To TRIM or not to TRIM on a non Apple installed SSD in Lion
According to a source in OWC they do not recommend enabling TRIM on Mercury Extreme SSD as TRIM is only supported by Apple on Apple installed SSDs.
They suggest that I am better off using the build in data management in the SSD.
Is this scientifically founded in any way ?
Have any of you had success, failures or some knowledge with this ?
I now know a bit more.
I see three options after reading a lot of forums, AnandTech and Wikipedia:
If I buy a Mac with a pre-installed SSD I'll get the power of TRIM for "free". The Apple supplied SSD are not the fastest on earth but they sure is way faster than your normal hard disk. Also, Apple uses well known more or less OEM.
Buy an aftermarket SSD, clone, install and go. You will loose the power of TRIM but the SSD is still way way faster that your hard disk.
Buy an aftermarket SSD, hack you kernel, run some kind of Trim Enabler for non Apple approved devices or what ever it takes, then clone, install and hopefully go.
If my mom, dad or average Joe were to buy a new Mac I would absolutely recommend #1. I'd personally go with #1 or #3 if I were going to buy one for my self.
If my mom, dad or average Joe were to upgrade an existing Mac I would have to go with #2 as Apple currently doesn't sell any SSD online (not as far as I can see anyway) and I would not recommend #3 in any form or factor. If I were to upgrade my own Mac I would start with #3 and revert to #2 in case of any problems.
I hope this didn't end up as a buyers guide as prohibited in the FAQ as I have not recommended any specific model or brand. My intentions is only to share some personal thoughts.
All in all, I will try TRIM for myself on my own SSD but I would not recommend anyone that doesn't understand the risk or are unable to fix any problems by them self.
Any thoughts ? Am I way off scale here ?
It depends on which SSD you have. Anand of Anandtech (one of the most comprehensive and knowledgeable sites on SSDs) has confirmed (and others have reported) issues using the TRIM enabler on the latest generation of Sandforce-based SSDs (the SF-2281 controller), which includes newer OWC drives, and many others (including OCZ Vertex and Agility 3, some Corsair Force drives). I have an OCZ Vertex 2 (older generation Sandforce) and haven't tried the TRIM enabler.
I'd recommend caution - unless you're finding noticeable performance degradation, probably best to stay away. SSD controllers are still somewhat unpredictable, and it's unlikely Apple has done testing of its TRIM implementation with drives other than the Toshiba and Samsung ones it uses.