2011 Mac mini server; SSD upgrade (Samsung 830 or 840?)

[mikethewxguy]

Greetings all

I've decided to just upgrade my 2011 mini server versus buying the 2012 mini.

Which SSD do I want to go with? Samsung 830 seems to get a ton of positive reviews and feedback...but what about the newer 840/Pro?

Also, since I have the server model, should I replace both standard drives with SSD's to have a dual SSD setup? I do not store much on the mini, it's basically just my Home Theater PC (Plex) that is networked to my unRAID server where all my media is.

thanks for any help!

 

[dasx]

Apple themselves mount Samsung's 830 series so that'd be a great choice. (They use a custom firmware though).

I guess the 840 will be as good if not better.

Remember to enable TRIM!

 

[Poob Bubes]

830 is a much better deal for the prices they're selling for (if you can still find them). The 840 is slower so you would definitely want the 840 Pro, but it's not worth the $ premium over the 830.

 

[mindquest]

Apple themselves mount Samsung's 830 series so that'd be a great choice. (They use a custom firmware though).

I guess the 840 will be as good if not better.

Remember to enable TRIM!

How do you enable trim for an SSD like Samsung 840 Pro, do you need special software, meaning non-apple?

 

[Jeff Charles]

How do you enable trim for an SSD like Samsung 840 Pro, do you need special software, meaning non-apple?

Trim Enabler

 

[Maxx Power]

Greetings all

I've decided to just upgrade my 2011 mini server versus buying the 2012 mini.

Which SSD do I want to go with? Samsung 830 seems to get a ton of positive reviews and feedback...but what about the newer 840/Pro?

Also, since I have the server model, should I replace both standard drives with SSD's to have a dual SSD setup? I do not store much on the mini, it's basically just my Home Theater PC (Plex) that is networked to my unRAID server where all my media is.

thanks for any help!

The non-pro Samsung 840 is also TLC based, where as the 830 and 840 Pro are MLC NAND. For some reason, Samsung is pricing the new 840 and 840 Pros to be more expensive than the 830 and the Intel 520's. If you are concerned with potential issues with TLC and longevity, go with the 830. If you are concerned with performance/space per dollar, the 830 is your bet. The only situation where you'll experience tangible gains with the 840 Pro other than some speed increases is with mobile computing, where the new 840 series have much lower power consumption. The 830's were always some of the most power consuming SSDs when compared to peers, but were some of the most reliable (probably THE most reliable, from a NAND longevity point of view).

 

[kobyh15]

The 830 is priced above the 840 and below the 840 Pro from what I've seen. Which is about right. Do I need to buy the notebook upgrade kit version of the 830 or can I get the bare drive? I was just wondering if the rubber adapter is needed to install the 830 in a Mini since it's a 7.5 mm drive.

 

[mikethewxguy]

Thanks for the help everyone.

As stated, looks like I can't really go wrong with the 830 or the 840 pro. Going to keep my eye sopen for a deal this weekend on one of them, and then pull the trigger.

One last question, I notice that the the bigger drives (256GB & 512GB) for both the Samsung 830 & 840 PRO have faster read/write speeds versus the 128GB counterparts.

Do you all recommend getting the larger drive to get the faster read/write speeds? I don't really need much size to be honest, I could definiotely get by with the 128GB....but would definitely spring for the 256GB model if it really was *that* much faster....

Thanks again!

Mike

 

[Maxx Power]

Thanks for the help everyone.

As stated, looks like I can't really go wrong with the 830 or the 840 pro. Going to keep my eye sopen for a deal this weekend on one of them, and then pull the trigger.

One last question, I notice that the the bigger drives (256GB & 512GB) for both the Samsung 830 & 840 PRO have faster read/write speeds versus the 128GB counterparts.

Do you all recommend getting the larger drive to get the faster read/write speeds? I don't really need much size to be honest, I could definiotely get by with the 128GB....but would definitely spring for the 256GB model if it really was *that* much faster....

Thanks again!

Mike

You will probably not notice much of a difference unless what you are doing is awfully specific. A few seconds of boot time, for example, is not important to me, but you may disagree.

As far as pricing, the 830's are being cleared everywhere, and the prices (not MSRP) on them are low everywhere quite often. For example, a few weeks ago, the 830 256GB was on sale at Amazon for ~150 bucks. This always happens to older generation stuff when newer generation stuff is introduced.

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The 830 is priced above the 840 and below the 840 Pro from what I've seen. Which is about right. Do I need to buy the notebook upgrade kit version of the 830 or can I get the bare drive? I was just wondering if the rubber adapter is needed to install the 830 in a Mini since it's a 7.5 mm drive.

The 7mm drives will fit in 9mm slot. I'm looking at the ifixit tear down:

http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Mac+Mini+Late+2012+Teardown/11262/2

it looks like it will fit.

 

[mikethewxguy]

You will probably not notice much of a difference unless what you are doing is awfully specific. A few seconds of boot time, for example, is not important to me, but you may disagree.

As far as pricing, the 830's are being cleared everywhere, and the prices (not MSRP) on them are low everywhere quite often. For example, a few weeks ago, the 830 256GB was on sale at Amazon for ~150 bucks. This always happens to older generation stuff when newer generation stuff is introduced.

Maxx...thanks for the help. It won't be doing too much to be honest; boot time doesn't really matter to me as this mac mini will stay on 24/7 mostly...it will primarily run Plex in my Theater and act as it's own Plex Server to all my other devices. I may possibly start using it in other capacities in the future...

It does sound like that I should just grab one of the cheaper 830's...that amazon deal sounds great, wish I would have noticed it...but I really just started looking the past couple days. I'll try to hold out for that one (or a better one) if I can


Thanks so much!

 

[kdoug]

Maxx...thanks for the help. It won't be doing too much to be honest; boot time doesn't really matter to me as this mac mini will stay on 24/7 mostly...it will primarily run Plex in my Theater and act as it's own Plex Server to all my other devices. I may possibly start using it in other capacities in the future...

It does sound like that I should just grab one of the cheaper 830's...that amazon deal sounds great, wish I would have noticed it...but I really just started looking the past couple days. I'll try to hold out for that one (or a better one) if I can


Thanks so much!

Another one to consider is the Intel 335. According to this article it performs better than the 840 plus it's on sale at newegg for $155.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...grabb3r-_-Solid+State+Disk-_-Intel-_-20167128
Scroll down to overall performance
http://techreport.com/review/23887/samsung-840-series-ssd-reviewed/11