TRIM Support in Mac SSD

I have a 2 year old Macbookpro.

I installed Crucial SSD 256GB C300 type, this SSD has native TRIM support (necessary).

OS10.6.

Trim support is easily to install for every SSD, not only the Apple SSD's:

update the

IOAHCIFamily.kext

file to level 2.05 this is the mbp2011 level), use Trimenabler app and it is done.

read:

http://www.groths.org/?page_id=322

http://www.hardmac.com/news/2011/03/27/the-universal-solution-to-activate-trim

Good Luck,

Lexxie

I just received a 2011 MacBook Pro 15 with the 256GB SSD and here's what it says in the System Profiler:

TRIM Support: Yes

IT's running MAC OS X 10.6.7

This is only available if you buy the SSD from Apple at the time of purchase (through www.apple.com).

as I said:

All MacbookPro's

Non-Apple SSD's

(I installed Crucial SSD 256GB C300 type, this SSD has native TRIM support (necessary), OS10.6 (and OS10.6.7).

Trim support is easily to install for EVERY ssd, NOT ONLY the Apple SSD's:

use TrimEnabler app and it is done.

READ:

http://www.groths.org/?page_id=322

http://www.hardmac.com/news/2011/03/27/the-universal-solution-to-activate-trim

Good Luck,

Lexxie

.

So to summarise:

(1) TRIM better than over-provisioning with Sandforce controllers, because it doesn't take away 7 to 28% of a drives native disc space (eg. those OWC drives are actually taking a 256GB down to usable space of 240GB — thus money spent on the 7% over provisioning, rather than actual usable drive space!).

(2) In 10.6.x Snow Leopard, **native** TRIM is only supported in Apple's own pre-intalled SSDs.

(3) However **non-native** TRIM support can be activated (in 10.6.x Snow Leopard) using third party software (at your own risk – though I presume from reading that it has been confirmed to work fine?).

(4) In 10.7.x Lion, TRIM will (almost certainly) be supported natively by Apple for other non-Apple SSD manufacturers that support it on their ranges of SSD drives.

(5) And even after all the above: even if you currently run an Apple machine with any SSD in it, any likely slow-down is probably not going to be very much of an issue anyway, as the speed loss is only a relatively small percentage. (still better to have TRIM though, obviously.)

Have I got all this right. (Please confirm if wrong in any of my understanding here.)

If so, I'll wait until probably first quarter next year to update to a new MBP with an SSD either from Apple directly or more likely from a cheaper (thus can afford larger-size) third-party one. (likely, the 17" unibodies will get full refresh then too, being exactly 3 years from Mar.2009 when the first unibody 17" arrived I currently use ;-)

This is in reference to my 2010 MBA, but it seemed to me that the issues were the same and I didn't want to clog up one of the forums by starting a whole new thread.

I have a 256GB MBA with one of the Toshiba drives (model # TS256C). It does not have TRIM support enabled, but I believe that these drives are capable of TRIM support.

I'm trying to decide whether to whether to install Trim Enabler, as outlined in this Lifehacker article (although at this point this may be a moot question because the Trim Enabler download page reads "We'll be back soon").

I've had an intensely difficult time figuring out some basic issues because whenever I enter in search terms (like, say, "TS256C" "Trim support" SSD "MacBook Air," or whatever) I get a bunch of forums where people are essentially asking the exact same thing.

Like:

* Do the Toshiba 256 drives have garbage collection?

* I know that Trim support is supposed to be coming in OSX 10.7 but only for Apple SSDs. This sounds like an obvious question, but since the TS is described in System Profiler as "Apple SSD TS256C," does this count as an "Apple" SSD?

Nothing on the Lifehacker post, or on the HardMac post linked above, or on this OSX Daily post. This CNet post, meanwhile, seemed to strongly indicate that enabling Trim wouldn't make a huge difference...but brought up something called "DiskTester" (which costs $40) that can be used to "recondition" SSDs.

Performance/speed is a big issue for me, but I can't tell 1) what my options are or 2) if any of them are worthwhile...and any help of thoughts would be much appreciated.

thanks.

There is a lot of good reading here and some of you seem to be up to speed on details. But one thing I can't fully grasp.

If I install a SSD today and TRIM is not used I will see a degradation (I did on a old SSD at least).

Can I take the old SSD and run with TRIM - will that regain speed?

In the same perspective - If I install a SSD today (Mac OS 10.6.7 but with traditional HD - no TRIM). It may degrade but when 10.7 comes and TRIM kicks in - will it regain speed? Will TRIM enabled later recover a SSD where TRIM has not been done?

Anyone?

27mando wrote:

* I know that Trim support is supposed to be coming in OSX 10.7 but only for Apple SSDs. This sounds like an obvious question, but since the TS is described in System Profiler as "Apple SSD TS256C," does this count as an "Apple" SSD?

Please read points 2/3/4 I made above again, as you have read this wrong.

SSD's provided by Apple in their 10.6.x machines support TRIM now; non-Apple supplied SSD's do not until 10.7.x.

jimthing wrote:

27mando wrote:

* I know that Trim support is supposed to be coming in OSX 10.7 but only for Apple SSDs. This sounds like an obvious question, but since the TS is described in System Profiler as "Apple SSD TS256C," does this count as an "Apple" SSD?

Please read points 2/3/4 I made above again, as you have read this wrong.

SSD's provided by Apple in their 10.6.x machines support TRIM now; non-Apple supplied SSD's do not until 10.7.x.

got it -- i wasn't expressing myself well. what i meant was that in OSX 10.7 Trim will automatically be enabled as opposed to being supported but not automatically in place under Apple supplied SSDs for 10.6.

but i'm still unclear on the underlying question: does an Apple SSD TS256C count as "Apple-supplied drive"? Or if it did, would I see "Yes" under "Trim Support" under System Profiler/Serial-ATA Device Tree?

The first developer preview of Lion added TRIM support for solid-state drives (SSDs) shipped with Macs, which is also included in the latest build of Snow Leopard shipping with current MacBook Pros. As of yet, there is no TRIM support for other SSDs.

http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/11/02/25/apple_adds_ssd_trim_support_to_mac _os_x_10_7_lion_beta.html

To me it looks like apple trying to get people to buy only their ssd drives.

Message was edited by: jpcwa

To All,

there is so much to read in this thread and in the internet about Trim, it's advantages and the Mac.

Apple delivers Macs with trim if you order it with the Apple SSD in it.

Trim can be arranged in Macbook (Pro) for all SSD's not only the Apple SSD's: but you must be sure that there is trim support on the SSD you want to use, read this thread.

Yes trim is good to eliminate degradation of the SSD.

If you have non standard trim support, you have to check after an upgrade of the OS, maybe you have to reinstall it.

Tobias: if your old SSD has trim support (see the specs) you can use it again. But after the installation you better do the erase free space, see

http://lifehacker.com/5803331/how-to-enable-trim-on-your-macs-solid+state-drive

etcetera,

good luck.

That's good to know.