Best SSD for a 13" Macbook Pro mid 2010

[rodri05]

Hi, I'm new to the world of Apple, so i started out by buying my friend's old Macbook pro. it's a 13 inch 2010 edition and the 1st thing i want to do is upgrade the the hdd to a ssd and the ram from 4 to 8/16gb. Can someone help me by listing some good compatiable SSDs and ram sticks.
P.S. i read only that some SSDs like the ocz vertex 2 are failing in macbook pro 13 inch 2010.
please help and thank you.

[Yebubbleman]

Originally Posted by rodri05

Hi, I'm new to the world of Apple, so i started out by buying my friend's old Macbook pro. it's a 13 inch 2010 edition and the 1st thing i want to do is upgrade the the hdd to a ssd and the ram from 4 to 8/16gb. Can someone help me by listing some good compatiable SSDs and ram sticks.
P.S. i read only that some SSDs like the ocz vertex 2 are failing in macbook pro 13 inch 2010.
please help and thank you.

I just got a friend the Crucial V4 (256GB SATA II). Really, unibody MacBook Pros from Late 2008 to Mid 2010 all have SATA II (3Gbps) whereas Early 2011 and newer have SATA III (6Gbps), so if you can find a brand and size you want, spending the additional money on a SATA III drive is kind of a waste of money.

[eRondeau]

Last month I installed a 240GB OWC (Other World Computing) SSD in my "Late 2008" aluminum Macbook. I started with a 160GB HD so it gave me 50% more storage space. And it is FAST just like I expected it would be.

Also IMHO there's probably no need to have anything more than 4GB RAM. I've got 4GB in my iMac and in my Macbook and I rarely if ever use it all. Mountain Lion is a very memory-efficient OS; if you came from the Windows-7 world 4GB is a bare minimum but in the OS X world it's lots. Besides, if you ever do need to swap-in/out the SSD makes that nearly instantaneous as well.

[elpmas]

Many people use the Samsung ssd and are saying those work fine. Just preference now,IMO.

Your ram can only go to 8, which should be ~$40

[Giuly]

Originally Posted by elpmas

The ram can only go to 8, which should be ~$40

Nope, 16GB 1333MHz CL9 works, too.

As far as the SSD goes, Samsung 840 Pro or OCZ Vector, as both are the fastest in areas that matter for SATA-II.
Read:

Write:


The 840 Pro has an even steeper slope than the 840. (Images courtesy of AnandTech, cropped to reflect the SATA-II speeds)

[Stephen Dowling]

I use a Samsung 840 SSD and its blazing fast. As for RAM, I'm using 8GB of standard OCZ 1333MHz DDR3 and it hasn't given me any problems.

I can highly recommend both of these brands. I'd hold on to the original HDD and RAM though, just in case.

Best of Luck!

~Steve

[Gianmarco]

Originally Posted by Giuly

Nope, 16GB 1333MHz CL9 works, too.

As far as the SSD goes, Samsung 840 Pro or OCZ Vector, as both are the fastest in areas that matter for SATA-II.
Read:

Write:


The 840 Pro has an even steeper slope than the 840. (Images courtesy of AnandTech, cropped to reflect the SATA-II speeds)

Speed aside, what about reliability? Also, is the Vector a newer model than the Vertex 4?

(I have a Mid 2010 MBP and am looking into buying an SSD for it as well.)

[Giuly]

There haven't been a lot of complaints for both of them. Yes, the Vector is the successor to the Vertex 4, but with a completely new controller.

[Gianmarco]

Originally Posted by Giuly

There haven't been a lot of complaints for both of them. Yes, the Vector is the successor to the Vertex 4, but with a completely new controller.

Is the vector backwards compatible with SATA II since we are talking about Mid 2010 macbook pros? Amazon says its 6Gb (SATA II), but doenst specifically state it;s backwards compatible.

[Giuly]

Originally Posted by Gianmarco

Is the vector backwards compatible with SATA II since we are talking about Mid 2010 macbook pros? Amazon says its 6Gb (SATA II), but doenst specifically state it;s backwards compatible.

SATA is backwards and forwards compatible in general.

[Gianmarco]

Originally Posted by Giuly

SATA is backwards and forwards compatible in general.

Thanks!

Also, i saw you also commented on a thread I read while researching what SSD to buy:

Originally Posted by Giuly

The SSD that can challenge the Samsung 840 Pro right now is the OCZ Vector, but I really anticipate the Crucial m500, which looks pretty good on paper, especially at under $0.60 per GB.

Any chance you can answer these questions I posted on the Samsung 840/840 Pro thread? Or go over tothe thread and answet them? (I'm not to keen on buying products that are new, so I am not leaning on the Crucial m500 you mentioned, unless you could possibly convince me that its worth waiting for).

Originally Posted by Gianmarco

So im in the market to get an SSD for my Mid 2010 MBP 13".

After reading all these comments, the Samsung 840 Pro is on the table.

A few questions:

-Since my MBP is Sata II, the optimal, advertised speeds will be bottlenecked since it it not SATA III correct? (Of course, it will still be a tremendous improvement over my 5400 RPM HDD). What would those speeds be mroe or less?

-(Going on with the previous question) If so, when I evnetually get a new mac down the road, it will obviously have SATA III. So if I put my SSD on it, it will no longer be bottlenecked and run close to advertised speeds, correct?

-What are the main differences between the 840 and 840 pro, aside from the negligible storage size difference in each "tier" (i.e. 250GB for the 840 & 256GB for the 840 Pro)? I believe i read somewhere that the warranty length is different, but i'd like to see other differences i should know about.

