What is TRIM and Why the Need for It
Before learning what TRIM is, the first thing to know is that when you delete a file, the operating system does not directly remove deleted data from your HDD or SSD. Rather, it marks the file table where the deleted data are as “invalid”. In HDDs, such data can be directly overwritten afterwards with new data. In SSDs, however, the data will have to be erased first before new data can be written to that same block later, a process that is time-consuming and a potential hindrance to the SSD performance, stagnating the SSD and reducing its actual write space with use. Now this is where TRIM comes into play. When TRIM is enabled by both the operating system and the SSD’s controller, the system will notify the drive in advance if some blocks are no longer in use. Drive will then optimize the garbage collection process to recover space sooner.
Since the memory block of an SSD must be erased before it can be reprogrammed, TRIM proactively cleans up invalid data, sparing the SSD the painstaking process of issuing an erase command. Better yet, with the help of TRIM, the SSD will be able to effectively manage all the renewable space, so SSD wear-out is also significantly lessened.
Transcend Solution
The TRIM command, which speeds up the garbage collection process in Solid State Drives, is an attribute of the ATA Data Set Management Command. Transcend’s SATA SSD supports TRIM, which in turn helps keep the SSD performance in its best condition to ensure that data are written at full throttle.
TRIM is now supported by most state-of-the-art operating systems, and will be a standard complement to future OS.