Mark A...

Q: 1TB Fusion Drive versus 512GB PCIe-based Flash Storage

Can anyone tell me which of these is better for gaming, storing and editing pictures/videos, and general college course work?  Also, I always thought that if your desktop lost power for an extended time, you could possibly lose all your data (pictures, videos, etc.) stored on the flash storage drive.  Is there any truth to this?  Thanks.

Mac mini

Posted on Feb 22, 2016 7:20 AM

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Q: 1TB Fusion Drive versus 512GB PCIe-based Flash Storage

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  • by lllaass,Solvedanswer

    lllaass lllaass Feb 22, 2016 7:44 AM in response to Mark A...
    Level 10 (189,795 points)
    Desktops
    Feb 22, 2016 7:44 AM in response to Mark A...

    A fusion drive only has 120 GB flash drive. Thus if frequently used files are greater than say 80 GB the files will have to be taked from the HD which is slow since the HD is a slow 5400 ROM drive.

     

    If all your data, and apps and are 350 GB or less then the 50 GB SSD is the way to go. The 350 leaves room for the operating system and working space.

     

    SSDs do not need power to retain their data.

  • by Rudegar,

    Rudegar Rudegar Feb 22, 2016 8:06 AM in response to Mark A...
    Level 7 (28,788 points)
    Apple TV
    Feb 22, 2016 8:06 AM in response to Mark A...

    also ssd have no moving parts like a normal hd and hybrid so less wear and tear and eventually failed mechanical parts

     

    and pci-E is a faster interface then SATA

     

    though gaming will only be improved by load times not fps and more eye candy being possible if data is not in the video mem of the gpu then you're gonna have a bad time no matter if you have a ssd or a 5400rpm traditional hd

  • by dwb,

    dwb dwb Feb 23, 2016 10:46 AM in response to Mark A...
    Level 7 (24,275 points)
    Notebooks
    Feb 23, 2016 10:46 AM in response to Mark A...

    When Apple first introduced the Fusion Drive the price of an SSD was almost twice as much as it costs today so getting an SSD not only added significant cost to the computer but also provided much less storage. Two years later with SSD prices much lower it is easier to justify an all SSD iMac. In early 2013 I chose the Fusion Drive but today I’d choose the SSD. It isn’t that I’m unhappy with the Fusion Drive, I’m not, but as mentioned above the there are two disadvantages to the Fusion. Once you’ve filled the SSD there is a speed hit which isn’t huge but it is significant. Apple has done a good job of ‘intelligently’ moving the important stuff to the SSD but it isn’t perfect. Second, the mechanical drive is inherently more prone to failure than an SSD.