The Samsung 840/840 Pro SSD thread

[The.Walrus]

Installed a 250gb Samsung 840 SSD (non-Pro) in my early 2011 15" Macbook Pro. My first SSD and the difference is incredible. It feels like a new machine.

Read/Write speeds are exactly as advertised (250 write, 500 read).

Originally Posted by srcampana

Here is my current Activity Monitor, fyi. As I'm sitting here reading the forum, 6% drop in 12 minutes. Not awesome.

Like Srcampana, however, I'm getting some bizarre battery usage. After the initial boot up, my MBP indicated 2:26 battery life off a full charge (normally this would be ~7hrs with my stock 5400rmp HDD). Estimated battery life would drop ~10 minutes every minute or two.

Resetting the SMC and PRAM seem to have helped a bit, but I'm still not seeing what I used to see. Light web browsing off a full charge shows about 5:00 hours battery life now. Anybody else experiencing this, or know of a way to fix it?

[foice]

just a confirmation. I'd like to read somebody who installed the 840 Pro 512 Gb into the mid 2010 13" MacBookPro.
the thread is kind of positive, but before spending the 470$ at B&H i'd like a final confirmation ... thanks!

(anybody with a better price btw?)

[fins831]

I just got done installing 256 gig 840 pro (One sale for 199 other day at newegg) into my 2012 macbook pro, along with 16 gig crucial ram. After extensive hours of ram tests (and RMA on gskill 16 gig), it passed, and getting done setting up the macbook from a clean install, and it is flying.

500+ read/write speeds, everything is flawless, no hangs, no freezes, just pure amazing. Trim is enabled, and I have a windows partition for using the Samsung software for firmware updates (FYI, out of box there is a need to do a firmware update). Also use the windows partition for visual studio, so it works out.

Still have about 175 gig free....but so far, no issues. Very glad I bought this Macbook other day on sale at best buy for like 1020. I prefer the ability to fix my machines myself, and the retinas aren't for me just yet, maybe in 2 years.

[frankieboy]

The couple of mentions here about battery life being short may be due to Spotlight indexing. I noticed quite a spike in processor activity the first time I booted the 840 Pro after cloning my HDD to it. After indexing is complete, you battery drain may return to normal. Just a thought. My battery life seems to be slightly better with the 840 pro than with the stock HDD.

You could try adding your drive temporarily to Spotlight's Privacy list to turn off indexing, and see if that makes a difference, or look at the processor usage in Activity Monitor to identify processor hogs.

Also, you can update the firmware by installing a free "trial" copy of Windows 7. "Trial" meaning you do not need a product key or activation. Just click through the request for the product key after unchecking the box for "Activate Online". This is perfectly legal and gives you 30 days to install the firmware update, before the Windows trial expires. You can download all the needed firmware updater software with OS X and put it on a FAT or ExFAT-formatted USB stick or CD to use with Bootcamp, so you don't even need to get Windows connected to the internet. You do not need to download/install the Bootcamp driver package either: you only need the Bootcamp Assistant, a Windows 7 install disk, and about 20 Gb free sapce on your 840 SSD.

After updating the firmware, you can recover the disk space used by running the Bootcamp Assistant again. It will offer an option to delete the Windows partition and expand your HFS partition to recover the used space.

The new version of Samsung's Magician software, version 4.0 released this week, crashed under Win 7 32-bit/Bootcamp on two different MBPs. So I downloaded the older version 3.2, and it worked perfectly. Both versions can install the same 04B0Q firmware, and both versions are available from Samsung's download page.

Worked for me. OTH, you could just skip this firmware update, which is a very minor tweak for edge cases, and makes no difference in performance in mosts cases. I couldn't measure any difference before and after the update.

I was slightly bummed to see, in Samsung's Magician software, that it only worked with unformatted or NTFS partitions. This apparently means we cannot control over-provisioning for our Macs running all-HFS. Does this mean there is no over-provisioning, or that there is some default over-provisioning, and if the latter, what is the default amount? (Please post a link to the source of your information.) And, while I am asking, is there any way around the formatting limitation? Is there a beta version of the Mac software rumored to be in development by Samsung?

Samsung's Magician software recommended I allocate 47 Gb (!) of my 512 Gb 840 Pro to over-provisioning, and seemed to indicate the current amount was 0 Gb. Personally, I'd hate to lose that much, but I'd be curious to see performance testing with versus without it.

[Hellhammer]

Originally Posted by frankieboy

Does this mean there is no over-provisioning, or that there is some default over-provisioning, and if the latter, what is the default amount? (Please post a link to the source of your information.)

NAND capacity is actually measured in Gibibytes (1024^3 bytes) whereas the advertised capacities are Gigabytes (1000^3 bytes), thus a 512GB SSD has 512GiB (549.8GB) of NAND on the board. The difference that comes from Gibi to Giga translation is used for over-provisioning (37.8GB in the case of a 512GB SSD, or 6.9%).

And, while I am asking, is there any way around the formatting limitation?

