Ssd Firmware Updates And Tools For Ocz Vertex 2
Hi guys, just jumped on the SSD bandwagon, and have a question. I bought a 2.5' Vertex 2 60GB, which seems to be doing very well in all the benchmarks.
I know OSX has no TRIMM support yet, and there is a lot of rumbling about using the right firmware in order to increase the SSD's lifespan. I read I'll probably have to use Windows in order to update the firmware in OCZ SSD's. Can anyone tell me, how I can check the firmware version of the SSD using OSX? Can it be done, or do you need Windows for this as well?? I have no idea what firmware it runs, so there is no way to know if it needs updating.
Moreover, which firmware version do you guys use on the Vertex 2 in Mac OSX? Are there any advantages you noticed? Is there no other way than to use Windows for updating?? Thanks in advance. Recently I've read an article from AnandTech that OS X doesn't seem to accumulate garbage in SSDs data. They've told that by some way OS X partition table (HFS+ Journaled) works better than Windows NTFS with SSDs.
In short, the article says that Mac OS X, with it's HFS+ Journaled partition, probably doesn't need TRIM support so much as Windows does. So, I just don't use any garbage collection software in Mac OS X. To be honest, I didn't even benchmark my SSD in OS X yet. As for the firmware upgrade, the last time that I've done it was with a PC. Some days ago I've read in OCZ forums that Macs can upgrade SSD's firmware just the way PCs do: rebooting with a pendrive connected to the MacBook and booting it's ISO image (the image with the new firmware and the upgrade utility). I can't confirm that. A good advise is to take a look at OCZ's official forum: Edit: According to this topic, you just need to burn the.ISO image with new firmware and update utility (that you download from OCZ site) to a CD/DVD, insert it in the SuperDrive and reboot the Mac.
New firmware was released last week in case you didnt know here is how to update. OCZ makes a simple little program called OCZ toolbox.
It should boot the media normally. If it doesn't boot, you can hold ALT/OPTION key when you turn the MacBook on to see boot options (Mac OS X, BootCamp Windows, OCZ update utility etc.). Recently I've read an article from AnandTech that OS X doesn't seem to accumulate garbage in SSDs data. They've told that by some way OS X partition table (HFS+ Journaled) works better than Windows NTFS with SSDs. In short, the article says that Mac OS X, with it's HFS+ Journaled partition, probably doesn't need TRIM support so much as Windows does. So, I just don't use any garbage collection software in Mac OS X. To be honest, I didn't even benchmark my SSD in OS X yet.
As for the firmware upgrade, the last time that I've done it was with a PC. Some days ago I've read in OCZ forums that Macs can upgrade SSD's firmware just the way PCs do: rebooting with a pendrive connected to the MacBook and booting it's ISO image (the image with the new firmware and the upgrade utility). I can't confirm that. A good advise is to take a look at OCZ's official forum: Edit: According to this topic, you just need to burn the.ISO image with new firmware and update utility (that you download from OCZ site) to a CD/DVD, insert it in the SuperDrive and reboot the Mac. It should boot the media normally.
If it doesn't boot, you can hold ALT/OPTION key when you turn the MacBook on to see boot options (Mac OS X, BootCamp Windows, OCZ update utility etc.).