Tests were write only, a 1GB file to test1.img. The command to run the test was:
sudo dd if=/dev/zero of=/media/pi/SSD/test1.img bs=1G count=1 oflag=dsync
The test to the boot SDXC card was modified accordingly, while the SSD was simply moved between a USB2 and a USB3 port. These are write tests only. Reading will be much faster. This gives me a basic feel for further experimentation.
| Device | Write speed in seconds | MB/s |
|---|---|---|
| /dev/mmcblk0p2 (/media) | 50 s | 21.4 |
| /dev/sda1 on USB2 (/media/pi/SSD) | 36.9 | 29.1 |
| /dev/sda1 on USB3 (/media/pi/SSD) | 7 | 154 |
Another test I ran was to build Python 3.8.3 again. I reconfigured to make sure this 64-bit version of Raspbian was complete. It was. I did not have to install anything. I now have Python 3.8.3 installed in an alternate location, and I have create a virtual Python environment with version 3.8.3. The build was done on the SSD with all four cores. It completed rather quickly.
Notes
- Device /dev/mmcblk0p2 is a 64GB SanDisk Ultra Plus microSDXC UHS-1 card formatted with the EXT4 file system.
- Device /dev/sda1 is a 500GB Crucial CT500MX500SSD1 solid state drive connected with a StarTech SATA to USB 3 adapter formatted with the EXT4 filesystem.
Radarwitch