Best SSD for 2012 MacBook Pro

[viperGTS]

I'm on the look for an SSD to upgrade my Mac with. I'm tired of it being slow with its HDD!

I've looked around and it seems the Samsung EVO series is one of the most trusted drives. Are there any others that you guys have experience with and can recommend, perhaps ones that are cheaper?

 

[Mr. Retrofire]

@viperGTS:
The price difference between the EVO and the Pro is usually negligible. The Pro had less problems in the past and is more reliable than the EVO. I bought the Samsung 850 Pro (256 GB) for my Mac mini (2012).

 

[The All American]

I just installed the 850 Evo in my Mid 2009 MBP and it has literally breathed new life into my computer. I didn't have many complaints about my computer before my upgrade, but now I notice how slow it was to open applications and start up.

 

[treekram]

viperGTS, I see your MBP's peformance issues have driven you here.

I bought a couple of the EVO 250 GB drives when I got my refurb 2012 MBP a couple of weeks ago. Then, and still now, there was a $45 difference (on Amazon) between the EVO and the Pro but yes, you do see a fair amount of people who have drives that have died early (didn't look at the Pro to see if there were similar issues). Considering the drive itself was $78 (it's a few dollars more now), that's a big difference. For a 512 GB drive, it's not proportionately as large but the difference is still $63. My MBP is not my primary computer so I figured what the heck. For the price that a Samsung, a SanDisk Ultra or a Crucial BX100 goes (around the same price), I don't know that you want to go for the cheaper econo drives.

I have a OCZ Vector in my Mini and have had good luck with it, but unfortunately their main-line drives currently don't reduce power consumption when idle (very important for laptops) (the Trion, which does reduce power consumption isn't very good for the price).

 

[T5BRICK]

Shop around for a Samsung 850 evo or a Crucial MX200 and buy whichever one you can find for less in the size you need.

 

[viperGTS]

@viperGTS:
The price difference between the EVO and the Pro is usually negligible. The Pro had less problems in the past and is more reliable than the EVO. I bought the Samsung 850 Pro (256 GB) for my Mac mini (2012).

I will look into this drive. Thank you!

I just installed the 850 Evo in my Mid 2009 MBP and it has literally breathed new life into my computer. I didn't have many complaints about my computer before my upgrade, but now I notice how slow it was to open applications and start up.

Given the recommendation above and your experience, I will compare this drive to the Pro. Thanks!

viperGTS, I see your MBP's peformance issues have driven you here.

I bought a couple of the EVO 250 GB drives when I got my refurb 2012 MBP a couple of weeks ago. Then, and still now, there was a $45 difference (on Amazon) between the EVO and the Pro but yes, you do see a fair amount of people who have drives that have died early (didn't look at the Pro to see if there were similar issues). Considering the drive itself was $78 (it's a few dollars more now), that's a big difference. For a 512 GB drive, it's not proportionately as large but the difference is still $63. My MBP is not my primary computer so I figured what the heck. For the price that a Samsung, a SanDisk Ultra or a Crucial BX100 goes (around the same price), I don't know that you want to go for the cheaper econo drives.

I have a OCZ Vector in my Mini and have had good luck with it, but unfortunately their main-line drives currently don't reduce power consumption when idle (very important for laptops) (the Trion, which does reduce power consumption isn't very good for the price).

Haha, glad you noticed! I think it's time to breathe some new life into this computer. It has been incredibly reliable, but has been getting slower.

Hmm, so which drive would you recommend ultimately? Since the MBP is my main machine, the most reliable drive (which you suggest is the EVO) seems to be the EVO. Thank you for your input!

Shop around for a Samsung 850 evo or a Crucial MX200 and buy whichever one you can find for less in the size you need.

MX200's are significantly cheaper but also are criticized a bit more for worse performance compared to the EVO.

Looks like I will compare the Pro, EVO, and MX200.

Thank you all for your input! Any other input would be appreciated as well

 

[T5BRICK]

MX200's are significantly cheaper but also are criticized a bit more for worse performance compared to the EVO.

Either of them will be a huge upgrade from the HDD that is currently installed. While I'm sure benchmarks will show that the Evo is faster, I doubt you'd ever notice in day to day usage. Either one is a good choice.