MacBook SSD issue

[cypriot]

Reading the praises for ssd's i ordered one from kingston last month for my macbook 5,1. Last week I installed it and built the os from scratch as I needed a fresh install. (By the way I have 6 gb ram).

At first is seemed like a BMW after riding donkey for years. However after a week the mac seemed a bit slow and i opened blackmagic disk speed test. It gives me around 90 MB/s Write and 124 MB/s read. Now i look at my old drive with 7200 RPM and its around 95 / 95 for both.

After a research i realized that my disk is working in 1.5 Gigabit negotiated link speed mode whereas it gives me a 3 Gb link speed. I discovered that this problem was solved in newer models. It seems that they want me buy a new computer however I like my macbook and i want to get what i paid for.

I am disappointed by this SSD stuff. Now after a week I feel its getting slower than before. Do you have any suggestions? How can I raise the speed of my SSD? Why is it getting slower?

 

[rendyr]

How many disk space left in your SSD? Preferably to left 20% empty space in your SSD.

Make sure you enabled TRIM by using TRIM Enabler, since you are not using Apple SSD.

I use Samsung EVO drive, not seen any problem. A little bit slow down is expected since you installed back all your software. Mine only run in SATA2 speed, 3Gbps. I thought that all Macbook 5,1 (same as mine) have nVidia chipset that run on SATA2 speed. My benchmark is 200MB write and 260MB read.

There is a chance that your SSD not supporting the macbook. The $180 i spent for the SSD is very well spent and worth every penny (but after few weeks, the price drop as low as $135, damn you amazon).

 

[cypriot]

Macbook SSD issue

I wrote to kingston support and they told me that sandforce ssd's are not compatible with my nvidia chipset. Therefore i am stuck with this. Only they said that if i send them the drive they could do something which they wont explain that will change the drive to support sata 2 speeds. But they say its irreversible. I guess nobody cares for 5 years old tech and will not create an easy fix for it so i buy new computer even if i dont need it. I wish i read more before purchase. I will stick with this ***** situation until i decide to buy new computer. Thanks.

 

[BrettApple]

I had the same issue. Late 2008 MacBook, Kingston SSD. Switched to an OWC 3G and never turned back. Also just upgraded a 2009 (same Nvidia chipset) to a Crucial M500, also works at 3G. BUT, I have another Late 2008 that was running at SATA 1 with the Kingston SSD, and out of nowhere it decided to go on to SATA II (3G). Never figured out why it suddenly started working though.

If I could suggest anything, It'd be to get the M500 or any other non sand force SSD or the OWC 3G and maybe sell the Kingston or put it in another computer if you have a spot for it.

I've had my OWC SSD since 2011 and it's got over 4.5TB of writes on it and it's still just as speedy as the day I got it. And the M500 can be had for a good price on Amazon.

 

[GenoFloresAZ]

...

Your very lucky, actually. I'm also using a MacBook5,1 with 4 GB's of ram and an ADATA SATA 3 SSD, although according to System Profiler, I'm getting SATA 2 (3 Gigabits/s) I'm only receiving 30 MB/s write 120 MB/s read.

 

[BrettApple]

Here's what I'm getting on my OWC SSD (3G).

Had it since 2011, 3,300 hours and nearly 4.5TB of writes. Just as good as when I got it. I saw similar speeds on the Crucial too.

I'd stick with OWC, Crucial, Samsung, and Intel or OCZ. Kingston has been good and I have 5 of their SSD's with no issue, just in this model.

 

[brdeveloper]

I have an EVO 250GB on my late-2009 MB and it reaches SATAII speed (max. 270MB/s according to Blackmagic).

I don't trust Kingston very much... too expensive for what it offers and it's never on top of benchmarks.

 

[fig]

This isn't a case of "no one caring about old tech", you just got a drive that isn't especially compatible with your old computer. Gotta do your research.

I've gotten a really nice speed increase with a Samsung 840 EVO in my 5,1, although I'm certainly not seeing the benefits I would with that drive in a newer machine.

 

[cypriot]

This isn't a case of "no one caring about old tech", you just got a drive that isn't especially compatible with your old computer. Gotta do your research.



I've gotten a really nice speed increase with a Samsung 840 EVO in my 5,1, although I'm certainly not seeing the benefits I would with that drive in a newer machine.



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I said that because other brands like owc just released a small patch to fix it. Also a little newer macbooks got an efi update for this. I also read somewhere that its an nvidia issue with 2009 macbooks. I am aware that its my fault not doing my research. I get speeds 90/123 vs 90/90 with the 7200rpm scorpio.

 

[Crichton333]

I guess nobody cares for 5 years old tech and will not create an easy fix for it so i buy new computer even if i dont need it.

Usually the 1 or 2 year guarantee you get is an indicator how long they will "care" about that product. After 5 years I doubt the people who made it in that company even work there anymore.

 

[fig]

I said that because other brands like owc just released a small patch to fix it. Also a little newer macbooks got an efi update for this. I also read somewhere that its an nvidia issue with 2009 macbooks. I am aware that its my fault not doing my research. I get speeds 90/123 vs 90/90 with the 7200rpm scorpio.

Wasn't meaning to blame you, you're just not going to get much support for any product that's 5+ years old. Comes with the territory of not getting the latest and greatest, I'm right there with you on my MacBook.

OWC is probably the kind of company whose products you want to use if you're looking for backward compatibility and the like, a large part of their business is supporting older Macs.

 

[cypriot]

Wasn't meaning to blame you, you're just not going to get much support for any product that's 5+ years old. Comes with the territory of not getting the latest and greatest, I'm right there with you on my MacBook.



OWC is probably the kind of company whose products you want to use if you're looking for backward compatibility and the like, a large part of their business is supporting older Macs.

You are right. Upon research i came upon fixes for other brands. If i didnt see them i already accepted your view. I am grateful for the 5 years on this macbook. When i saw praises for ssd's i imagined a 3 more years of happiness waiting desperately for an updated mini is what i will do next i guess.