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Help with picking a compatible SSD for my late 2011 13" macbook pro

J

jisaac1

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Nov 17, 2011
3
0
I installed a crucial m4 into my new macbook pro 13", and had a tonne of issues; spinning beach balls etc. After checking the problem online it became apparent that this problem was quite common and was due to the ssd being sata 3 and my laptop's connection being only sata 2. I tried every single fix that was recommended including the upgrading of the ssd firmware. This did not resolve the issue. I am now going to return the m4 and I am looking to buy another ssd. I assume that for 100% guaranteed compatibility i will have to go for a sata II SSD? If this is the case what is the fastest sata II SSD I can buy / what is the fastest ssd that is guaranteed compatible?

thanks
 
jisaac1 said:
I installed a crucial m4 into my new macbook pro 13", and had a tonne of issues; spinning beach balls etc. After checking the problem online it became apparent that this problem was quite common and was due to the ssd being sata 3 and my laptop's connection being only sata 2. I tried every single fix that was recommended including the upgrading of the ssd firmware. This did not resolve the issue. I am now going to return the m4 and I am looking to buy another ssd. I assume that for 100% guaranteed compatibility i will have to go for a sata II SSD? If this is the case what is the fastest sata II SSD I can buy / what is the fastest ssd that is guaranteed compatible?

thanks
Click to expand...

The late 2011 does have SATA 3 in it. I just recently put in a Corsair Force 3 180gb in my Late 2011 15in MBP and i have no issues at all with it. It runs super fast.
 
ET3SW said:
The late 2011 does have SATA 3 in it. I just recently put in a Corsair Force 3 180gb in my Late 2011 15in MBP and i have no issues at all with it. It runs super fast.
Click to expand...

firstly they may support it but that doesn't make them compatible. There are vast numbers of people that have had trouble with using sata III ssds in 2011 macbook pros. as for the corsair force 3, did you try any other ssds before hand that didn't work or was that your first one? seems to be quite hit and miss
 
jisaac1 said:
firstly they may support it but that doesn't make them compatible. There are vast numbers of people that have had trouble with using sata III ssds in 2011 macbook pros. as for the corsair force 3, did you try any other ssds before hand that didn't work or was that your first one? seems to be quite hit and miss
Click to expand...

When the 2011 MBP was first released there were a lot of compatibility issues with SATA III SSDs, but it seemed to get much better after a couple MBP EFI (firmware) updates. Have you run software update and installed the latest EFI update on you machine?

If you want a reliable SATA II SSD, many here have had good luck with either the Samsung 470 or the Intel 320.
 
Weaselboy said:
When the 2011 MBP was first released there were a lot of compatibility issues with SATA III SSDs, but it seemed to get much better after a couple MBP EFI (firmware) updates. Have you run software update and installed the latest EFI update on you machine?

If you want a reliable SATA II SSD, many here have had good luck with either the Samsung 470 or the Intel 320.
Click to expand...

yes the software has been updated completely i believe. in either case i've packaged the ssd up to return. in your opinion which would be a better choice in terms of reliability, the intel 320 or the samsung 470? i assume no one (or at least very few people) have had the same issues / other issues with these drives?

thanks
 
jisaac1 said:
yes the software has been updated completely i believe. in either case i've packaged the ssd up to return. in your opinion which would be a better choice in terms of reliability, the intel 320 or the samsung 470? i assume no one (or at least very few people) have had the same issues / other issues with these drives?

thanks
Click to expand...

Just a bit more get the latest Samsung 830 series!
 
jisaac1 said:
yes the software has been updated completely i believe. in either case i've packaged the ssd up to return. in your opinion which would be a better choice in terms of reliability, the intel 320 or the samsung 470? i assume no one (or at least very few people) have had the same issues / other issues with these drives?

thanks
Click to expand...

Based on forum posts, I would say they are equally compatible. I went with the Samsung 470 myself.
 
jisaac1 said:
firstly they may support it but that doesn't make them compatible. There are vast numbers of people that have had trouble with using sata III ssds in 2011 macbook pros. as for the corsair force 3, did you try any other ssds before hand that didn't work or was that your first one? seems to be quite hit and miss
Click to expand...

Nope this was the first one. It is running the latest version of the firmware which is 1.3.3
 
I have an early 2011 13" Macbook Pro and recently took the leap into the realm of SSDs. Speed wasn't necessarily a need for me as the speeds of HDDs are not even remotely comparable to most, if not all, SSDs on the market. Compatibility, however, was one of my main priorities, and I decided to get the Intel 320.

I have the updated firmware on it with TRIM enabled. No issues as of yet. I highly recommend it.
 
I have an early 2011 15" and have been running a 128GB M4 since the day I purchased my MBP and haven't had any problems. Last week I upgraded to a 256GB M4 and still no issues.

Perhaps either your M4 is bad or there is a software issue with your OSX.
 
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