Hard Drive Question..

[Ktm.Moto]

Hey guys, I am looking into Macbooks for college next year.

I have settled on the MacBook Pro 15" I5 processor. I am going to keep everything stock, but was wondering if it would be worth it to upgrade the hard drive to an SSD? If I were to do that, I could afford the 256gb, but would that even be enough?

Any input is appreciated! Thanks guys!

 

[cameronwilby]

Well, what are you studying? If you're doing something that desperately needs a quick computer then definitely, SSD is where it's at. I do software development and it really helps.

Also, 256GB will be enough. OSX uses 5GB of space, so you have 251GB to play with. That's enough to fill two classic iPods with music, with room left over for a tonne of essays etc.

 

[AdamRock]

get the 256 ssd. its well worth it.

 

[Ktm.Moto]

Well, what are you studying? If you're doing something that desperately needs a quick computer then definitely, SSD is where it's at. I do software development and it really helps.

Also, 256GB will be enough. OSX uses 5GB of space, so you have 251GB to play with. That's enough to fill two classic iPods with music, with room left over for a tonne of essays etc.

I am just studying business, so I won't be using the computer to its full extent by any means. I have just heard that the SSD is just so much faster, and I am thinking more about the long term speed of the computer. I plan to keep this all through college, so I want it to last and still be decently fast as time goes on.

 

[diazj3]

My advice is to get the stock drive and see if that's fast enough for you... if it is, then you are set. If you are not doing highly demanding tasks, the SSD will be marginally helpful in speeding up booting time and app launching. It'll be something nice to have, but not really critical. I think your money will be better spent on more RAM, Apple Care (IMO mandatory) or other accessory. The long term of the computer will not change as time goes by - it's not as if the speed degrades over time or anything, and you can always change to an SSD anytime.

But if you really need the SSD now (or later), then get an OWC SSD drive, either with an external enclosure for the original drive, or a Data Doubler solution to keep both drives in the MBP. The Apple SSDs are incredibly expensive and not a good value for your money. The OWC drive are proven to be better, and less expensive - plus, you get to keep the original drive, and it comes with a 5 year warranty. Remember the drives in the new MBPs are user interchangeable, so switching it will not void your warranty.

cheers!

 

[kohlson]

A good sorting rule I use for advising people on what system to buy is: Will you do video? Generally, if you're not, then anything you buy will work. If you are, then be prepared to spend as much as you can. With that in mind, the stock drive should be plenty, as long as you're not working with Final Cut.
SSDs are great, but very pricey. Nearly everyone expects them to get much cheaper Any Day Now, as they have for the last 12 months ...
One approach may be to get the system with HDD now, and give it a mid-life kicker in 12-18 months.

 

[Ktm.Moto]

My advice is to get the stock drive and see if that's fast enough for you... if it is, then you are set. If you are not doing highly demanding tasks, the SSD will be marginally helpful in speeding up booting time and app launching. It'll be something nice to have, but not really critical. I think your money will be better spent on more RAM or other accessory.

But if you really need the SSD, then get an OWC SSD drive, either with an external enclosure for the original drive, or a Data Doubler solution to keep both drives in the MBP. The Apple SSDs are incredibly expensive and not a good value for your money. The OWC drive are proven to be better, and less expensive - plus, you get to keep the original drive, and it comes with a 5 year warranty.

cheers!

Thanks for the input! Seems that the site has a 240GB drive for $530 as opposed to $585 for a 256GB on the Apple site. The 240 a much better deal?

 

[Ktm.Moto]

A good sorting rule I use for advising people on what system to buy is: Will you do video? Generally, if you're not, then anything you buy will work. If you are, then be prepared to spend as much as you can. With that in mind, the stock drive should be plenty, as long as you're not working with Final Cut.
SSDs are great, but very pricey. Nearly everyone expects them to get much cheaper Any Day Now, as they have for the last 12 months ...
One approach may be to get the system with HDD now, and give it a mid-life kicker in 12-18 months.

I will definitely be doing video editing, as I race Motocross and like to make videos. I have never used Final Cut, but would definitely give it a shot.

 

[diazj3]

Thanks for the input! Seems that the site has a 240GB drive for $530 as opposed to $585 for a 256GB on the Apple site. The 240 a much better deal?

IMO OWC is better value... and the second advantage is that you get to KEEP the Apple stock drive to use it as an external backup drive... whereas if you upgrade with Apple, they just install the SSD and keep the stock drive... so that's a double saving.

You can get cheaper SSD too, but not as reliable as OWC's (for example, the OCZ vertex 2, but some claim to have some DOA problems, and their warranty is a bit shorter). Bur Apple prices/value are just not good.

I will definitely be doing video editing, as I race Motocross and like to make videos. I have never used Final Cut, but would definitely give it a shot.

Just remember that SSD's, as fast as they can be, have a very high cost/GB... so they are terrible storing options. If you would like to do some video editing, an SSD will make the process a bit faster, but a bit unpractical due to their low storage capacity... so you'll need a 2nd drive (either external or in the optical bay) to store the video files. Also, if you are not doing professional video editing, the SSD will also be marginally helpful: Final Cut Pro and Final Cut Express work just fine with standard drives.

As I said, get the stock drive and upgrade later, either to a SSD or a 7200rmp drive. Drives on new MBPs are user serviceable, so you wont void your warranty if you switch them later.

 

[Ktm.Moto]

IMO OWC is better value... and the second advantage is that you get to KEEP the Apple stock drive to use it as an external backup drive... whereas if you upgrade with Apple, they just install the SSD and keep the stock drive... so that's a double saving.

You can get cheaper SSD too, but not as reliable as OWC's (for example, the OCZ vertex 2, but some claim to have some DOA problems, and their warranty is a bit shorter). Bur Apple prices/value are just not good.



Just remember that SSD's, as fast as they can be, have a very high cost/GB... so they are terrible storing options. If you would like to do some video editing, an SSD will make the process a bit faster, but a bit unpractical due to their low storage capacity... so you'll need a 2nd drive (either external or in the optical bay) to store the video files. Also, if you are not doing professional video editing, the SSD will also be marginally helpful: Final Cut Pro and Final Cut Express work just fine with standard drives.

As I said, get the stock drive and upgrade later, either to a SSD or a 7200rmp drive.

Thanks for the help. Appreciate it!

 

[BigMoo]

I just recently put on OWC SSD in my MBP and to be honest you can't really tell the difference minus the quicker startup and app launch times. I knew it wouldn't be a huge difference because i don't do anything extreme on my MBP. But it's nice to know i have it, that's mainly why i got it, to keep my options open and for piece of mind. But im happy i did!

 

[Ktm.Moto]

I just recently put on OWC SSD in my MBP and to be honest you can't really tell the difference minus the quicker startup and app launch times. I knew it wouldn't be a huge difference because i don't do anything extreme on my MBP. But it's nice to know i have it, that's mainly why i got it, to keep my options open and for piece of mind. But im happy i did!

Easy install? Do I have to take the old HDD completely out, or is there space to leave it in there? or even still hooked up for a backup HD?

 

[diazj3]

Easy install? Do I have to take the old HDD completely out, or is there space to leave it in there? or even still hooked up for a backup HD?

Check out these installation videos.... specially the "Hard Drive" and "SSD Drive" videos for switching the drive, and the "OWC Data Doubler" video for putting two drives in your MBP (one instead of your optical drive).

This will give you an idea of how easy it is... but it's really easy... Switching the drive will not void your warranty, so no problem. The Data Doubler is another story though.

cheers!