-In terms of other options for SSDs for my Mid 2010 MBP 13", are there any SSDs you'd recommend aside from the 840 Pro? I am looking in the 240 GB+ area that is a reasonalbe price and, above all else, reliable.

Thanks!

Thank you!

[rodri05]

1st i want to say thank you to everyone that replied to my post it really helped, and i just wanted to make sure that i understood everything.

Ram wise i upgrade it up 16gb but 8 is recommended. any brand works right?

SSD: i shuold get a 3gb SATA 2 SSD. Samsung or Vertex 4 right?

P.S. if not to much trouble link too? thank you so much

[elpmas]

Originally Posted by Gianmarco

Speed aside, what about reliability? Also, is the Vector a newer model than the Vertex 4?

(I have a Mid 2010 MBP and am looking into buying an SSD for it as well.)

So you're telling me that my mid2010 MBP 13" is capable of 16gb of ram?

[Cheffy Dave]

Only use OWC, priced right and Flawless

[Gianmarco]

Originally Posted by elpmas

So you're telling me that my mid2010 MBP 13" is capable of 16gb of ram?

I think you may have quoted the wrong post.

[Giuly]

As far as RAM goes, you'll be happy with the Crucial.

And unless somebody has the nerv to benchmark SATA-III drives on a SATA-II interface, your best bet is the Samsung 840 Pro and the OCZ Vector.

Gianmarco: Yes, Yes. The regular 840 with it's triple-level cell NAND is a glorified USB Stick and for the most part inferior to the Samsung 830 (which is what Apple ships in the Fusion Drives, btw). For the last question, see the previous paragraph.

[designs216]

I like the Crucial M4, I've got a 256 in my '09 MBP and the 512 in my 2012 MBP. The Samsung 830 is rated very highly (Apple likes it too and many are now recommending the 840 Pro model.

[Drharrington]

Yeah. crucial m4 512GB works great.

300 write/ 500 mbs read....

[Giuly]

Originally Posted by Cheffy Dave

Only use OWC, priced right and Flawless

OWC and their USA-assembled SSDs would have my order in a heartbeat, if they would only introduce something that isn't based on outdated SandForce controllers.

As far as the m4 goes - wait for the 480GB and 960GB M500.

[Gianmarco]

Originally Posted by Giuly

As far as RAM goes, you'll be happy with the Crucial.

And unless somebody has the nerv to benchmark SATA-III drives on a SATA-II interface, your best bet is the Samsung 840 Pro and the OCZ Vector.

Gianmarco: Yes, Yes. The regular 840 with it's triple-level cell NAND is a glorified USB Stick and for the most part inferior to the Samsung 830 (which is what Apple ships in the Fusion Drives, btw). For the last question, see the previous paragraph.

Thanks.

Are there any notable differences between the 840 pro and the vector? Or is it just depending on which brand I like more now? Ive pretty much narrowed it down to those two.

[rodri05]

I just want to thank everyone who posted, i think i would get so much help when i posted this.

So far i think im going to go with 8gb of ram and 256 SSD.

The last thing i got to do is decide between Samsung 840 Pro and the OCZ Vector. Some people said OWC and crucial m4 and im going to look into them.
Does anyone know which of these is the most reliable and stable for 13 inch 2010 macbook pro? i looked at some reviews and some people say they have been having problems and that it would only work for about 1 month, surprising this only happen to 2010 13' macbook pro (fml) but what do you guys think? thanks again for all your help.

[marc11]

Originally Posted by Drharrington

Yeah. crucial m4 512GB works great.

300 write/ 500 mbs read....

You are getting those speeds on a Sata II connection? I think you are writing SATA III. My 2010 MBP with an Intel 330 gets about 250 write and 280 read speeds. That is about normal SATA II speeds...you aren't breaking 300 mbs on SATA II no matter which drive you use.

Also, someone mentioned the 840 non pro being a glorified USB stick, I suggest the OP read Anandtech.com write of up the 840 and 840 pro, that normal 840 performs very VERY well and for use in an older, SATA II machine for the average user is a very good choice.

There is some question about longevity, 7 or 10 years of heavy writing, but lets be honest, how many of us are keeping a drive for 10 years? Not many. Is the 840 pro better, yes in so far as longevity is concerned, will the average non-heavy user notice? I doubt it.

[elpmas]

Originally Posted by Gianmarco

I think you may have quoted the wrong post.

Whoops! Doing this phone phone

[Drharrington]

Originally Posted by marc11

You are getting those speeds on a Sata II connection? I think you are writing SATA III. My 2010 MBP with an Intel 330 gets about 250 write and 280 read speeds. That is about normal SATA II speeds...you aren't breaking 300 mbs on SATA II no matter which drive you use.

Also, someone mentioned the 840 non pro being a glorified USB stick, I suggest the OP read Anandtech.com write of up the 840 and 840 pro, that normal 840 performs very VERY well and for use in an older, SATA II machine for the average user is a very good choice.

There is some question about longevity, 7 or 10 years of heavy writing, but lets be honest, how many of us are keeping a drive for 10 years? Not many. Is the 840 pro better, yes in so far as longevity is concerned, will the average non-heavy user notice? I doubt it.

You tell me.... All I know is it's hitting 300/500, bro..... Looks like SATA III...

[marc11]

Originally Posted by Drharrington

You tell me.... All I know is it's hitting 300/500, bro..... Looks like SATA III...

I did not say I doubted your speeds; my point was you are quoting SATA III speeds and saying the drive is great, which it well may be, but the OP only has SATA II so he is not going to hit those speeds no matter which drive he puts in.

Your speeds posted in this thread are misleading. They are great and impressive, but not on point for someone looking for a SATA II drive.