SSD Performance Questions

Question

I've just ordered a MBP 2.4Ghz with 7200rpm 750GB drive, I will be adding either a single 8GB memory stick (total of 10GB) or a 16GB kit.  I'm looking for my first SSD use as a boot drive for OSX and potentially Win 7 in BootCamp and hope I can get some counsel on model selection and configuration.
I read that SSDs suffer a performance drop (sometimes significant) as the drive fills up.  Also there are both 256GB and 240GB drives.  Ideally I'd like to avoid the frustration associated with seeing performance drop and maximize my formatted capacity.
1)  Are there models that maintain performance over time?  Is there a specification that indicates how performance drops as the drive fills up?
2)  Is there a performance difference (current / long-term) between 256 and 240GB drives?
3)  Does an abundance of RAM improve performance and / or longevity? 
4)  How much space (if any) should be kept free for swap files in OSX / Windows?
5)  With 240 / 256GB SSDs, how much usable space is available after formatting?
6)  Is there a difference in performance based on file format NTFS vs. HPS+?
7)  Do I need to be concerned about major name brands (Intel, Samsung, OCZ, Kingston, etc.) being incompatible with MBPs?
8)  Are some SSDs easier to install / configure / maintain on a MBP than others?
9)  Are there any issues I should be aware of regarding the installation or use of a SSD that would impact my MBP's warranty?
Based on performance, reliability and 5-year warranty, I've been attracted to the Intel 520.  I've also read good reports on the Samsung 830.  One review indicated that the 830 maintained performance over time while the 520 experienced a significantly greater drop.  True?
I can buy either drive in the $330 range.  Here on the forum I've read many recommendations for the OWC drives and support.  For comparable performance and a 5-year warranty, it looks like the Extreme Pro would be the model to buy, however, at $460 it is 50% more expensive.  Thoughts?
Thanks in advance!  This is the kind of purchase that I can only make once every 5-years, so I really appreciate any help.
JD

Answer 1

kayakjunkie wrote:
I've just ordered a MBP 2.4Ghz with 7200rpm 750GB drive, I will be adding either a single 8GB memory stick (total of 10GB) or a 16GB kit.
Your performance with the large 16GB should outweigh any drawback the 7,200 RPM drive or even a 5,400 RPM drive unless you start swaping then the 7,200 shoud be fine enough.
The SSD is good for transfering large data sets off the machine, to another SSD, but little benefit on the same machine with most files as they are small so you don't see any benefit really in most day to day operations. If you had low RAM then the SSD would help with a faster memory swap. As you know SSD's wear out faster than hard drives.
I'm looking for my first SSD use as a boot drive for OSX and potentially Win 7 in BootCamp and hope I can get some counsel on model selection and configuration.
Here's the speed demon chart, note the fastest ones are smaller in capacity
http://www.harddrivebenchmark.net/high_end_drives.html
Again, unless your transfering large data to a external SSD via Thunderbolt on a constant basis (and can afford to replace the worn out SSD's) then a SSD as a boot drive really isn't worth it for most computers if you have a large amount of RAM.
It used to be with 32bit processors/OS , 3.5GB RAM limits, that having a fast boot drive mattered in day to day because of the faster memory swap, but not anymore. My 4GB with  5,400 RPM stock is fast enough, but I will be getting 16GB soon for my virtual machine OS's.
I read that SSDs suffer a performance drop (sometimes significant) as the drive fills up.  Also there are both 256GB and 240GB drives.  Ideally I'd like to avoid the frustration associated with seeing performance drop and maximize my formatted capacity.
Hard drives do this too because the files have to be broken up more to fit into tiny spaces.
Hard drives also suffer a bit past the 50% filled as the sectors get smaller.
I use my 750GB partitioned 50/50, A cloned to B so I can option boot either as I won't use the second 50% of the drive day to day as it's too slow for my tastes.
IMO 250GB is too small for a drive with Windows too, the fastest 500GB SSD would be better $$$. better balance of speed and onboard storage.
1)  Are there models that maintain performance over time?  Is there a specification that indicates how performance drops as the drive fills up?
2)  Is there a performance difference (current / long-term) between 256 and 240GB drives?Not that I know of.
Not that I know of.
3)  Does an abundance of RAM improve performance and / or longevity?
Yes, more RAM = less swapping to the SSD means it will last longer and run faster.
4)  How much space (if any) should be kept free for swap files in OSX / Windows?
I would suggest 25% for a SSD should be free space, ideally 50% filled for a hard drive, but to 75% max is likely more realistic for most people.
6)  Is there a difference in performance based on file format NTFS vs. HPS+?
You will have little choice of format for OS X or Windows, OS X needs HFS+ and Windows needs NTFS.
If you do a third partition (hard) then exFAT would likely be the best choice for both OS's to access.
7)  Do I need to be concerned about major name brands (Intel, Samsung, OCZ, Kingston, etc.) being incompatible with MBPs?
8)  Are some SSDs easier to install / configure / maintain on a MBP than others?
Not that I know of.
9)  Are there any issues I should be aware of regarding the installation or use of a SSD that would impact my MBP's warranty?
Just don't break anything doing so, as one is allowed to replace the RAM/storage. However the warranty/AppleCare doesn't cover the newley added items of course.
http://eshop.macsales.com/installvideos/
Based on performance, reliability and 5-year warranty, I've been attracted to the Intel 520.  I've also read good reports on the Samsung 830.  One review indicated that the 830 maintained performance over time while the 520 experienced a significantly greater drop.  True?
Performance isn't going to matter unless your dealing with large amounts of data on a constant basis, a long warranty is always good. But SSD's have no moving parts that I know of, so...easy to give a 5 year warranty. IMO.
Look here
http://www.harddrivebenchmark.net/
I can buy either drive in the $330 range.  Here on the forum I've read many recommendations for the OWC drives and support.  For comparable performance and a 5-year warranty, it looks like the Extreme Pro would be the model to buy, however, at $460 it is 50% more expensive.  Thoughts?
OWC is good, but your basically doing all the work anyway so you can choose to install what you want if you find a faster/larger SSD someplace else.
You need to learn how Lion Recovery Partition works, there are no OS X install disks anymore, it'a all on a partition to boot to install Lion. If you remove the drive, you need to install Lion somehow again right?
Carbon Copy Cloner, clones your entire Lion and Lion Recovery Partition to a external drive, can option boot from it and it's the same thing. Reverse clone onto the new SSD.
Other info you will need.
https://support.apple.com/kb/HT4718
https://support.apple.com/kb/dl1433
http://osxdaily.com/2011/08/08/lion-recovery-disk-assistant-tool-makes-external- lion-boot-recovery-drives/
A option is you can choose is after you installed Windows in Bootcamp (as the machine won't boot a Windows disk from a external optical drive) on the SSD and used WinClone to clone Bootcamp for backup, is to replace the Superdrive with a kit and place the hard drive there for partitioning and storage.
This way the SSD stays unchanged and fast, the hard drive takes all the work of the users files, changes etc, places the wear and tear on that instead.
The Superdrive goes into a enclosure (sold with the kit) and is a external optical drive.
This modification will of course void your warranty/Applecare.
For more information, see Bmer (Dave Merten) over at MacOwnersSupportGroup as he has done this and knows all the tricks.