TRIM is part of the ATA command set, which USB doesn't support, so I don't think any external SSD can properly handle TRIM in any case. I can try to dig up more about that for the review, though.
The firmware can't trigger garbage collection when it detects an idle state? TRIM is a load of crap. It was a fill gap for proper firmware garbage collection. There its a reason why the enterprise didn't give 2 shits about it.
trim is far from load of crap. Even with the best garbage collection, firmware still won't know which data is invalid (ie marked as deleted by filesystem), so ready for being erased.
This is an idiotic statement, brought to us by the same idiotic mentality that has made USB disks the PoS they have been for so long (eg no SMART access to USB drives, and no NCQ).
It is perfectly reasonable for people to want to replace or augment the internal drive of an existing computer with a USB SSD. On OS X, for example, the possibilities include - the internal drive has died and so you use a USB SSD as a boot drive OR - create a fusion drive from the SSD and the internal drive.
I've done this on multiple different occasions, sometimes the first situation, sometimes the second, to give a shot of life into a mac that's 7 or 8 years old.
People complain all the time about Apple supposedly inventing their own specs like Lightning, but then refuse to admit (and FIX) the crappiness in existing specs...
Odds are they're have some special implementation in Samsung Magician to zero-fill the drive empty space with raw data then delete the raw data, triggering the controller to start garbage collection. Intel drives have used this strategy for years in Intel SSD Toolbox.
Samsung Magician? So basically useless for OSX? Fine marketing plan there, Samsung. Apple users may be a small fraction of the PC market, but they are the fraction that spends the most money. I don't expect many control process PCs or cash registers would want to buy one of these SSDs, but plenty of MacBook users might...
(And Samsung WERE able to make their SW for fixing the EV840 bug available on OSX, albeit with a pretty awful UI. I assume that was done because they were afraid of lawsuits if they did not provide it.)
"Have you ever wondered why disk manufacturers like Corsair, Samsung etc. have never written a Trim driver for OS X? Or why they never offer firmware update software to OS X? (The only firmware updates they offer for Mac is a MS-DOS boot CD)
The reason is that Apple is keeping the AHCI driver private, making it impossible for anyone, even these big companies, to create a driver for SSD’s. So the issue is not that Apple “doesn’t allow Trim Enabler”, but that they don’t allow anyone to create AHCI drivers."
Probably, tho most phones (if not all) will never write or read from it fast enough to warrant the cost... But if you have a usage case where you share big blocks of data between phone/tablet and desktop often and a 64-128GB thumb drive just won't do, then this might be the ticket.
I could see someone living off something like a Surface loving this thing, question is whether there's any advantage to it vs a regular 2.5" SSD in a USB 3.0 enclosure (beyond the somewhat smaller form factor).
In spite of all the other uses for it, it's most useful for people who use thumbdrives as primary storage.
If you find the typical high-end 256GB thumbdrives to have insufficient capacity for use as primary storage, then this Samsung SSD looks like a pretty good alternative. This is mostly because it is the first drive of its type to have a truly pocketable size and to offer 1TB capacities without costing $1K.
With the Samsung T1, you get 1TB in a minuscule package at 71 x 53 x 10mm / 2.8 x 2.1 x 0.4". That is far more portable than any 2.5" drive of similar capacity.
I recently bought a 1TB Samsung bare M-SATA SSD and paired it up with an M-SATA to USB 3.0 adapter that lets you physically mount the SSD to the PCB. The PCB lets me plug my SSD into a USB port just as I would with a thumbdrive. The total cost was $425. It works well, thus achieving the same thing as Samsung's new T1 SSD, for $175 less.
I had planned to put some heat-shrink tubing on it to protect my Do-It-Yourself device, but I haven't gotten to doing that yet.
Once the Samsung T1 SSD comes down in price, it will be a cost effective alternative to the DIY route. Plus, it has better physical protection for the electronics inside the case.
Aside from price, the main difference between the Samsung T1 SSD and my DIY solution is that the T1 requires a cable to connect. I would prefer to see a variant offered with a Type A USB connector and a cap on the end of it.
I am going to get ssd for usb3.0 case... USB3.0 does not support trim, so what would be best choice for external ssd card? A ssd that work reasonable well without trim, or ssd that has other ways on keeping up without trim support. Some kind of forced garbage collection via software?
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22 Comments
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jgstew - Monday, January 5, 2015 - link
It would be helpful to link to the product page: http://www.samsung.com/global/business/semiconduct...Kristian Vättö - Monday, January 5, 2015 - link
The product page was not up when I wrote the post last night (there was an NDA), so I couldn't link to it.galfert - Monday, January 5, 2015 - link
So how will this handle TRIM? I've yet to see an SSD support TRIM that is connected via USB.Kristian Vättö - Monday, January 5, 2015 - link
TRIM is part of the ATA command set, which USB doesn't support, so I don't think any external SSD can properly handle TRIM in any case. I can try to dig up more about that for the review, though.baii9 - Monday, January 5, 2015 - link
msata + msata to usb enclosure, boom...
and no trim unless samsung pull some magic.
hpglow - Tuesday, January 6, 2015 - link
The firmware can't trigger garbage collection when it detects an idle state? TRIM is a load of crap. It was a fill gap for proper firmware garbage collection. There its a reason why the enterprise didn't give 2 shits about it.hojnikb - Tuesday, January 6, 2015 - link
trim is far from load of crap. Even with the best garbage collection, firmware still won't know which data is invalid (ie marked as deleted by filesystem), so ready for being erased.baii9 - Tuesday, January 6, 2015 - link
build in GC should be good enough for a portable drive use, don't think people are gonna hammer a usb drive~name99 - Tuesday, January 6, 2015 - link
This is an idiotic statement, brought to us by the same idiotic mentality that has made USB disks the PoS they have been for so long (eg no SMART access to USB drives, and no NCQ).It is perfectly reasonable for people to want to replace or augment the internal drive of an existing computer with a USB SSD. On OS X, for example, the possibilities include
- the internal drive has died and so you use a USB SSD as a boot drive OR
- create a fusion drive from the SSD and the internal drive.