You can create a partition smaller than the default size (e.g. 480GB instead of 512GB). The unformatted space will be inaccessible by the OS, hence the drive can use it as over-provisioning for garbage collection etc.

Is there a beta version of the Mac software rumored to be in development by Samsung?

It's not a rumor, I heard it with my own ears when I was at Korea visiting Samsung. They said "early 2013", that's all. I should probably check with them to see its current status.

[frankieboy]

Thanks for those details, Hellhammer! Just what I wanted to know. I won't sweat the over-provisioning thing.

And of course, if you say it, it isn't rumor, it the truth

[fins831]

Originally Posted by Hellhammer

NAND capacity is actually measured in Gibibytes (1024^3 bytes) whereas the advertised capacities are Gigabytes (1000^3 bytes), thus a 512GB SSD has 512GiB (549.8GB) of NAND on the board. The difference that comes from Gibi to Giga translation is used for over-provisioning (37.8GB in the case of a 512GB SSD, or 6.9%).



You can create a partition smaller than the default size (e.g. 480GB instead of 512GB). The unformatted space will be inaccessible by the OS, hence the drive can use it as over-provisioning for garbage collection etc.



It's not a rumor, I heard it with my own ears when I was at Korea visiting Samsung. They said "early 2013", that's all. I should probably check with them to see its current status.

much appreciated for the info. I just made a bootcamp partition to avoid this issue but I'd love to delete it lol

[cazzette]

I dropped a 500GB non-Pro into my 13" cMBP (Mid-2012, 2.9GHz i7, 16GB memory). I love it. After SSD, I have an hour more battery life. Under intensive hard drive use (multitasking multiple VMware VMs), I probably picked up 1-2 more hours of battery life. Hard drive I/O is much faster inside the VMs in VMware Fusion.

----------

Is DXT06B0Q the latest firmware for the 500GB 840 non-Pro? DXT06B0Q is what it came out of the box with.

How accurate is System Information on reporting firmware info?

[frankieboy]

Originally Posted by cazzette

Is DXT06B0Q the latest firmware for the 500GB 840 non-Pro?

Nope. Current is DXT07B0Q.

How accurate is System Information on reporting firmware info?

Perfectly accurate. You can also see the firmware version in the freeware Trim Enabler.

[macnoodle]

I thought I'd share with you the story of my "interim" upgrade.

Today I brought home a 250GB Samsung 840 SSD and installed it in my mid-2012 non-Retina Macbook Pro 13" (2.9Ghz i7 with 16 GB RAM). The reason that I consider this upgrade temporary is because what I really wanted for the MBP was the 512GB Samsung 840 Pro SSD. Unfortunately none of the local shops had one in stock. Since I also have a 2008 iMac, I just bought the SSD that I was going to eventually get for that machine anyway. I just got it earlier than planned, and I will use it in my MBP until my 512GB 840 Pro arrives.

Before the upgrade, everything was running as expected. My hard drive speeds were between 60 and 80 MB/s. Boot-up time, with everything that I have loaded on the machine, was just under 35 seconds.

Click on the attachment to see what sort of disk speeds I get after the upgrade. The MBP now boots up in 12 seconds! Everything now seems to load instantly. For example: Photoshop opens in 1.2 seconds and Lightroom in 2.2 seconds. This thing is seriously fast!

To say that I am happy with the upgrade would be an understatement. I cannot wait to get my hands on the 840 Pro so that I can take this out of my MBP and slip it into my ageing iMac - it will transform that machine! It's done a heck of a job for the MBP, and that was not a slow machine to start with.

.

[drbakker]

Battery issues for me too after Samsung 500GB 840 SSD upgrade in late 2011 MBP 13".

- updated to latest firmware (which is dead easy without installing Windows with the bootable ISO images Samsung provides)
- did PRAM and SMC reset
- checked/unchecked 'put drive to sleep' in energy savings prefpanel
- TRIM not enabled (because I can't find out why I should)

All to not much help. Decreased battery life Getting 3.5hrs instead of the usual 4.5...

Anyone know any other tricks I should try?

[frankieboy]

Originally Posted by drbakker

Battery issues for me too after Samsung 500GB 840 SSD upgrade in late 2011 MBP 13".

Anyone know any other tricks I should try?

Did you look at your process list in Activity Monitor to identify any hoggy processes?

[offthehook]

Installed a 840 (non pro) 120 gb in my 2009 macbookpro 13" (optibay combo).
Love it. Although I'm stuck on SATA-2 the performance boost is incredible! My 3 years old macbook boots in about 12 seconds and apps launch instantly. Not at home right now so I can not post a read/write screenshot. One downside though: Battery time cut in half and my battery shows "service battery". Not sure if this wasn't already there before. Probably gonna exchange the battery one day.
Best upgrade for my "old" 2009 mbp. Running ML with 8 gigs of ram. did not update the firmware though as it is blazing fast and there are no problems.

best regards

[Swiss-G]

Originally Posted by frankieboy

Also, you can update the firmware by installing a free "trial" copy of Windows 7. "Trial" meaning you do not need a product key or activation. Just click through the request for the product key after unchecking the box for "Activate Online". This is perfectly legal and gives you 30 days to install the firmware update, before the Windows trial expires. You can download all the needed firmware updater software with OS X and put it on a FAT or ExFAT-formatted USB stick or CD to use with Bootcamp, so you don't even need to get Windows connected to the internet. You do not need to download/install the Bootcamp driver package either: you only need the Bootcamp Assistant, a Windows 7 install disk, and about 20 Gb free sapce on your 840 SSD.

