{"video_id":"qUZtXUP78sw","title":"SSD Controllers as Fast As Possible","channel":"Techquickie","show":"Techquickie","published_at":"2017-05-06T14:58:16Z","duration_s":294,"segments":[{"start_s":0.16,"end_s":5.6,"text":"If you're in the market for an SSD or solidstate drive, chances are that","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":4.4,"end_s":10.96,"text":"you're thinking about things like capacity and speed. But if you've ever","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":8.24,"end_s":15.519,"text":"read a more in-depth review of an SSD, you've probably seen talk about drive","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":13.32,"end_s":20.8,"text":"controllers and how they have the potential to make or break a drive's","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":17.84,"end_s":24.72,"text":"overall performance. But what exactly is a drive controller? Well, think of it","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":22.8,"end_s":29.76,"text":"this way. If you were to go to the local hardware store and just buy a toolbox,","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":27.84,"end_s":34.079,"text":"it's not very useful unless you're putting stuff in it. And while it's","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":31.92,"end_s":38.239,"text":"possible to use your toolbox just by dumping stuff in it willy-nilly, you'll","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":36.399,"end_s":42.96,"text":"get a lot more out of your general toolbox experience by sorting your","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":40.8,"end_s":47.12,"text":"pliers and nails and whatnot into the little compartments. So, it'll be easier","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":45.28,"end_s":51.12,"text":"to find stuff when it comes time to tackle your next big project. This","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":49.36,"end_s":55.44,"text":"process of sorting your stuff in a storage container is very similar to","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":52.64,"end_s":61.12,"text":"what an SSD controller does. Just like a toolbox can't sort the tools itself, the","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":58.16,"end_s":65.92,"text":"flash cells on your SSD that store data need something that can fill them up","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":62.879,"end_s":68.08,"text":"sensibly with ones and zeros and talk to","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":65.92,"end_s":72.56,"text":"the rest of your computer. The SATA data connector on your SSD is wired directly","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":70.4,"end_s":76.56,"text":"into your SSD's controller, which processes the data and then sends it to","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":74.56,"end_s":80.96,"text":"your drive's flash memory. So, because the controller is responsible for","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":78.4,"end_s":86.08,"text":"actually putting data onto the SSD, lower-end ones can create a bottleneck","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":82.96,"end_s":88.24,"text":"or even be less reliable due to hardware","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":86.08,"end_s":92.479,"text":"and/or firmware differences. Unfortunately, the reasons behind why","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":90.72,"end_s":96.159,"text":"one controller is better than the other aren't always clear because","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":94.479,"end_s":101.119,"text":"manufacturers treat controller designs like trade secrets. So, it's a little","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":98.96,"end_s":106.479,"text":"hard to analyze Sandforce's signature blend of 11 herbs and spices compared to","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":103.68,"end_s":112.0,"text":"Samsung's secret sauce that actually just turns out to be Thousand Island.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":109.439,"end_s":117.52,"text":"But what we can tell you is that nicer controllers in higherend drives are","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":114.399,"end_s":119.92,"text":"connected to many memory cells at once","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":117.52,"end_s":124.96,"text":"for faster throughput. A little bit like how GPUs contain many compute cores that","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":122.799,"end_s":128.879,"text":"work in parallel to help you get higher frame rates. But what are some of the","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":126.799,"end_s":133.52,"text":"other important ways a controller keeps data flowing smoothly? Well, one of","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":131.2,"end_s":136.879,"text":"these is wear leveling. Unlike a traditional mechanical hard drive that","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":135.2,"end_s":142.72,"text":"will generally last until the moving parts wear out, SSD flash cells can only","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":139.84,"end_s":147.76,"text":"be written and rewritten so many times. So, imagine a shelf. Instead of always","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":145.2,"end_s":152.72,"text":"putting data on the lowest, easiest to reach one, the controller will try to","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":150.16,"end_s":157.76,"text":"write all cells evenly to extend the usable life of the drive as a whole.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":155.04,"end_s":162.72,"text":"Controllers also handle a couple very important features called garbage","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":159.599,"end_s":164.319,"text":"collection and trim. Unlike hard drives","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":162.72,"end_s":169.44,"text":"where data can just be overwritten at will, SSDs store data in blocks that","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":166.959,"end_s":174.0,"text":"must first be erased before new data can be written. Garbage collection handles","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":171.68,"end_s":179.2,"text":"this by marking certain parts of data within the block as stale if they're","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":176.8,"end_s":183.76,"text":"okay to be replaced with newer data. Moving the remainder of the still good","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":181.36,"end_s":188.239,"text":"data to a new block, then finally erasing the old one. The problem with","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":186.159,"end_s":193.36,"text":"this is that when you go to delete a file, garbage collection doesn't mark","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":190.48,"end_s":199.04,"text":"the deleted data as stale. So, garbage collection actually keeps copying this","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":195.519,"end_s":202.0,"text":"data to new blocks, needlessly using up","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":199.04,"end_s":206.239,"text":"write cycles. This is where trim comes in. An operating system command that","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":203.92,"end_s":211.28,"text":"tells your SSD controller which pieces of data within a block are actually","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":208.72,"end_s":216.08,"text":"parts of deleted files so they won't stick around. both improving performance","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":213.599,"end_s":221.36,"text":"and increasing the lifespan of your drive, which is critical if you want","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":218.319,"end_s":224.08,"text":"your