Question SSD empty space requirement when used as a ROM

[tmpc1066]

Does anyone know how much empty "housekeeping" space should be left on an SSD when it is used as a ROM? In my case, these SSDs are used to hold sound libraries for music production.

 

[USAFRet]

Does anyone know how much empty "housekeeping" space should be left on an SSD when it is used as a ROM? In my case, these SSDs are used to hold sound libraries for music production.

Not much different than any other use.

General concept is ~15-20% free space.

 

[tmpc1066]

Hi, USAFRet. I hope you are well. 150 - 200 GB for a 1.TB drive? Your answer surprises me, as I thought SSDs all had extra space you can't see for this very purpose? I thought that leaving unused visible space was basically insurance for heavily used drives. I wish it was easier to find info on this. Thanks for replying.

 

[USAFRet]

Hi, USAFRet. I hope you are well. 150 - 200 GB for a 1.TB drive? Your answer surprises me, as I thought SSDs all had extra space you can't see for this very purpose? I thought that leaving unused visible space was basically insurance for heavily used drives. I wish it was easier to find info on this. Thanks for replying.

Personally, for a "1TB" drive, I don't fill it up past 800GB (as reported in Windows File Explorer).
Remember, a "1TB" drive is shown as 931GB in FIle Explorer.

The free space is to allow the TRIM function to do its thing, for wear leveling.
It doesn't matter so much if ALL you do is read, but at some point you do write to it.

 

[tmpc1066]

>Does anyone know how much empty "housekeeping" space should be left on an SSD when it is used as a ROM? In my case, these SSDs are used to hold sound libraries for music production.

The conventional wisdom is that some SSD space should be left free for wear-leveling to work, but I think this is misplaced.

Every SSD is overprovisioned for wear-leveling use. Enterprise units have higher OP, reportedly 20-30% of capacity, while consumer-grade units' OP is reportedly 7-10%. More spare capacity allows higher endurance (TBW or DWPD rating). This OP already baked in, and is not accessible to the user or the OS.

Therefore, it isn't necessary to leave spare free space for normal use. You can, of course, and as with enterprise devices it will further increase drive endurance. But the TBW rating is already so high that you aren't likely to hit it for its normal lifespan.

This applies especially for you, if you plan to use the drive primarily for read-only access. In short, my suggestion is that you can and should use 100% of available capacity.

Note: Certain brands will have tools to further increase OP if you wish. Samsung Magician is one; no doubt there are others.

For what it's worth, I have several five year old SSDs that have only ever been used for this purpose that only have 3 to 5GB of free space on them, and they are working fine. My SMART Utility app says they look good, but I'm not sure how reliable it is. Thanks, baboma.

 

[tmpc1066]

Personally, for a "1TB" drive, I don't fill it up past 800GB (as reported in Windows File Explorer).
Remember, a "1TB" drive is shown as 931GB in FIle Explorer.

The free space is to allow the TRIM function to do its thing, for wear leveling.
It doesn't matter so much if ALL you do is read, but at some point you do write to it.

Thanks, USAFRet. I appreciate the info.