SSD Buying Guide - Page 5

Hellhammer · Nov 14, 2011, 08:37 AM

Good to see that this sticky actually does its job. Usually people just ignore these

Quote:

Originally Posted by r17z

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?

Anand mentioned that he couldn't get Vertex 3 to work in 2010 MBP: http://www.anandtech.com/show/4205/t...sandy-bridge/7

No idea if this is still the case, but the drives you mentioned are all based on the same SF-2281 controller (and the firmware is mostly the same too since it's controller by SandForce). This says that Vertex 3 works fine in 2010 MBP so it might have been fixed by now.

As long as you make sure there is no-questions-asked return policy, go ahead and try it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by fisherking

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..

Booting it first is a good idea. Then if something isn't right, it's much easier to return it to Apple. If you first tear it down and it doesn't work, it's always an awkward moment.

You can install Lion by booting from the DVD, it's as simple as it has always been (make sure the DVD works though).

Quote:

Originally Posted by PAPO

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.

Haven't heard anything yet. NewEgg doesn't even have an SKU for it, even though OCZ claimed Nov 1st shipping date. I would wait for e.g. Anand's review to see how it works.

Quote:

Originally Posted by seanmorr

any idea if any of the newer drives will be on sale around black friday?

I would think they wouldn't be discounted much since they are new...the older models might be though

Maybe some cuts but the main problem is NAND costs. 25nm MLC NAND is still 0.90$ per GB and I doubt many resellers are ready to sell SSDs at huge loss.

Quote:

Originally Posted by danimal917

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?

X-25M is still a very decent drive. It's also one of the most reliable ones, so I would definitely keep it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cedthebeast

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

You can install OS in the SSD, then erase the HD and move the data back from a backup (you must always have one).

Quote:

Originally Posted by ET3SW

Does anyone have any opinions on the Corsair Force 3? I can get a wicked deal on one right now. Any thoughts?

Same stuff as other SF-2281 based SSDs. If it's a wicked deal, then why not. It's a decent drive, though not 100% trouble-free.

ET3SW · Nov 14, 2011, 08:50 AM

Thanks Hellhammer! I appreciate the reply. I am looking for something that is 100% trouble free. So maybe i should just keep looking around and see about the M4 or 830

nippyjun · Nov 14, 2011, 01:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fisherking

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..

Does ilife come on a dvd with the newest macbook pro's. If not where do you get the ilife apps? Are they included with the lion download?

ET3SW · Nov 14, 2011, 01:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nippyjun

Does ilife come on a dvd with the newest macbook pro's. If not where do you get the ilife apps? Are they included with the lion download?

No when you first launch the mac app store after purchasing the laptop it will ask you to accept them and will be attached to your apple id from now on.

nippyjun · Nov 14, 2011, 01:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ET3SW

No when you first launch the mac app store after purchasing the laptop it will ask you to accept them and will be attached to your apple id from now on.

So the ilife apps will just download from the mac app store?

ET3SW · Nov 14, 2011, 01:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nippyjun

So the ilife apps will just download from the mac app store?

Yep that's it!

tigres · Nov 14, 2011, 02:14 PM

Ohhh, it's a sticky now

Who has a good guide, (Hellhammer you may have a good link) for the following:

Replacing the stock drive with the SSD, and putting the stock drive in the optibay.

I am looking for software instructions you guys like only. IE> connect to the old HOME folder etc.

Anyone got a good one?
thx.

Hellhammer · Nov 14, 2011, 02:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tigres

Ohhh, it's a sticky now

Who has a good guide, (Hellhammer you may have a good link) for the following:

Replacing the stock drive with the SSD, and putting the stock drive in the optibay.

I am looking for software instructions you guys like only. IE> connect to the old HOME folder etc.

Anyone got a good one?
thx.

Moving the Home folder is pretty easy. Just relocate it. http://www.tuaw.com/2009/05/14/tuaw-...-or-moving-it/

tigres · Nov 14, 2011, 02:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hellhammer

Moving the Home folder is pretty easy. Just relocate it. http://www.tuaw.com/2009/05/14/tuaw-...-or-moving-it/

Still work on Lion? I had seen this, but it's from 09'

Hellhammer · Nov 14, 2011, 02:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tigres

Still work on Lion? I had seen this, but it's from 09'

At least in the DPs it was the same. Haven't tried on retail version.

r17z · Nov 15, 2011, 06:33 AM

Cheers for the reply Hellhammer, I decided to get a Crucial 128GB M4 for £130. Seen a few people sticking them in older MBPs and being happy with the results

chris975d · Nov 15, 2011, 09:22 AM

I've recently (due to Hellhammer's reccommendation) installed a Crucial M4 256Gb SSD in my 2010 13" MBP (Core2Duo). It's been flawless, and it's amazing how fast it's made the machine in real world usage. For what I do, it's even faster than my brand new 2011 Macbook Air. It cold boots in 10-12 seconds (from the time the gray Apple logo shows up to the time it's at a usable desktop). I've included a link below to a video showing a typical cold boot. Pardon the "skinny" video format...it was taken with my iPhone 4S.

http://youtu.be/oW0FxCliEPA

seanmorr · Nov 15, 2011, 01:37 PM

hellhammer,
leaning towards a 256gb crucial m4

however I just read the anandtech review which mentions that the garbage collection has issues
http://www.anandtech.com/show/4253/t...0-ssd-review/2

with no TRIM support is this a major concern? I read your initial post stating degradation is overhyped, but the anandtech review is not favorable towards crucial's garbage collection.