I've done this on multiple different occasions, sometimes the first situation, sometimes the second, to give a shot of life into a mac that's 7 or 8 years old.
People complain all the time about Apple supposedly inventing their own specs like Lightning, but then refuse to admit (and FIX) the crappiness in existing specs...
Samus - Tuesday, January 6, 2015 - link
Odds are they're have some special implementation in Samsung Magician to zero-fill the drive empty space with raw data then delete the raw data, triggering the controller to start garbage collection. Intel drives have used this strategy for years in Intel SSD Toolbox.name99 - Tuesday, January 6, 2015 - link
Samsung Magician? So basically useless for OSX?Fine marketing plan there, Samsung. Apple users may be a small fraction of the PC market, but they are the fraction that spends the most money. I don't expect many control process PCs or cash registers would want to buy one of these SSDs, but plenty of MacBook users might...
gohanrocs12 - Tuesday, January 6, 2015 - link
Blame Apple. They're the ones who don't allow SSD manufacturers to make programs for their SSDs available on Mac.name99 - Tuesday, January 6, 2015 - link
WTF are you talking about?(And Samsung WERE able to make their SW for fixing the EV840 bug available on OSX, albeit with a pretty awful UI. I assume that was done because they were afraid of lawsuits if they did not provide it.)
gohanrocs12 - Tuesday, January 20, 2015 - link
from: http://www.cindori.org/trim-enabler-and-yosemite/"Have you ever wondered why disk manufacturers like Corsair, Samsung etc. have never written a Trim driver for OS X? Or why they never offer firmware update software to OS X? (The only firmware updates they offer for Mac is a MS-DOS boot CD)
The reason is that Apple is keeping the AHCI driver private, making it impossible for anyone, even these big companies, to create a driver for SSD’s.
So the issue is not that Apple “doesn’t allow Trim Enabler”, but that they don’t allow anyone to create AHCI drivers."
LALLALALALA - Monday, January 5, 2015 - link
Will it work with phones? when using otg.baii9 - Monday, January 5, 2015 - link
don't seem to be a problem, just tested a msata and some 2.5 and they all reorganize.will depend on phone and drive i guess.
Impulses - Tuesday, January 6, 2015 - link
Probably, tho most phones (if not all) will never write or read from it fast enough to warrant the cost... But if you have a usage case where you share big blocks of data between phone/tablet and desktop often and a 64-128GB thumb drive just won't do, then this might be the ticket.I could see someone living off something like a Surface loving this thing, question is whether there's any advantage to it vs a regular 2.5" SSD in a USB 3.0 enclosure (beyond the somewhat smaller form factor).
hrrmph - Tuesday, January 6, 2015 - link
In spite of all the other uses for it, it's most useful for people who use thumbdrives as primary storage.If you find the typical high-end 256GB thumbdrives to have insufficient capacity for use as primary storage, then this Samsung SSD looks like a pretty good alternative. This is mostly because it is the first drive of its type to have a truly pocketable size and to offer 1TB capacities without costing $1K.
With the Samsung T1, you get 1TB in a minuscule package at 71 x 53 x 10mm / 2.8 x 2.1 x 0.4". That is far more portable than any 2.5" drive of similar capacity.
I recently bought a 1TB Samsung bare M-SATA SSD and paired it up with an M-SATA to USB 3.0 adapter that lets you physically mount the SSD to the PCB. The PCB lets me plug my SSD into a USB port just as I would with a thumbdrive. The total cost was $425. It works well, thus achieving the same thing as Samsung's new T1 SSD, for $175 less.
I had planned to put some heat-shrink tubing on it to protect my Do-It-Yourself device, but I haven't gotten to doing that yet.
Once the Samsung T1 SSD comes down in price, it will be a cost effective alternative to the DIY route. Plus, it has better physical protection for the electronics inside the case.
Aside from price, the main difference between the Samsung T1 SSD and my DIY solution is that the T1 requires a cable to connect. I would prefer to see a variant offered with a Type A USB connector and a cap on the end of it.
Laxaa - Tuesday, January 6, 2015 - link
But no USB type-C connector. Not on this and not on the slim Segate one.Spuke - Tuesday, January 6, 2015 - link
Yes! Been waiting for something like this.mobutu - Thursday, January 8, 2015 - link
Kristian, I hope you'll also have the new NVMe PCIe SM951 SDD for testing ;)http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/201501060066...
haukionkannel - Wednesday, January 14, 2015 - link
I am going to get ssd for usb3.0 case... USB3.0 does not support trim, so what would be best choice for external ssd card?A ssd that work reasonable well without trim, or ssd that has other ways on keeping up without trim support. Some kind of forced garbage collection via software?