SSD to last the four years it needs","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":221.36,"end_s":229.12,"text":"to so it can store an entire election cycles worth of dank memes. Speaking of","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":227.12,"end_s":233.76,"text":"that, Squarespace, simple, powerful, beautiful 24/7 live chat support and","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":231.84,"end_s":237.28,"text":"email if you need help setting up your website that you can get for $12 a","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":235.68,"end_s":240.879,"text":"month. And if you buy a year, you get a domain thrown in with that website as","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":239.2,"end_s":245.519,"text":"well. When you're setting things up, there's responsive design so that your","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":243.439,"end_s":250.08,"text":"website that you're building based off one of their many awesome templates will","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":247.439,"end_s":253.599,"text":"look great on a huge variety of devices. And if you want to sell something, you","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":251.36,"end_s":258.479,"text":"can do that as well using their commerce module. If you just want one single page","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":256.72,"end_s":262.96,"text":"that just looks really good, you can use their cover page module, which also","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":260.4,"end_s":266.88,"text":"works just great. And now they have Squarespace Start, an app that allows","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":264.88,"end_s":270.4,"text":"you to create a simple onepage site that I just kind of referenced from your","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":268.56,"end_s":274.639,"text":"mobile device. You can start a trial with no credit card required and start","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":272.24,"end_s":278.96,"text":"building your website today. And if you do, use offer code techquickie to get","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":276.88,"end_s":281.84,"text":"10% off your first purchase. All right, guys. If you like this video, like it.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":280.32,"end_s":285.12,"text":"If you dislike this video, do that thing. Uh, get subscribed if you want to","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":283.52,"end_s":290.16,"text":"see more of our content. Comment down below with other stuff that you'd like","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":286.88,"end_s":291.759,"text":"us to see cover on the TechQuy channel.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":290.16,"end_s":294.639,"text":"Uh, check out Channel Super Fun because they're cool.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0}],"full_text":"If you're in the market for an SSD or solidstate drive, chances are that you're thinking about things like capacity and speed. But if you've ever read a more in-depth review of an SSD, you've probably seen talk about drive controllers and how they have the potential to make or break a drive's overall performance. But what exactly is a drive controller? Well, think of it this way. If you were to go to the local hardware store and just buy a toolbox, it's not very useful unless you're putting stuff in it. And while it's possible to use your toolbox just by dumping stuff in it willy-nilly, you'll get a lot more out of your general toolbox experience by sorting your pliers and nails and whatnot into the little compartments. So, it'll be easier to find stuff when it comes time to tackle your next big project. This process of sorting your stuff in a storage container is very similar to what an SSD controller does. Just like a toolbox can't sort the tools itself, the flash cells on your SSD that store data need something that can fill them up sensibly with ones and zeros and talk to the rest of your computer. The SATA data connector on your SSD is wired directly into your SSD's controller, which processes the data and then sends it to your drive's flash memory. So, because the controller is responsible for actually putting data onto the SSD, lower-end ones can create a bottleneck or even be less reliable due to hardware and/or firmware differences. Unfortunately, the reasons behind why one controller is better than the other aren't always clear because manufacturers treat controller designs like trade secrets. So, it's a little hard to analyze Sandforce's signature blend of 11 herbs and spices compared to Samsung's secret sauce that actually just turns out to be Thousand Island. But what we can tell you is that nicer controllers in higherend drives are connected to many memory cells at once for faster throughput. A little bit like how GPUs contain many compute cores that work in parallel to help you get higher frame rates. But what are some of the other important ways a controller keeps data flowing smoothly? Well, one of these is wear leveling. Unlike a traditional mechanical hard drive that will generally last until the moving parts wear out, SSD flash cells can only be written and rewritten so many times. So, imagine a shelf. Instead of always putting data on the lowest, easiest to reach one, the controller will try to write all cells evenly to extend the usable life of the drive as a whole. Controllers also handle a couple very important features called garbage collection and trim. Unlike hard drives where data can just be overwritten at will, SSDs store data in blocks that must first be erased before new data can be written. Garbage collection handles this by marking certain parts of data within the block as stale if they're okay to be replaced with newer data. Moving the remainder of the still good data to a new block, then finally erasing the old one. The problem with this is that when you go to delete a file, garbage collection doesn't mark the deleted data as stale. So, garbage collection actually keeps copying this data to new blocks, needlessly using up write cycles. This is where trim comes in. An operating system command that tells your SSD controller which pieces of data within a block are actually parts of deleted files so they won't stick around. both improving performance and increasing the lifespan of your drive, which is critical if you want your SSD to last the four years it needs to so it can store an entire election cycles worth of dank memes. Speaking of that, Squarespace, simple, powerful, beautiful 24/7 live chat support and email if you need help setting up your website that you can get for $12 a month. And if you buy a year, you get a domain thrown in with that website as well. When you're setting things up, there's responsive design so that your website that you're building based off one of their many awesome templates will look great on a huge variety of devices. And if you want to sell something, you can do that as well using their commerce module. If you just want one single page that just looks really good, you can use their cover page module, which also works just great. And now they have Squarespace Start, an app that allows you to create a simple onepage site that I just kind of referenced from your mobile device. You can start a trial with no credit card required and start building your website today. And if you do, use offer code techquickie to get 10% off your first purchase. All right, guys. If you like this video, like it. If you dislike this video, do that thing. Uh, get subscribed if you want to see more of our content. Comment down below with other stuff that you'd like us to see cover on the TechQuy channel. Uh, check out Channel Super Fun because they're cool."}