After updating the firmware, you can recover the disk space used by running the Bootcamp Assistant again. It will offer an option to delete the Windows partition and expand your HFS partition to recover the used space.

There is no need to install windows in bootcamp to upgrade the firmware.

Download the correct ISO from Samsung's website and burn the image to DVD. Edit: Note a CD will not work!!!

Select the DVD in Startup Disk in preferences and restart the MBP. The upgrade process starts automatically and requires a few key presses to confirm you want to upgrade the firmware.

The firmware ISO are available here:

http://www.samsung.com/global/busine...downloads.html

Scroll down until you find Samsung SSD Firmware Updates for Mac Users.

[888gorilla]

Originally Posted by Swiss-G

Download the correct ISO from Samsung's website and burn the image to CD/DVD.

Select the DVD/CD in Startup Disk in preferences and restart the MBP. The upgrade process starts automatically and requires a few key presses to confirm you want to upgrade the firmware.

The firmware ISO are available here:

http://www.samsung.com/global/busine...downloads.html

Scroll down until you find Samsung SSD Firmware Updates for Mac Users.

Awesome, hope that works that easy, I have a 840 250GB coming this week for 2012 13", will post results!

[macnoodle]

Originally Posted by Swiss-G

There is no need to install windows in bootcamp to upgrade the firmware.

Download the correct ISO from Samsung's website and burn the image to CD/DVD.

Select the DVD/CD in Startup Disk in preferences and restart the MBP. The upgrade process starts automatically and requires a few key presses to confirm you want to upgrade the firmware.

The firmware ISO are available here:

http://www.samsung.com/global/busine...downloads.html

Scroll down until you find Samsung SSD Firmware Updates for Mac Users.

I *wish* it were that easy! My new MBP, with latest everything installed (OSX 10.8.2 with all updates up-to-date) will not let me select my DVD drive as the start-up disk (it doesn't even show it as an option), and when I burn the ISO to disc, it won't let me boot from it no matter what I do.

[frankieboy]

Originally Posted by macnoodle

...when I burn the ISO to disc, it won't let me boot from it no matter what I do.

Same problem here, which is why I posted above about using Bootcamp.

The Samsung image "BTDSK.IMG" burns okay, and I can see the FreeDOS items on the CD afterward, but the disk is not bootable.

[Swiss-G]

Originally Posted by macnoodle

I *wish* it were that easy! My new MBP, with latest everything installed (OSX 10.8.2 with all updates up-to-date) will not let me select my DVD drive as the start-up disk (it doesn't even show it as an option), and when I burn the ISO to disc, it won't let me boot from it no matter what I do.

Edit: Needs to be burnt to a DVD not CD

[frankieboy]

My experience with the fabulous 840 Pro has got me checking out some things about SSDs and disks in general. In case anyone's interested:

• About TRIM (Wikipedia)
• About Write Amplification and Garbage Collection (Wikipedia)
• Parted Magic - bootable Linux for advanced disk operations (free)

[tvhaugen]

How can I tell if my 840 Pro has the latest firmware?

Thanks!

[frankieboy]

Originally Posted by tvhaugen

How can I tell if my 840 Pro has the latest firmware?

1. Open System Profiler
2. Under the Hardware theme, click Serial-ATA
3. Under "Samsung SSD 840 PRO Series" read the "Revision" string.
4. Latest firmware is DXM04B0Q- yours is probably DXM03B0Q

[offthehook]

about this mac/more info/sata/select your ssd. there will be the firmware version (not labeled as firmware though! sorry pal not in front of my mac right now) you can check if there's a new one on the samsung homepage (link has been posted several times by others)

best regards

[tvhaugen]

Thanks for the helpful replies.

Mine says DXM03B0Q

Should I do the firmware update?

[Swiss-G]

Originally Posted by frankieboy

Same problem here, which is why I posted above about using Bootcamp.

The Samsung image "BTDSK.IMG" burns okay, and I can see the FreeDOS items on the CD afterward, but the disk is not bootable.

This is what I see in Startup Disk once the disk has been burnt.

I selected the DVD image and the MBP booted to FreeDOS and installed the updated firmware.

[frankieboy]

Originally Posted by Swiss-G

This is what I see in Startup Disk once the disk has been burnt.

And this is what I see:



What item(s) does your DXM04B0Q disc contain? Mine only has "BTDSK.IMG". If I burn "BTDSK.IMG" instead, I see the FreeDOS items on the CD, but it won't show up in Startup Disk or with option key at boot.