...thoughts?

Hellhammer · Nov 15, 2011, 01:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by seanmorr

hellhammer,
leaning towards a 256gb crucial m4

however I just read the anandtech review which mentions that the garbage collection has issues
http://www.anandtech.com/show/4253/t...0-ssd-review/2

with no TRIM support is this a major concern? I read your initial post stating degradation is overhyped, but the anandtech review is not favorable towards crucial's garbage collection.

...thoughts?

From the article:

Quote:

It means that it's physically possible for the m4, if hammered with a particularly gruesome workload (or a mostly naughty workload for a longer period of time), to end up in a pretty poor performance state.

Remember that Anand's tests (just like most benches) are mainly about worst case scenarios. If you use the SSD as a OS&apps drive, the garbage collection is fine. It's essential if it was used as a scratch drive or something, where it will constantly be hammered.

Besides, TRIM can be enabled via TRIM Enabler. Last time I checked, it worked without with M4.

seanmorr · Nov 15, 2011, 01:59 PM

ok thanks

I am a professional photographer and will use photoshop quite a bit so the drive will be a PS scratch disk

also, any possible issues if I have a win7 partition on the drive where trim is enabled on that partition?

sorry for the question barrage, still new to ssd's

Hellhammer · Nov 15, 2011, 02:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by seanmorr

I am a professional photographer and will use photoshop quite a bit so the drive will be a PS scratch disk

You could consider e.g. Samsung PM830 in that case. It has more aggressive GC, which is useful since OS X lacks TRIM support for 3rd party SSDs. Another option would be M4 with TRIM enabled.

Quote:

also, any possible issues if I have a win7 partition on the drive where trim is enabled on that partition?

I think you need to enable ACHI in order for TRIM to work under W7: http://www.ocztechnologyforum.com/fo...1-now-possible

Quote:

sorry for the question barrage, still new to ssd's

No problem. This is the aim of this thread, and the forums in general

seanmorr · Nov 15, 2011, 02:49 PM

and does enabling trim within osx for 3rd party ssd's cause any problems? I've read the dedicated app is one to avoid but I've read the terminal workaround

Hellhammer · Nov 16, 2011, 08:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by seanmorr

and does enabling trim within osx for 3rd party ssd's cause any problems? I've read the dedicated app is one to avoid but I've read the terminal workaround

Some SSDs are more troublesome, especially SandForce based ones. The last time I checked, M4 seemed to work fine with TRIM Enabler (the app). If it causes issues, then you can disable it and enable it only when you want to TRIM the SSD (i.e. in case it gets slower).

yannerd · Nov 16, 2011, 09:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by seanmorr

and does enabling trim within osx for 3rd party ssd's cause any problems? I've read the dedicated app is one to avoid but I've read the terminal workaround

I've read the same thing about the Trim enabler app. I just did the terminal work around and it worked just fine for my older gen OCZ SSDNow 128GB.

some idiot · Nov 16, 2011, 10:56 AM

Looks like Newegg is having a sale on some 120gb SSDs.

http://slickdeals.net/permadeal/6259...30-rebate-more

AlexMaximus · Nov 16, 2011, 04:22 PM

Just wanted to report my experience. I had a Momentus Hybrid so far and the switch to the Intel SSD was stunning. The Intel drive is outstanding, I am very satisfied. The laptop gets a whole new level and feels like brand new again. Cant beat that with anything else. To everybody with an older Macbook Pro, - Don't get a new machine, just get an SSD drive! This is it folks !!!

I absolutely recommend the Intel SSD, they come with the newest firmware of course, so no bugs on that end anymore. Great SSD experience that gives the Macbook Pro new live for the years to come.

tigres · Nov 18, 2011, 09:36 AM

OK Hellhammer:

Thoughts on this?

300 seems pretty nice for a 256?
plextor

Hellhammer · Nov 18, 2011, 10:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tigres

OK Hellhammer:

Thoughts on this?

