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BEST SETUP for SSD+HDD

F

Funnul

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jan 7, 2011
7
0
I am planning to remove my Optical Drive, and replace it with another hard disk (either SSD or a 750GB 5400rpm HDD)

I currently have a 750GB 5400rpm drive.

I have a budget of 500USD.

I am planning to purchase a SSD.

I am satisfied and content with 300-400GB for storage.

My Macbook is 2.2GHz 15" (2011). I want a faster, more responsive Macbook in terms of boot time and app-launching time.

I use my Macbook for word-processing, intensive gaming, web-browsing. Photoshop.

1. Should I place SSD into Optical Drive space, or Previous HDD space?
2. How much capacity of SSD is best for my needs?
3. Which brand of SSD is best for my needs (speed > money)?
4. What is an appropriate setup for this? (i.e. What do I store onto each hard drive, how do I "use" this new "system"?)
5. What are the steps to the procedure to install this.

Many thanks :)
 
Dilemma. I'm facing the same choices and I plan on getting an SSD.

However...
1. 2011 MBP supports SATA 6gbps and so you could wait for the new SATA 6 gbps drives to be released
2. The stock hard drive does not have a built in sudden motion sensor so if you put it into the optical bay you are likely to run into damages later on. But the optical bay only supports SATA 3 gbps.

As for your questions (sorry I'm typing this on my phone):
1. See above.
2. Maybe 120GB for system files and applications alone. The capacity is wholly up to your usage.
3. A drive with a SandForce controller. I prefer OWC but I have no idea as to when they'll release their SATA 6gbps drives. While OCZ and corsair are planning to release their's soon.
4. -
5. -
 
@KJmoon117

Interesting. Anytime soon that they'll release 6GBps SSD? I can wait if its before or during Summer.
 
Funnul said:
@KJmoon117

Interesting. Anytime soon that they'll release 6GBps SSD? I can wait if its before or during Summer.
Click to expand...

Some of them are already out, like the Intel 510 series, Crucial C300 and the Vertex 3. The Corsairs are coming out in a week or two.. just wait for a month or two and the market would be filled with these SATA 3 SSDs..
 
https://forums.macrumors.com/posts/9125966/

I've got a MacBook Pro 13" (2010) with a Crucial C300 256GB SSD in the OptiBay and a 1 TB WD HDD in the normal hard drive mount. For best results I've got Mac OS X and Windows 7 x64 Ultimate on the SSD in separate partitions and all of my data is stored on the HDD. I also have a third partition on the SSD with the Windows installation files which allows clean installations without need for an external DVD drive. Mac OS X Lion also creates a recovery partition automatically upon installation, which is quite convenient for disk repairs and restores.

Since the new models only support SATA III in the hard drive slot you'll need to place the SSD there, with the hard disk in the OptiBay. The hard drive is then limited to 9.5 mm.
 
Shops in Europe mostly say that the Vertex 3 are scheduled for March 23 launch.
Intel 510 is already available in some stores. They were released just a few days ago.
More are to come in the following months like the C400.

I am currently also facing the same problem. I also want an SSD now but I upgrade my 2010 MBP and thus will not worry about SATA 3. The gains from those new drives are in real world useage not that big anyway. I hope for more pressure on prices. The higher throughput might help with using hybernation but I rarely use it and other than that the low latency is worth much more and that will not improve with the new drives.

In disk space I need a lot and I want to keep as much on the ssd as possible in order to keep battery life up, noise low and speed as high as possible.
My 320GB drive now is bursting and with two OS installs I am still not sure if I can do with 120GB. Even if I put some bigger programs and especially games on the hdd in the optibay.

Do you know how to get the optibay and an external DVD enclosure. In Europe ebay seems to be the only place to get such things. From China they sell the stuff for 6-15€. In the UK and France I found some shops listing the same thing for 70-90€ which is enough to buy a whole harddrive for nothing more than bit of steel and plastic to hold the drive in place.
I don't really know yet where to find a good DVD enclosure that does not require any power supply other than the USB port. I only want it to take little space. Looks is something I don't really care about.

Here is a guide I found that explains almost a little more than one needs to know.
 
I went with the 15" MBP so I paid $90 upgrade to get the 128GB Toshiba/Apple SSD (I figure a 500GB 7200RPM or 750GB 5400RPM drive is worth around $60 or so - which means the Toshiba/Apple SSD ends up being pretty inexpensive). For my optibay solution, I bought OWC's Data Doubler. My hard drive hasn't shown up yet (WD Scorpio Black 750GB 7200RPM from NewEgg) but the Data Doubler is excellent, excellent quality. Almost worth the ridiculous $80 shipped price. ;)

I'm using the 128GB for 70GB OS X, 50GB Win7. Games/storage on 750GB.
 
@sk3tch:
How is the performance of the Apple SSD? The price is so amazing, maybe I will buy my MBP with this SSD, an optibay solution and a Hitachi Travelstar 5K750 (750 GB). I would save about 80€, thats enough for 8 GB RAM.
 
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