price you might as well get a SSD and some cloud storage for the bigger stuff (like songs and movies). Better yet, mod your laptop to hold a SSD and a HDD like mine. Install all of your programs on the SSD, but keep your other files in the HDD.
Basically it’s Automatic Data Aware Tiering, Drobo had this in their B1200i for ages and in the Thunderbolt products recently.
I wonder how Fusion IO will feel about Apple appropriating their trademark? Oh, that’s right, Apple are allowed to steal, Steve said so himself, but no-one else is…