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Data Storage Portables (Apple) Graphics Intel Apple Hardware Technology

The New MacBook Pro Features 'Fastest SSD Ever' In a Laptop (macrumors.com) 262

Last week, Apple refreshed the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pro models, bringing newer Intel processors and quieter keyboards. The new 13-inch MacBook Pro also just so happens to feature the fastest SSD ever in a laptop, according to benchmarks from Laptop Mag. Mac Rumors summarizes the findings: The site's tests were performed on the $2,499 13-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar equipped with a 2.7GHz quad-core 8th-generation Core i7 processor, 16GB RAM, Intel Iris Plus 655, and a 512GB SSD. A file copy test of the SSD in the new MacBook Pro, which Apple says supports sequential read speeds of up to 3.2GB/s and sequential write speeds up to 2.2GB/s, led Laptop Mag to declare the SSD in the MacBook Pro "the fastest ever" in a laptop. Higher capacity SSDs may see even faster speeds on disk speeds tests. A BlackMagic Disk Speed test was also conducted, resulting in an average write speed of 2,682 MB/s.

On a Geekbench 4 CPU benchmark, the 13-inch MacBook Pro earned a score of 18,055 on the multi-core test, outperforming 13-inch machines from companies like Dell, HP, Asus, and Microsoft. That score beats out all 2017 MacBook Pro models and is faster than some iMac configurations. 15-inch MacBook Pro models with 6-core 8th-generation Intel chips will show even more impressive speeds.
With that said, the 13-inch MacBook Pro didn't quite measure up to other machines when it came to GPU performance. "The 13-inch 2018 MacBook Pro uses Intel's Iris Plus Graphics 655 with 128MB of embedded DRAM and was unable to compete in a Dirt 3 graphics test, getting only 38.8 frames per second," reports Mac Rumors. "All Windows-based machines tested offered much better performance."
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The New MacBook Pro Features 'Fastest SSD Ever' In a Laptop

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  • No it's not (Score:5, Informative)

    by Solandri ( 704621 ) on Sunday July 15, 2018 @11:53AM (#56951892)
    Explanation given in TFA (and omitted in summary and other articles crowing over this):

    To be fair, Apple's relatively new APFS file system is designed to speed up file file copies using a technology Apple calls Instant Cloning. But a win is a win.

    Some research [pcmag.com] turns up that:

    the technology used in the new cloning feature makes it easier to store multiple versions of a file in a minimum of space

    In other words, the files weren't copied. A hard link (similar to a shortcut for you Windows users) was created. The whole story is an error by non-techie journalists who noticed something wildly odd in their test results, and rather than spend 30 seconds researching it online like I did, decided "it must be because it's Apple!" and published it. The reality distortion field is alive and well.

    Apple has been using Sandisk NAND [ifixit.com] lately as a bid to try to reduce dependence on Samsung. Both Sandisk and Toshiba SSDs (also used frequently by Apple) regularly benchmark slower than Samsung SSDs.

    • I could believe the 2.2GB/s sequential write speed, that doesn't sound outrageous. I just benchmarked a top end Carbon X1 (a number of months old now, can't remember how much) which is substantially lighter than the MBPs.

      It might have an older gen SSD (not sure), but it happily gets 1.3GB/s sequential write speed. A factor of two improvement on disk for a larger, heaver laptop with a substantially smaller SSD doesn't sound outrageous.

      • That speed means the SSD caches a huge part of the files, then writes it physically at its (slower) pace - right?
        That means two things:
        1) if you happen to write many files (eg tree copy) or a few very big files, the speed will go down quickly to something like the "regular" SSDs
        2) if you copy a very big file, and power goes down while you think it is copied (but is still in buffer), then you lost one file. (power down on a laptop is a rare event I must say, esp. on a Macbook)
    • by MikeMo ( 521697 )
      Ah, but how does that apply to the BlackMagic disk test? Isn’t that all synthesized data?
    • Re:No it's not (Score:4, Interesting)

      by Misagon ( 1135 ) on Sunday July 15, 2018 @01:30PM (#56952392)

      A clone is not technically a hard link, but it works similarly: The disk blocks storing the data are not affected, only references to them.
      However, unlike with links, a disk block could get copied as soon as you would to write to a file.
      Thus, cloning retains the same semantics as copying --- actual copying is only deferred until it is really needed.
      This technique is classically called "copy-on-write" and is employed in lots of different ways in many different parts of mainstream operating systems.

      BTW. Btrfs [wikipedia.org] for Linux also has cloning, and it was released eight years earlier than APFS. Sun's/Oracle's ZFS has cloning and was released earlier than that.
      I think there are many more examples in the free software world than those two.

      • by swilver ( 617741 )

        It retains the same semantics as copying, until of course a block gets corrupted and *all* your backup copies are damaged in exactly the same spot. Then you realize it is actually not a copy, but a reference.

