I have the vertex 3 in my 15" and I *am* definitely experiencing beachballs at 6gbps. I'll be moving the SSD to the optical bay if a solution isn't found.
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2011 Macbook Pro 13 - many beachballs with 510 SSD
- Thread starter desantii
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I have the vertex 3 in my 15" and I *am* definitely experiencing beachballs at 6gbps. I'll be moving the SSD to the optical bay if a solution isn't found.
Did Apple produce a statement to that effect? URL?
What is the stance and position of Apple on SATA standards support?
SATA is a standard, you know.
From SATA.org FAQ:
http://www.sata-io.org/technology/why_sata.asp
What is Apple's stance on SATA compliance?
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What?
I tried the 510 and had major issues. I then put in the Vertex 3 and it's been fine, so I assumed.......perhaps incorrectly, that it wasn't the cable.
The plot thickens....geeesh..
What?
I tried the 510 and had major issues. I then put in the Vertex 3 and it's been fine, so I assumed.......perhaps incorrectly, that it wasn't the cable.
The plot thickens....geeesh..
I had zero install issues so I thought I was in the clear, but I sat down to use the laptop for a few hours the other day and encountered 2-3 20-second beachballs.
I'm not really sure what to do, other than attempt to swap out a cable from iFixIt and see if that solves the problem. If not I suppose I'll put the Vertex3 into one of my desktops and order a vertex 2 for the new MBP.
FWIW, I am running w/ the stock HDD in an OWC optibay adapter. I did a clean install on the drive before I put in the adapter, formatted using disk utility and installed off the disc that came w/ the machine. Not sure if there's anything I should have done differently. I did experience some beachballs before I put in the second drive.
At this point I'm wishing I had just paid
for their slow SSD, since alternatives aren't looking good. According to Anandtech:
"The Marvell 9174 is the same controller Micron uses in its C400 and the same controller in Corsairs Performance Series 3 SSDs. In fact, I recently received a Corsair P3. Pop off the lid and youll see the very same controller Intel is using in the 510".
If we're seeing issues with C300/C400, and Intel 510, but not the 320, and almost never on the Vertex 3, I think we can reach the conclusion that perhaps the Marvell controller is to blame, no?
"The Marvell 9174 is the same controller Micron uses in its C400 and the same controller in Corsairs Performance Series 3 SSDs. In fact, I recently received a Corsair P3. Pop off the lid and youll see the very same controller Intel is using in the 510".
If we're seeing issues with C300/C400, and Intel 510, but not the 320, and almost never on the Vertex 3, I think we can reach the conclusion that perhaps the Marvell controller is to blame, no?
Too bad the manufacturers don't follow the standard which makes it not Apple's problem. PC's have issues too with plenty of SSD models.
I bought a brand spanking new top-of-the-range 17" MacBook Pro which worked a treat until I replaced the 128GB SATA2 SSD with a 512GB SATA3 SSD - suddenly it's beachball city!!!
Fresh squeaky clean OS X install and anytime two tasks try to access the SSD at once (launch any app, say Safari, while another is already loading/reading/writing) and it'll instantly beachball for 30-60 seconds.
I too found reinstalls galore made no difference and, upon discovering rumors about faulty cables/hardware, wondered if the thing had a fault. Until I realized that, as others have reported here, bootcamping Windows 7 has no such issues... Ruling out a hardware problem.
To that end I figured Apple have screwed up their SATA3 support in OS X so, making an assumption they might therefore be working on a fix, I *cough* acquired build 10K524 of the upcoming OSX 10.6.8.
Prior I could cause the "SATA3 beachball" INSTANTLY by simply carrying out two things at once, constantly and during every use of the machine. Since installing 10.6.8 I haven't been able to cause it a single time in the past 24 hours.
I repeat, I CANNOT cause SATA3 related beachballs anymore under 10.6.8 no matter how hard I try - the beast now flies like the wind!
I hope this helps others facing dread at having spent several thousand on a beachball generator.
Fresh squeaky clean OS X install and anytime two tasks try to access the SSD at once (launch any app, say Safari, while another is already loading/reading/writing) and it'll instantly beachball for 30-60 seconds.
I too found reinstalls galore made no difference and, upon discovering rumors about faulty cables/hardware, wondered if the thing had a fault. Until I realized that, as others have reported here, bootcamping Windows 7 has no such issues... Ruling out a hardware problem.
To that end I figured Apple have screwed up their SATA3 support in OS X so, making an assumption they might therefore be working on a fix, I *cough* acquired build 10K524 of the upcoming OSX 10.6.8.
