Macbook Pro 5.1 SSD upgrade - will this work?

[ya1950]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227777

I have a late 2008 MBP 5.1 with 8 GB memory. I want to replace the standard HD with a SSD.

1. From what I've read I need a SATA II. SATA III may not work or may run at below 3 GB. Correct?

2. The price seems ok but is this a reasonable option for my setup? Any other suggestions?

TIA to anyone who takes the time to answer.

 

[jonakun]

From what I understand SATA II and SATA III are backwards compatible, as I put a SATA II drive in my laptop and saw no problem even though it was an older laptop.

 

[ya1950]

Thanks. That increases my options. I think I'll go with the M4 then as I can still use it if I upgrade my machine. Thanks for your help.

 

[Bill Gates]

For the money I think you can do better. Many people swear by the Crucial M4, but personally I'm a fan of the many SandForce-based offerings. Also, no discussion of SSDs would be complete without mentioning Samsung's highly acclaimed 830 SSD. I recently bought a Kingston HyperX SSD for my mid-2010 MacBook Pro and couldn't be more satisfied with my purchase. Any SATA II/SATA III SSD should work.

 

[Ohrstrom]

For the money I think you can do better. Many people swear by the Crucial M4, but personally I'm a fan of the many SandForce-based offerings. I recently bought a Kingston HyperX SSD for my mid-2010 MacBook Pro and couldn't be more satisfied with my purchase. Any SATA II/SATA III SSD should work.

This whole business with the sandforce chip issues, is that resolved? Or is Macbooks "immune"? I know sandforce have had its problems I just dont know the details around it or if its cleared up.

 

[Bill Gates]

This whole business with the sandforce chip issues, is that resolved? Or is Macbooks "immune"? I know sandforce have had its problems I just dont know the details around it or if its cleared up.

It has supposedly been resolved for some months now. I for one have not experienced the issue in question, although I did have a slight amount of trouble getting OS X initially installed on my drive. That may have been a different issue, however. In any case, my computer has been absolutely reliable since then, with no issues to report whatsoever.

 

[Ohrstrom]

Thats nice. Ive been contemplating the Intel 520 series, which is supposed to be a quality product, and here in sweden the 240gig is the same price'ish as samsung 830 and crucial m4's 256gigs...

 

[Bill Gates]

Thats nice. Ive been contemplating the Intel 520 series, which is supposed to be a quality product, and here in sweden the 240gig is the same price'ish as samsung 830 and crucial m4's 256gigs...

The 520 would be my first choice were I in the market for another drive. Go for it!

 

[ya1950]

Thanks to everyone for your help. I just ordered the M4 256GB from Amazon. I looked at the others mentioned here but this was the cheapest I could find. I'm looking forward to a faster machine!

 

[mpress]

@OP: Can you follow up and let us know how it goes?

I went with the Intel 520 Cherryville for my MacBookPro5,1. Anyone thinking about it, do NOT waste your money. The 520 has serious issues with 5,1, at least with mine. See my saga here:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1345986/

 

[ya1950]

Still waiting for Amazon to ship. I went with the M4 because I read about problems with the Intel in the other thread. Crucial site shows this as comparable with the MBP 5.1. When I get it I'll report back but it may be some time because I'm traveling soon.