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Install SSD now through Apple or wait? 128GB enough space?

A

analytical44

macrumors regular
Original poster
Mar 22, 2008
222
0
Philly
Hello all. I am looking to purchase a new 13" MBP and am looking for some help. Some of you who I have spoken with on here have suggested I wait to install a SSD for a few months until the price drops. If I wait, does that mean that I shouldn't invest in a bigger HDD now since I'll be upgrading soon? Say I decide to get a 500GB HDD now and then replace it with a SSD in the future, can I then use the HDD as an external or will this be pointless as I will have to sell it? Also, if I go SSD now, is the 128GB drive going to be too restrictive in terms of capacity?

Essentially I am asking:
- Is the 128GB SSD big enough to install both OSX and Windows (XP, eventually 7), MS Office, and some basic apps and leave me a reasonable amount of space (~50GB)?
- If not, and I decide to wait on the SSD and go HDD should I go for a cheaper one with lower capacity since I do plan on upgrading to a SSD in the future?
- Will I be able to use the HDD I install now as an external in the future?

Thanks for all of your help.
 
analytical44 said:
Hello all. I am looking to purchase a new 13" MBP and am looking for some help. Some of you who I have spoken with on here have suggested I wait to install a SSD for a few months until the price drops. If I wait, does that mean that I shouldn't invest in a bigger HDD now since I'll be upgrading soon? Say I decide to get a 500GB HDD now and then replace it with a SSD in the future, can I then use the HDD as an external or will this be pointless as I will have to sell it? Also, if I go SSD now, is the 128GB drive going to be too restrictive in terms of capacity?

Essentially I am asking:
- Is the 128GB SSD big enough to install both OSX and Windows (XP, eventually 7), MS Office, and some basic apps and leave me a reasonable amount of space (~50GB)?
- If not, and I decide to wait on the SSD and go HDD should I go for a cheaper one with lower capacity since I do plan on upgrading to a SSD in the future?
- Will I be able to use the HDD I install now as an external in the future?

Thanks for all of your help.
Click to expand...

Do not purchase SSD drives from Apple there the slowest out of the bunch.
I have had 2 months testing different SSD drives. I made that mistake when I bought a macbook pro last month = Toshiba drive / slow and expensive

Best ones
(Intel X25-M 80GB) Fantastic performance with the latest firmware fixed all issues too.
(OCZ Vertex 120GB) Mine did have a lot sleep problems with all my macs I tested it. It would often crash when coming out of sleep apart from that it run so quick, I tended to shutdown rather than sleep as boot up was around 30ish seconds to desktop.

The smaller Samsung drives are on the cheap but offer excellent bang for your buck
MMCRE64G5MPP-0VA00 MLC
- Capacity: 64GB
- Read: Up to 90MB/sec
- Write: Up to 70MB/sec
- NAND Flash: Multi-Level Cell (MLC)

If your budget can strech a bit more get there newer version
better read and writes.

MMCRE64G5MXP-OVB (Samsung PB22-J )
- Capacity: 64GB
- Read: Up to 220MB/sec
- Write: Up to 120MB/sec
- NAND Flash: Multi-Level Cell (MLC)

I would wait prices will drop and better drives will hit the market but the above are all options for you. I had a 80gb Intel + express card and SD adapter with 32GB SD Card for music and important data worked like a charm space was never really a problem and I had windows 7 too.
 
Wow, lots of useful information, thank you so very much. I guess I will be waiting for a couple months to upgrade. I was looking at some benchmarks for the Intel and it seems like it runs like a champ. Would you suggest I get the smallest HDD at time of purchase since I plan on upgrading or can I get a large one and then use it as an external when I make a move on a SSD?
 
analytical44 said:
Essentially I am asking:
- Is the 128GB SSD big enough to install both OSX and Windows (XP, eventually 7), MS Office, and some basic apps and leave me a reasonable amount of space (~50GB)?
- If not, and I decide to wait on the SSD and go HDD should I go for a cheaper one with lower capacity since I do plan on upgrading to a SSD in the future?
- Will I be able to use the HDD I install now as an external in the future?

Thanks for all of your help.
Click to expand...

128 is more than enough space for just applications and such. However, it is not a great amount for storing a lot of stuff (like iTunes music, videos, etc.). Have you considered getting the fastest 128GB drive and then just getting a 1TB spinner (3.5) and a dock?

Size is cheap, speed is expensive.
 
ux4all said:
128 is more than enough space for just applications and such. However, it is not a great amount for storing a lot of stuff (like iTunes music, videos, etc.). Have you considered getting the fastest 128GB drive and then just getting a 1TB spinner (3.5) and a dock?

Size is cheap, speed is expensive.
Click to expand...

That's why I was asking if I could install a large HDD now, upgrade to a SSD when faster/cheaper ones are released, and then use the HDD as an external drive for all my music and such. Feasable? So 128GB will leave me some room for applications if I install2 OSs and Office? Sorry I'm not familiar, what is a spinner?
 
analytical44 said:
Wow, lots of useful information, thank you so very much. I guess I will be waiting for a couple months to upgrade. I was looking at some benchmarks for the Intel and it seems like it runs like a champ. Would you suggest I get the smallest HDD at time of purchase since I plan on upgrading or can I get a large one and then use it as an external when I make a move on a SSD?
Click to expand...

get the smaller drive at time of purchase. This will result in a bigger budget for your ssd drive that will be in use a lot more than an external drive.
The SSD drive is the best upgrade I have done for many years.
 
xxnoelziexx said:
get the smaller drive at time of purchase. This will result in a bigger budget for your ssd drive that will be in use a lot more than an external drive.
The SSD drive is the best upgrade I have done for many years.
Click to expand...

Thank you for your opinion, I will certainly keep that in mind when purchasing. What size/model drive do you have? Is 128GB enough to still have free space after installing the programs/OSs I mentioned?

Does anyone know if the prices of Intel SSDs are going to come down substantially in the near future? How bout if capacity will rise?


Edit: Sorry, I didn't realize that you were the one who orginally replied. Thanks so much for your help
 
If I'm you, I won't bother to upgrade to a bigger hdd if all I want is to upgrade to a bigger/cheaper ssd in the future. Upgrading to a larger hdd now means you have 2 spare hdds once you finally upgrade to the ssd.

I would use the stock one (OR upgrade to the 128gb intel ssd, sell it off) until a larger/cheaper one comes by in the future, and I'll still have the stock hdd for spare.
 
orpheus1120 said:
If I'm you, I won't bother to upgrade to a bigger hdd if all I want is to upgrade to a bigger/cheaper ssd in the future. Upgrading to a larger hdd now means you have 2 spare hdds once you finally upgrade to the ssd.

I would use the stock one (OR upgrade to the 128gb intel ssd, sell it off) until a larger/cheaper one comes by in the future, and I'll still have the stock hdd for spare.
Click to expand...

Thank you very much, sagacious advice. And there have been no compatability issues with Intel SSDs and MacBooks?

Can anyone tell me if I can remove the HDD that comes with the unit, install a SSD, and then use the stock drive as an external? Or can the stock drive only function as a backup once removed resulting in the need to purcahse a true external?
 
orpheus1120 said:
Yes the stocker can be used externally with an enclosure.
Click to expand...

Thank you! If that's the case I'll probably go with the 250GB HDD, wait until the new Intel SSDs come out or drop in price and then use the 250GB drive as my external. You all have been very helpful
 
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