Prior I could cause the "SATA3 beachball" INSTANTLY by simply carrying out two things at once, constantly and during every use of the machine. Since installing 10.6.8 I haven't been able to cause it a single time in the past 24 hours.
I repeat, I CANNOT cause SATA3 related beachballs anymore under 10.6.8 no matter how hard I try - the beast now flies like the wind!
I hope this helps others facing dread at having spent several thousand on a beachball generator.
Just a quick update to confirm that three days in I still cannot generate a SATA3 beachball, compared to the mere seconds it took to cause it previously.
Crucial C300, 10.6.8 - Installed, worked fine. Rebooted to test, sat at spinning gear endlessly. Took over 14 restarts before it actually booted.
Once booted it was fine. But it was getting it to boot consistently that was a problem.
I also got intermittent stops where it just wouldn't respond. No beachball, just lockups where I could move the mouse, but nothing would respond.
No, 10.6.8 is not the be-all-end-all fix. I still believe hardware is part and parcel to the problem.
Restarted after 10.6.8
DVD, just out of curiosity, how many times have you restarted since updating to 10.6.8? Can you confirm that you're running at 6Gbps/SATA IIII? Some here have reported that their computers ran fine initially on the first boot with the 510 drive installed, then went bonkers on every subsequent boot. That's exactly what happened to me and it's totally unresolved so far.
DVD, just out of curiosity, how many times have you restarted since updating to 10.6.8? Can you confirm that you're running at 6Gbps/SATA IIII? Some here have reported that their computers ran fine initially on the first boot with the 510 drive installed, then went bonkers on every subsequent boot. That's exactly what happened to me and it's totally unresolved so far.
17' Macbook pro early 2011 + 256GB c300 FIX
Hello, I have signed up to MacRumors as this thread has been the only help in successfully installing my c300 into my Macbook pro 17' early 2011
I tried super duper and cc cloner and no dice. I tried a fresh install with and without wapping the sata cable in foil and again no success. Turning off the anti shock, pram resets did not help at all. I phoned apple (my machine is still in warrenty) and they were no help at all. Same old "its the other guys fault" story. the problem as this extremely helpful post by bodaay explains is a faulty sata cable in the new 17' macbook pros.
I followed bodaay's advice and purchased a older sata cable (mine came from a 2010 Macbook pro and was purchased in the UK for about £35). If you own a Macbook pro 17' early 2011 and when installing your c300 are getting failed installs, beach balling, etc, bodaay's guide is a solution.
Once you have installed your new cable and ssd do a clean install with disks (took about 40 minutes), or recover from time machine, do not clone, in the power saver section in system prefs turn off "put hard disks asleep where possible" and also turn off your anti shock function in terminal.
Your ssd should be running like a dream.
Guys, Finally I've solved the problem
Remember what I've said in this post:
Guess what. I've replaced the cable with the one I've ordered from iFixIT
http://www.ifixit.com/MacBook-Parts/MacBook-Pro-17-Inch-Unibody-Hard-Drive-Cable/IF162-015
I've ordered last piece (lucky me) but you can search for apple part number.
My machine now running on Sata III and the speed just amaaaaaaaazing. No freeze, no beach balls, everything really smooth and faaaast. I've decided to stick to Crucial C300 since it was faster than Intel 510. Maybe I'll use intel in Opti-bay once I get the HDD enclosure.
Back to the cable problem, Note that This cable is different for each model size!!.
To help you guys (with 17" only), I've taken a picture of the original defective cable:
Image
And this is the one I've ordered from iFixIt and working with SATA III (I think its for 17" 2010 model)
Image
one thing, I couldn't open one of the screws. It was really tight that I've damaged the screw, check below pics:
Image
Image
so I had to use a cutter and just cut that small part of the original cable to be able to install the new one. Original cable still working fine but I hope you don't face this problem.
Finally, some pictures from profiler and benchmarks using QuickBench
Image
Image
Image
I don't think a software update needed, and Apple will never acknowledge this problem if it is really hardware related.
For me this is what worked out for both intel 510 and Crucial C300
Good luck
Hello, I have signed up to MacRumors as this thread has been the only help in successfully installing my c300 into my Macbook pro 17' early 2011
I tried super duper and cc cloner and no dice. I tried a fresh install with and without wapping the sata cable in foil and again no success. Turning off the anti shock, pram resets did not help at all. I phoned apple (my machine is still in warrenty) and they were no help at all. Same old "its the other guys fault" story. the problem as this extremely helpful post by bodaay explains is a faulty sata cable in the new 17' macbook pros.
