One way to detect that in a benchmark is to very the size of the data to be written: once that exceeds the size of the cache, there should be a marked reduction in performance. Placing cache memory between main memory and the SSD can make smaller writes appear considerably faster, as they appear to complete once the data has been written to the cache, leaving the slower SSD writing from the contents of the cache. As the write process itself is likely to be the slowest step, tricks are commonly used to make that appear faster than it really is. Writing to SSDs is more complex and open to variation. Although that’s feasible, Apple didn’t mention it in its presentation of the M1 architecture at WWDC this year, so I suspect that it’s not currently implemented. One potential trick would be to map that flash memory storage into the M1’s Unified Memory Architecture, something not possible with an Intel Mac. It transpires from tear-downs that current M1 Macs don’t contain conventional SSDs as we might know them, but bare flash memory which is controlled by the M1 SoC, much in the way that the T2 SoC is the internal disk controller in modern Intel Macs. Water won’t reach the lake at the bottom any faster than it can flow through the narrowest of the pipes on the way. The pipe which determines the overall rate of transfer is thus the section with the smallest bore. Connecting them are sections of pipe, whose diameter determines the rate of flow through that section. One way of envisaging this is the hydraulic model: a large pool of water is at the top of an even incline, with an empty lake at the bottom. No matter where we look for SSD performance benchmarks, details of the tests performed seem rather ill-defined, and none appears to bear much resemblance to the real world.Īs with most other processes in life, the rate at which data can be transferred either way between main memory and the storage blocks in an SSD is restricted by a rate-limiting step. Ken used a long, flat and straight section of country road for his testing, which was very similar to a dragstrip. Even if cost is no obstacle, before you commit any money you need to know whether the current maximum of 16 GB of RAM is sufficient.Ĭar analogies with computers fail in the end, but one common essential in both these benchmark tests is that we know exactly what we’re talking about. When it comes to assessing Apple’s internal SSDs, this is a serious business too: Apple currently charges the user around £/$/€ 400 per TB of SSD, and £/$/€ 200 for additional memory to take an M1 from 8 to 16 GB. When we’re discussing performance of M1 Macs, that’s the sort of measurement that we need. His benchmark was based on what was, to him, the critical point of his drag start, where he won or lost. In the dead of night, when no one was around, he used to time its acceleration from 80 to 120 miles per hour (130-190 km/hour). My friend Ken, who took it to drag races each weekend, worked hard to maximise performance from its huge petrol engine. I once cherished occasional rides in the second-fastest E-type Jaguar in the UK.
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