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Best SSD upgrade

J

jeepstylexx

macrumors member
Original poster
Aug 20, 2011
52
3
New to Macs, new to the forum. Just purchased a new macbook pro and am wanting to upgrade to an SSD. Researched here on the forum prior to purchasing and came to the conclusion the ssd was an upgrade worth making (but not from apple).

Which of the following would you rec. for ssd upgrade? Thanks

http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Other%20World%20Computing/SSDEX6G120/

http://www.ebay.com/itm/KINGSTON-SSDNow-V100-128GB-SATA-SOLID-STATE-DRIVE-SSD-/230637503565?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item35b311044d#ht_1378wt_1099
 
jeepstylexx said:
New to Macs, new to the forum. Just purchased a new macbook pro and am wanting to upgrade to an SSD. Researched here on the forum prior to purchasing and came to the conclusion the ssd was an upgrade worth making (but not from apple).

Which of the following would you rec. for ssd upgrade? Thanks

http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Other%20World%20Computing/SSDEX6G120/

http://www.ebay.com/itm/KINGSTON-SSDNow-V100-128GB-SATA-SOLID-STATE-DRIVE-SSD-/230637503565?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item35b311044d#ht_1378wt_1099
Click to expand...

The Kingston drive is SATA II (AFAIK) while the OWC drive is SATA III. So if you have the newest Macbook Pro I would get the OWC and take advantage of the speed.
 
ctbear said:
The Kingston drive is SATA II (AFAIK) while the OWC drive is SATA III. So if you have the newest Macbook Pro I would get the OWC and take advantage of the speed.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info. I had read reviews, etc on here but seemed like there were a lot of options to choose from.

Would you rec. buying an external enclosure for the old hard drive to serve as an external backup, etc? Or just buy a 3.5 enclosure that already comes with a harddrive?
 
Sorry to hijack your thread, but just wanted to ask..

I have an early 2008 mbp (4.1), will the kingston ssd work ok for me?

Also, to the OP, with the newer mbp, people get an optibay, and put the hdd in place of where the superdrive would originally be.
 
neenja said:
Sorry to hijack your thread, but just wanted to ask..

I have an early 2008 mbp (4.1), will the kingston ssd work ok for me?

Also, to the OP, with the newer mbp, people get an optibay, and put the hdd in place of where the superdrive would originally be.
Click to expand...

I actually need my superdrive so it has to stay.
 
I can safely recommend only 3 SSD's that are problem free. The Kingston SSDNow V+100 (which I own), the Samsung 470, and the Crucial m4. The Intel 320 is also a viable option, just wait to see if the feedback for the patch they released is positive.
 
C300. Intel 510. X-25 if you can find any in the wild.

Kingston for that price is a ripoff. $190 for a 128gb? No way. You can get an M4 for the same price. Kingston drives are worth it for ~$1/gb (I've seen 128gb go for $125 with MIR, 96 for $100, and 64 for $65).
 
Fugue said:
I can safely recommend only 3 SSD's that are problem free. The Kingston SSDNow V+100 (which I own), the Samsung 470, and the Crucial m4. The Intel 320 is also a viable option, just wait to see if the feedback for the patch they released is positive.
Click to expand...

If we are talking about a brand new MacPro, a lot of people have had issues with the Crucial M4. I have a 2011 17" and I spent a lot of wasted hours trying to get a Crucial C300 to work. From what I've been reading, many are having the same issues with the M4.

I finally got the Vertex 3 and it has been rock solid and fast.
 
phpmaven said:
If we are talking about a brand new MacPro, a lot of people have had issues with the Crucial M4. I have a 2011 17" and I spent a lot of wasted hours trying to get a Crucial C300 to work. From what I've been reading, many are having the same issues with the M4.

I finally got the Vertex 3 and it has been rock solid and fast.
Click to expand...

Hallo,
please tell what number of firmware your Vertex 3 have.
My Vertex 3 has Firmware 2.09 and it's stabile.
But now a Firmware 2.11 is available.
 
phpmaven said:
If we are talking about a brand new MacPro, a lot of people have had issues with the Crucial M4. I have a 2011 17" and I spent a lot of wasted hours trying to get a Crucial C300 to work. From what I've been reading, many are having the same issues with the M4.

I finally got the Vertex 3 and it has been rock solid and fast.
Click to expand...

The 17" has problems with SATA III drives, and other SSD's in general.

For others, the m4 is a very safe bet (with firmware 2). Check their forums - very little people are having trouble with the drive. And if they are, it's most likely their fault.
 
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Yeah I second that. Completely idiotic that people need to buy the fastest (yeah right like you are going to notice the difference) eventhough there are known reliability/compatibility issues abound. Not like you are getting some tremendous discount either. And most will be whining on here once issues arise. Sorry just don't understand it.
 
Also, Vertex 3 (and other SF drives) can't really just roll out a firmware to "fix" an issue. It's not even within their physical capacity to do so. They don't make their own controllers. This is why Intel/Samsung/Crucial aren't even in the same zip code as the SF drives in terms of reliability and support.
 
jeepstylexx said:
Thanks for the info. I had read reviews, etc on here but seemed like there were a lot of options to choose from.

Would you rec. buying an external enclosure for the old hard drive to serve as an external backup, etc? Or just buy a 3.5 enclosure that already comes with a harddrive?
Click to expand...

That will depend on your need. For me I want my media files with the computer and I don't mind losing the Superdrive, so I went the optibay way.
I personally will get the OWC since it's not that much more expensive and, faster, and uses Sandforce controller. OWC tests their drives on Macs so that gives you peace of mind.
You may also look at other brands though...a lot of people recommend the Crucial M4 (which is also SATA III).
 
I was recommended the Crucial M4 by a friend and since I'm getting memory from Crucial, I may go that route.

I could also go with the Apple SSD though it's a SATA II for $600.
 
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