300 seems pretty nice for a 256?
plextor

Looks like Corsair Performance Pro. I would wait for the first reviews to see how it works. Either way, the controller is made by Marvell, just like in Crucial M4.

msmth928 · Nov 18, 2011, 10:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by r17z

Cheers for the reply Hellhammer, I decided to get a Crucial 128GB M4 for £130. Seen a few people sticking them in older MBPs and being happy with the results

Where did you order the crucial ssd from for £130? Cheapest I can find is around £149 with delivery :/

Cheers!

r17z · Nov 19, 2011, 08:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by msmth928

Where did you order the crucial ssd from for £130? Cheapest I can find is around £149 with delivery :/

Cheers!

I got it from dabs for £130.71. it was a "used stock" drive but im not too bothered about that. Also with 2.06% cash back with topcashback it worked out to be basically £1 per Gb

Came yesterday and took about 40 mins to get up and running, really pleased

Nov 14, 2011, 02:14 PM	#107
tigres macrumors 68040 Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Land of the Free-Waiting for Term Limits	Ohhh, it's a sticky now Who has a good guide, (Hellhammer you may have a good link) for the following: Replacing the stock drive with the SSD, and putting the stock drive in the optibay. I am looking for software instructions you guys like only. IE> connect to the old HOME folder etc. Anyone got a good one? thx. __________________ Quicker than two shakes of a lambs tail
	0

Nov 15, 2011, 09:22 AM	#112
chris975d macrumors Demi-God Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Georgia, USA	I've recently (due to Hellhammer's reccommendation) installed a Crucial M4 256Gb SSD in my 2010 13" MBP (Core2Duo). It's been flawless, and it's amazing how fast it's made the machine in real world usage. For what I do, it's even faster than my brand new 2011 Macbook Air. It cold boots in 10-12 seconds (from the time the gray Apple logo shows up to the time it's at a usable desktop). I've included a link below to a video showing a typical cold boot. Pardon the "skinny" video format...it was taken with my iPhone 4S. http://youtu.be/oW0FxCliEPA __________________ My ElementCase Vapor Pro Spectra Review ExoVault EXO10 Review e13ctron s4 Hybrid Review
	0

Nov 16, 2011, 04:22 PM	#121
AlexMaximus macrumors 6502 Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Bavaria White Blue	Just got my Intel 320 SSD Just wanted to report my experience. I had a Momentus Hybrid so far and the switch to the Intel SSD was stunning. The Intel drive is outstanding, I am very satisfied. The laptop gets a whole new level and feels like brand new again. Cant beat that with anything else. To everybody with an older Macbook Pro, - Don't get a new machine, just get an SSD drive! This is it folks !!! I absolutely recommend the Intel SSD, they come with the newest firmware of course, so no bugs on that end anymore. Great SSD experience that gives the Macbook Pro new live for the years to come. __________________ MacBook Pro 17' i7 2010, Samsung 840 500GB 27' ACD; TC; iPad 3; iphone 4s; iPod touch 1.gen;
	0

Nov 18, 2011, 09:36 AM	#122
tigres macrumors 68040 Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Land of the Free-Waiting for Term Limits	OK Hellhammer: Thoughts on this? 300 seems pretty nice for a 256? plextor __________________ Quicker than two shakes of a lambs tail
	0

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Nov 14, 2011, 08:50 AM	#102
ET3SW macrumors member Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Western, NY	Thanks Hellhammer! I appreciate the reply. I am looking for something that is 100% trouble free. So maybe i should just keep looking around and see about the M4 or 830
	0

Nov 15, 2011, 06:33 AM	#111
r17z macrumors newbie Join Date: Feb 2011	Cheers for the reply Hellhammer, I decided to get a Crucial 128GB M4 for £130. Seen a few people sticking them in older MBPs and being happy with the results
	0

Nov 15, 2011, 01:37 PM	#113
seanmorr macrumors newbie Join Date: Nov 2011	hellhammer, leaning towards a 256gb crucial m4 however I just read the anandtech review which mentions that the garbage collection has issues http://www.anandtech.com/show/4253/t...0-ssd-review/2 with no TRIM support is this a major concern? I read your initial post stating degradation is overhyped, but the anandtech review is not favorable towards crucial's garbage collection. ...thoughts?
	0

Nov 15, 2011, 01:59 PM	#115
seanmorr macrumors newbie Join Date: Nov 2011	ok thanks I am a professional photographer and will use photoshop quite a bit so the drive will be a PS scratch disk also, any possible issues if I have a win7 partition on the drive where trim is enabled on that partition? sorry for the question barrage, still new to ssd's
	0

Nov 15, 2011, 02:49 PM	#117
seanmorr macrumors newbie Join Date: Nov 2011	and does enabling trim within osx for 3rd party ssd's cause any problems? I've read the dedicated app is one to avoid but I've read the terminal workaround
	0

Nov 16, 2011, 10:56 AM	#120
some idiot macrumors member Join Date: Oct 2011	Looks like Newegg is having a sale on some 120gb SSDs. http://slickdeals.net/permadeal/6259...30-rebate-more
	0

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