Understanding bottlenecks: best practices for max performance

[SteveL]

I’m setting up SD! on my daughter’s MacBook Air (USB 3 + thunderbolt ports). She runs Win7 in Parallels, so we know that there will routinely be a 20 GB file to clone.

Which, if any, of the following drives will provide the optimal setup (i.e., fastest)?

1) OWC Mercury Elite Pro mini: USB 3 + SSD;

2) OWC Mercury Elite Pro mini: USB 3 + 7,200 RPM HD;

3) LaCie Rugged: Thunderbolt + 5,400 RPM HD.

My hunch is that the SSD won’t gain much; USB 3 and Thunderbolt will provide similar performance; so it’s down to which manufacturer makes the most reliable drive.

Which, if any, do you think would be the best long term choice?

Thanks!

[dnanian]

I'd probably go with a USB3 drive with spinning media. An SSD would be faster, sure, but also a lot more expensive, and you could get two drives and rotate them for more safety for that cost...

[SteveL]

Great, thanks, Dave!!