I followed bodaay's advice and purchased a older sata cable (mine came from a 2010 Macbook pro and was purchased in the UK for about £35). If you own a Macbook pro 17' early 2011 and when installing your c300 are getting failed installs, beach balling, etc, bodaay's guide is a solution.
Once you have installed your new cable and ssd do a clean install with disks (took about 40 minutes), or recover from time machine, do not clone, in the power saver section in system prefs turn off "put hard disks asleep where possible" and also turn off your anti shock function in terminal.
Your ssd should be running like a dream.
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I found a temp solution... I hope
I have a 13" MBP 2011 and bought an Intel 510 SSD 120GB.
Like many here I get beachballs, when I try to do a bit of heavy work.
After reading some I tought I want to get my speed to sata2.
And I did it!
How? Downloaded Trim enabler... made a backup (just to be sure).
Then I did Restore! (never enabled the trim). And didn't load my backup
but choose the default driver option.. a bit of waiting, reboot and voila.
The connector shows as 6gbps but with 3gbps speed!
It has been running good ever since. Ok it has only been a few hours,
but I tried to get it to beachball and it didn't
I'm now converting a HD video and see if it still survives!
Maybe worth a try?!
Good luck!
I have a 13" MBP 2011 and bought an Intel 510 SSD 120GB.
Like many here I get beachballs, when I try to do a bit of heavy work.
After reading some I tought I want to get my speed to sata2.
And I did it!
How? Downloaded Trim enabler... made a backup (just to be sure).
Then I did Restore! (never enabled the trim). And didn't load my backup
but choose the default driver option.. a bit of waiting, reboot and voila.
The connector shows as 6gbps but with 3gbps speed!
It has been running good ever since. Ok it has only been a few hours,
but I tried to get it to beachball and it didn't
I'm now converting a HD video and see if it still survives!
Maybe worth a try?!
Good luck!
beachball is the waiting cursor in mac os x
http://www.google.be/search?q=beachball%20mac&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&hl=nl&tab=wi&biw=1279&bih=679
http://www.google.be/search?q=beachball%20mac&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&hl=nl&tab=wi&biw=1279&bih=679
Hi,
Same thing happening to me. It was running fine on 3gbps right after installation. After performing a shutdown (not reboot) it revert to 6gbps and the problem starts. DVD, did you still have the problem after perform a shutdown or a SMC reset?
Same thing happening to me. It was running fine on 3gbps right after installation. After performing a shutdown (not reboot) it revert to 6gbps and the problem starts. DVD, did you still have the problem after perform a shutdown or a SMC reset?
Hi,
I have tried your method and it works!
But whenever I perform a shutdown (not reboot) and boot up again. system revert to 6gbps again. Any ways to permanently fix this to 3gbps?
I have tried your method and it works!
But whenever I perform a shutdown (not reboot) and boot up again. system revert to 6gbps again. Any ways to permanently fix this to 3gbps?
I found a temp solution... I hope
I have a 13" MBP 2011 and bought an Intel 510 SSD 120GB.
Like many here I get beachballs, when I try to do a bit of heavy work.
After reading some I tought I want to get my speed to sata2.
And I did it!
How? Downloaded Trim enabler... made a backup (just to be sure).
Then I did Restore! (never enabled the trim). And didn't load my backup
but choose the default driver option.. a bit of waiting, reboot and voila.
The connector shows as 6gbps but with 3gbps speed!
It has been running good ever since. Ok it has only been a few hours,
but I tried to get it to beachball and it didn't
I'm now converting a HD video and see if it still survives!
Maybe worth a try?!
Good luck!
Thats a stop gap solution at the moment. At least no beach balls while on 3gbps. I believe this issue can be solved by a OSX update which i am hoping it is 10.6.8.
Anyone has any luck with 10.6.8 beta?
Anyone has any luck with 10.6.8 beta?
So you paid for a 6gbps to use it at half the speed?
Tested on 10.6.8 10K537. No beachballs for the first 2 hours. Starts to come back after that and getting worse.
Does this mean that there will not be hope for the Lion?
Does this mean that there will not be hope for the Lion?
No mention of it so far and lion has been out for a bit.
Simply put, do NOT install TRIM Enabler if you have a Vertex 3. Definitely causes beachballs. Avoid (and it really isn't needed as much as non-garbage collecting drives).
I did try installing 10.6.8 10K537 beta. It runs smoothly for 2 hours and after that the beach balling just gets worse.
Yours is it still running perfectly?
Yours is it still running perfectly?