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SSD for MB 2008

K

kjmff5

macrumors regular
Original poster
Mar 27, 2011
225
40
I have a MacBook 2008 aluminum style(not Pro). I am planning on putting in an SSD. My question are

1. What SATA do I want? I, II, III?
2. I am using Snow Leopard currently. Planning on updating to Mountain Lion when it comes out(I checked, I can). With the whole TRIM thing, will I run into any problems? Should I just update to Lion?
3. Which SSD do you recommend. I am going to be starting medical school and want to keep this through it. I am already upgrading RAM to 4GB and this is the last thing I need/want. I am looking for ~128GB. Intel vs OCZ vs Crucial
4. Seagate Momentus Hybride drive, what about this? I know SSD is the BEST but what about this?

Thanks in advance!
 
I upgraded my 08' alu macbook to 8gb ram as there was very little difference in cost. Might as well.....

As for which SSD, I have no clue. System profiler says my SATA speed is 3 Gigabit if that helps. I'd be interested to see other people's replies as i'll be looking inso SSD at some point, although the latest hybrid drives for the speed/space combo seem to have reasonable reviews.
 
I have the momentus xt and its is a lot faster than the stock 5400rpm drives that come with most Macbooks. I'd definitely recommend it, especially if cost is a concern and durability isn't essential (not that I've had any problems with it durability wise, but just that it is a rotational drive and they are inherently more prone to failure than a SSD). I haven't experienced a SSD, but I would guess it's pretty close to it in terms of performance.

My only quip with the momentus xt is that it is slightly louder than the standard 5400 drive, but no louder than any other 7200rpm drive... Most people don't seem to notice the difference.

Good luck with med school!
 
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I have a hybrid SSD and my 2008 white Macbook has SATA at 3 G/s or less. Mactracker says my model actually has a mere 1.5 G/s. So if I were upgrading, I'd stick with SATA 2 3 G/s models if you can still find them. Sadly they aren't any cheaper now that the 6 G/s models are out. They simply stopped making the slower ones rather than discounting them. The new Macs all have 6 G/s which is compatible with the OCZ Vertex 3 and Agility 3 series which are the most expensive models right now.

In an older (pre SATA III) Mac, putting in a 6 G/s SSD is a waste unless you 1) plan to move it to your next machine or 2) it's all you can find.
 
I would go with the OWC, excellent service and a great drive. Had ordered a OCZ, and like many other (found that out after the fact) it was DOA. Hybrid drive like the Momentus do not provide the same speed increase, and at 7200 rpm, are noisy, and consume more power than a SSD.
 
I doubt that you are going to see as big an improvement with an SSD over a hybrid drive, seeing as you are limited by SATA I. That said, the Momentus XT 750GB is about the same price as the OWC Mercury Electra 120GB, so it's your choice between six times the space and somewhat faster. Also, keep in mind that the SSD should be more reliable.

It may seem tempting to think "I'll invest in an awesome SSD now and use it for a long time, so I'll spring for a fast SATA III drive". I would argue that in 4 years, you'll get a lot more SSD for the money ... and we're not even sure that the next MacBook Pro will have bays for today's 2.5" 9mm drives.

Congrats on starting medical school!
 
Thanks for the replies. Well I think I'm going to do the Seagate Momentus XT 500 GB Hybrid Drive for $130 (Oh how I love amazon). And When I get it, probably do Lion as well. Whoo it should come in tomorrow!
 
kjmff5 said:
Thanks for the replies. Well I think I'm going to do the Seagate Momentus XT 500 GB Hybrid Drive for $130 (Oh how I love amazon). And When I get it, probably do Lion as well. Whoo it should come in tomorrow!
Click to expand...

I have the Momentus XT and I'm quite happy with it. I have a refurb 2010 mini on the way that has a 320 GB internal drive (for testing Mountain Lion). I'll probably pick up a 750GB Momentus XT for that machine one of these days. I checked on the SATA capability of my new mini and its 3 G/S so even if I do decide to go full SSD, I'll be able to get away with an older or less expensive model.
 
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