    • you never know what you're getting. To be fair, you've pretty much got to go with Asus or one of the boutique gaming laptop companies like iBuyPower to get that though, and you usually pay a $200 premium. But, well, the Apple premium blows that out of the water...
    • A hard link (similar to a shortcut for you Windows users) was created.

      Softlinks are like shortcuts. Hardlinks are something entirely different, multiple physical filesystem entries to the same blocks of data. If you make a shortcut to a file and delete the original then the shortcut doesn't do anything. If you make a hard link and delete the original then the link is unaffected and the blocks are only marked as deleted when all hard links are gone.

    • A hard link (similar to a shortcut for you Windows users) was created.

      Windows has hard links [microsoft.com], most users just don't know how to make or use them. I'll bet for the same reason (lack of knowledge of command lines), most Mac users don't know how to do this either [howtogeek.com].

  • by slacka ( 713188 ) on Sunday July 15, 2018 @12:17PM (#56952008)

    I have an SSD and it boots instantly. Apps and game levels are near instantaneous. Speed isn't my problem. With games taking up 100GB now, even my 500GB SSD is constantly running out of space. When I do upgrade, I'll get a fast replacement, but size, not speed will be my primary requirement,

    • by antdude ( 79039 )

      Apple does sell bigger sizes than their defaults. I remember seeing 1 TB SSDs last year. Yes, I agree to take sizes over speed. Also, small sizes and prices are the problems. :(

    • The good news is that most popular games do not run on a Mac.
  • by SCVonSteroids ( 2816091 ) on Sunday July 15, 2018 @01:19PM (#56952334)

    SSDs are already really fucking fast... Marketing this is a moot point. Your average consumer (worst, your average APPLE consumer) won't be able to tell the difference, assuming there actually is one.

    I remember power cycling my Win7 laptop from college just for shits and giggles, being very impressed with the differences from installing your OS on a SSD over a HDD. That was 8~ years ago.

  • by networkzombie ( 921324 ) on Sunday July 15, 2018 @01:23PM (#56952350)
    All the details are missing. What technology is being utilized? Those speed results are common in comparing SATA to NVMe SSDs. All the laptops I see with a M.2 are shipped with a SATA SSD. I find it hard to believe any laptop with a NVMe SSD is only getting 399.4 MB/s write speed (Dell XPS 13). For NVMe, I see 2100 MB/s on the low end and 2600 MB/s on the high end (with X4). The "BlackMagic Disk Speed test for macOS" returned a score of 2,682 MB/s, which I admit is pretty fast for a laptop, but not "insane". A better question is what are the failure rates? NVMe SSDs get hot. What cooling technology breakthrough is Apple using? Is there an empty 2.5 inch bay for more storage and backup (like my HP)? Without proper cooling, NVMe SSDs are begging to fail.
  • What I'm thinking about here is the loss of connectivity options. Most laptops now do not have Ethernet, a couple of USB A ports, HDMI connectivity, a separate charging port. Instead, the result is dongle hell. There might be one or two USB C ports, one of which is for charging. Try to add a wireless mouse with one of those tiny USB A connectors and some other USB A device at the same time. Maybe it'll use unreliable Blue tooth. SSD connectors also seem to be disappearing. With the advent of routers with Giga bit Ethernet, Wi-Fi may not cut it for your home intranet much less Wi-Fi connectivity to a Giga bit, or slower, cable Internet connection. Other readers can think of losses in capability for their own situations.

    There surely have been improvements in laptops such as higher quality screens, touch screens, two-and-one hardware, energy efficient electronics giving much longer on battery use, lighter weight, etc. But, laptops are generally meant to be easily portable. Thinner, lighter devices requiring a bulky dongles somewht reduce that advantage
  • Can just be upgraded to whatever the fastest is.
  • I don't care... (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Kergan ( 780543 ) on Sunday July 15, 2018 @04:18PM (#56953156)

    I want magsafe so my toddler won't destroy my mac while crawling around, a few usb ports I can use without a dongle, my F-keys, and a sane keyboard.

    • by cyn1c77 ( 928549 )

      I want magsafe so my toddler won't destroy my mac while crawling around, a few usb ports I can use without a dongle, my F-keys, and a sane keyboard.

      And a physical escape key, so I know when I am pressing it.

    • I want magsafe so my toddler won't destroy my mac while crawling around,

      I found the BreakSafe cable from Griffin to be a nice substitute. It does suck a bit to have to buy an accessory to restore functionality lost from a previous design. On the other hand $40 to protect a computer that cost over $1000 is not that bad in the greater scheme. Given that I have an option to buy a non-Apple power supply and cable means I'm not locked in to whatever Apple charges for spares. Since my last two laptops needed spare power supplies because I broke the one that came with it I expect

  • by account_deleted ( 4530225 ) on Sunday July 15, 2018 @05:44PM (#56953538)
    Comment removed based on user account deletion

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