Internal HDD v USB SSD v Fw800 SSD

[antz359]

I know this is a bit of a rehash of a old topic, but this is my experience with the above. Having looked into this there where a few older threads and lots of people saying it would be slow but a few who had tried it and where impressed with the results, I didn't fancy going into my MM as it is our main computer.

The SSD is a Crucial V4 256 GB 3Gb/s in a OWC Mercury on-the-go Fw800 enclosure, the USB connection was the Apricorn SATA wire.

I timed from switch on to Finder window opening

Internal HDD = 1min 28sec

USB SSD = 1min 11sec

Fw800 SSD = 49sec

Safari open in a split second, Picasa opens and closes without delay. so all-in-all I very pleased with the result, I know it would be fast internally but as I said earlier I didn't want to do that.
The other thing that helps it fly is the 8Gigs RAM it came with.
Cheers
A
1st new topic
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2010 MacMini 2.4GHz 8GB RAM

[Bandit Bill]

Your internal HDD boot times are way too high. Go into System preferences and ensure that your internal drive is set as the default drive and then reboot.

I believe your system is trying to first see and boot from an external boot drive and wasting about 30 seconds doing so. When it doesn't find one, it then defaults to booting off of the internal drive.

This will keep on happening until you go into system preferences and set the internal as the default boot drive and reboot.

Even an internal SSD will take forever to boot from if the system is first trying to look for an external boot drive.

[antz359]

Hi Bandit Bill
Check HDD again last night still get the same load times, did as you said. It has been like this since I got it.
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2010 MacMini 2.4GHz 8GB RAM

[ez061111]

Not knowing exactly which internal HD you have, I would guess it's a 5400 of some flavor. It does seem a little slow, but I have and old SSD in a FW800 enclosure for quick maintanance and booting of my computers. It is certainly faster than booting than any of my internal HDD's by a long shot.

You might check what internal HDD you have under About this Mac, but I would guess it's probably a WD. If you were to feel adventurous, although not very challenging at all, you might consider moving the SSD internal and perhaps see 15-30 second boots.

All-in-all, as the small print states, user times may vary, but it looks in line with what I would surmise is normal.
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2.0 GHz i7 Mini 8 GB RAM, OWC Merc Extreme SSD & Samsung Spinpoint
2.6 GHz i7 Mini 16 GB RAM, Samsung 830 & Hitachi
15" 2.3 GHz i7 MBP 16 GB RAM, OWC Extreme Pro 6G SSD & WD Black

[antz359]

The internal is a Hitachi 5400 rpm with two partitions, I'm happy with the sub 50 sec boot the Fw800 gives me for now
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2010 MacMini 2.4GHz 8GB RAM

[Bandit Bill]