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SSD Apple vs OWC
- Thread starter KingJosh
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First, the OWC SSD will outperform the Apple SSD. Second, the OWC SSD will not lose speed over time. Third, if you are concerned about warranty, with a new machine, OWC has a warranty program that either coincides with Apple's over supercedes it. They have a turnkey program. You ship the machine to them and they do the work. If the machine is new, you can have it direct shipped from Apple to them and they send you the computer when the modifications are done. There are quite a few additional internal options available in addition to an SSD including: an additional hard drive, a second SSD and an eSATA port. Check this out: http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/turnkey/iMac
The OWC's will be faster. I went with an Apple SSD in my MBP only because after my company discount, it only cost me $92 which was far cheaper than buying a 120GB SSD (at the time at least). However, if it hadn't been considerably cheaper, I would have just bought my own and installed it.
iMac's on the other hand, are a lot more difficult to upgrade to SSD so you need to take that into consideration.
iMac's on the other hand, are a lot more difficult to upgrade to SSD so you need to take that into consideration.
The OEM Apple drives are SATA II (3G). Unless you are doing a lot of work with very large files, such as video editing, you will not likely notice the speed difference in day to day usage.
As you said, the internal drive on an iMac is not a user serviceable part, so you do create warranty issues. Watch some videos of how this is done and you will see it is not for the feint of heart. If you want to risk breaking your new iMac to save a little money, that is up to you to decide.
OWC uses Sandforce controllers in their drives and Sandforce based drives have not been the most compatible/reliable. Each new generation of controller Sandforce comes out with seems to take months of firmware updates to get it stable. If you do install your own SSD, I would go with either a Samsung 830 or Crucial M4. Read over the main SSD thread for others opinions on this.
You comment implies the Apple OEM drive will lose speed over time, and this is wrong. Apple OEM SSDs support TRIM and will not lose speed over time.
As you said, the OWC upgrade program coincides with the Apple warranty. So what do you do on a Thursday afternoon when your new iMac will not work? You sure can't just walk into the Apple Store with it to get it fixed now with that OWC SSD patched inside.
OP>> If this is a hobby for you and you want to take the risk to save some money, have at it... but understand if this computer is for business or serious work you need to depend on, you are really out on a limb is things don't go well.
Since OWC is a US based company, you need to find out how to get service under their warranty if you used the turnkey program. Not to mention the issues of shipping hardware between countries.
Yep I am trying to figure all that out right now. I think I will have to call up OWC to arrange Apple > OWC - special arrangement shipping to Australia. I won't do anything until the new iMac releases though of course
Remember to also compare pricing again. Apple does lower its price for options sometimes....
I won't do anything until the new iMac releases though of course