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SSD Buying Guide
- Thread starter Hellhammer
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First of all, thank you so much for the guide and this thread! It was very helpful!
I'm in the same boat. I was going to buy SSD from OWC but want to make sure...
I came from the PC side. I will order MacBook Pro this Monday. I am much more familiar with the companies from the PC side. For example, I love Corsair. But the name OWC comes up often.
I've read that OWC SSD is the only one that allows you to update the firmware on the Mac. True? Do I care about this? Suppose I need to update Corsair or Crucial, how does updating firmware works after installation?
I'm in the same boat. I was going to buy SSD from OWC but want to make sure...
I came from the PC side. I will order MacBook Pro this Monday. I am much more familiar with the companies from the PC side. For example, I love Corsair. But the name OWC comes up often.
I've read that OWC SSD is the only one that allows you to update the firmware on the Mac. True? Do I care about this? Suppose I need to update Corsair or Crucial, how does updating firmware works after installation?
Yes. SF-2281 and SandForce based SSDs in general have been a bit troublesome. FW updates have been said to fix the bugs but I would still take that with a grain of salt.
OWC is the only company SandForce company with a Mac updater. Crucial's FW updater is OS-independent and hence works with Macs too. Corsair uses various controllers so I guess it depends. Their SF based drives (GT Series IIRC) don't have Mac updater, at least. ¨
SF based SSDs are pretty much the same, just in a different exterior. No reason to go with Corsair instead of OWC or OCZ for example.
I have the same doubt. Isn´t OWC using SF-2282?
240GB Mercury EXTREME Pro 6G SSD Specifications:
Specifications
ControllerSandForce 2282 Series Processor with 7% Over Provisioning
The only difference is that SF-2282 support 16-byte lanes. Otherwise it's the exactly same die. In real life, that means nothing because SATA 6Gb/s is the bottleneck and up to eight dies (64GB) can be packed in a single NAND package, making the max capacity 512GB for 2281 (2282 can support up to 1024GB in theory since you can have two NAND packages per channel (8 channels)).
Hellhammer - Should I go with the Samsung 470 or 830 for my 2011 Mini? The 470 has a proven track record for reliability though the 830 is SATA III and the Mini supports SATA III?
Would it be risky to go with the 830 given that it is relatively new?
Would it be risky to go with the 830 given that it is relatively new?
830 hasn't had any problems from what I have heard so it should be a good option too. IMO this boils down to the price. What are the prices of these SSDs? I wouldn't pay much more for 830.
Thanks. Can you be more specific in what's the difference is from each of the brands? And can I get it in there myself? It'll be my first MacBook.
The controller is the biggest difference, they all have different ones. Controller affects things like performance. Crucial M4 and Samsung PM830 are both SATA 6Gb/s drives, hence faster than the other two which are SATA 3Gb/s. However, the difference in real life is negligible, so paying a lot more for 6Gb/s isn't worth it IMO.
No matter which one you pick, you most likely won't notice any difference. Look at the prices and see which one is the cheapest.
Yes. It's fairly easy and there are several instruction videos.
Do you think the Mercury Extreme PRO is worth the extra $50? (120GB)
http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/SSD/OWC/Mercury_6G/
http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/SSD/OWC/Mercury_6G/
It is $20 more for the 128 GB option. Average of around $209 for the 470 and $229 for the 830.
No. The only difference is that Mercury has synchronous NAND, which makes it slightly faster. Not noticeable in real life, though.
Up to you. It's only $20 so might as well go for the faster drive.
I'm thinking of getting a 120Gb SSD for my mid 2010 MBP (MC371/A), I was looking to get the Mercury EXTREME Pro 3G SSD but then found the Corsair Force Series 3 (http://bit.ly/umGyLC) which is only about £10 more expensive, about £130.
I know its a SATA 3 drive and my MBP is SATA 2. I guess I was just thinking about future proofing and the ability to move the SSD to a new machine if and when needed
What do you think? Has anyone had issues with this either drive or the SATA 3/2010 MBP combo?
I know its a SATA 3 drive and my MBP is SATA 2. I guess I was just thinking about future proofing and the ability to move the SSD to a new machine if and when needed
What do you think? Has anyone had issues with this either drive or the SATA 3/2010 MBP combo?
am planning a new 13", and probably the samsung 830 (or the M4).
should i power up, make sure everything's ok, register my mac, THEN shut down and install the SSD?
i want a clean start. i made a Lion DVD when i first installed lion.
so could i install the new drive, boot from the DVD, and install Lion?
and..where would i get the iLife apps?
thx..
should i power up, make sure everything's ok, register my mac, THEN shut down and install the SSD?
i want a clean start. i made a Lion DVD when i first installed lion.
so could i install the new drive, boot from the DVD, and install Lion?
and..where would i get the iLife apps?
thx..
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I'm curious what anyone has heard about OCZ's new 1TB Octane drives, with their new indillix controller, 'cause I've heard some people had issues with the Vertex 3 but that it was more of a Sandforce issue, I'm desperate for a bigger HDD than I have, and I want an SSD so I don't really have the time to wait for anything more than the earliest kinks to be ironed out.
This has been a very useful thread. Thanks!
I was hoping for an opinion/advice on my current situation:
I'm upgrading from a 2009 Pro to a new 15" (base model). Right now I have an Intel X-25M (2nd gen) 80GB drive which has worked like a dream for the last 2 years. Would I notice any substantial performance boost by upgrading to a Crucial M4 or something similar? Storage space isn't an issue as I'll have a 750GB HDD in the Optibay for media. Basically, is it worth it?
I was hoping for an opinion/advice on my current situation:
I'm upgrading from a 2009 Pro to a new 15" (base model). Right now I have an Intel X-25M (2nd gen) 80GB drive which has worked like a dream for the last 2 years. Would I notice any substantial performance boost by upgrading to a Crucial M4 or something similar? Storage space isn't an issue as I'll have a 750GB HDD in the Optibay for media. Basically, is it worth it?
If i buy a mbp and later on decide to put in an ssd say 6 months later...Would I be able to boot off the ssd and keep all my files and information still from the 5400rpm hdd? Like I understand that I'd be using my hdd and boot off it, but how do you get the operating systems on the ssd? Or do I have to buy the ssd before using my mbp? sorry im a noob
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