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New MBP SSD options

L

LukB

macrumors newbie
Original poster
May 29, 2012
2
0
Hi all. I'll be getting one of the new MBPs as soon as I possibly can. I know I want a large SSD but don't want to pay through the teeth and get it direct from Apple.

Is the easiest way to do this to buy the MBP with the smallest/cheapest SSD and then replace it with a larger one bought elsewhere? I can't find any thread that mentions this as an option though so wondering if I'm missing anything? Is it just so obvious that it's not been worth asking!?

I presume the warranty isn't affected if the SSD is considred user upgradeable; is that right too?

Thanks for your help!
 
If you're going to do an after-market upgrade, why bother getting an SSD from Apple at all? Just take the bottom of the range 5400rpm clunker.
 
LukB said:
Hi all. I'll be getting one of the new MBPs as soon as I possibly can. I know I want a large SSD but don't want to pay through the teeth and get it direct from Apple.

Is the easiest way to do this to buy the MBP with the smallest/cheapest SSD and then replace it with a larger one bought elsewhere? I can't find any thread that mentions this as an option though so wondering if I'm missing anything? Is it just so obvious that it's not been worth asking!?

I presume the warranty isn't affected if the SSD is considred user upgradeable; is that right too?

Thanks for your help!
Click to expand...

Yes. Go for the 512 Crucial m4, one of the fast ones, very reliable, good reputation and very low pricing.
Yes.
Correct.



Shuntros said:
If you're going to do an after-market upgrade, why bother getting an SSD from Apple at all? Just take the bottom of the range 5400rpm clunker.
Click to expand...

Because it is not certain if the new MBP's carry HDD's.
 
Muldert said:
Because it is not certain if the new MBP's carry HDD's.
Click to expand...

True enough, but if that's the case logic would dictate a high likelihood of ditching the 2.5" form factor completely (as per MBA) which puts a lot of "traditional" SSD options out of the picture. If I were ditching mechanical drives I'd sure as hell take the opportunity to ditch the form factor as well and save a big chunk of space.

As usual nobody knows until the day so it's probably wise just to sit back and see what we end up with. Unless they start soldering them to the board there will almost certainly be aftermarket options. All will become clearer in a couple of weeks I guess.
 
Shuntros said:
True enough, but if that's the case logic would dictate a high likelihood of ditching the 2.5" form factor completely (as per MBA) which puts a lot of "traditional" SSD options out of the picture. If I were ditching mechanical drives I'd sure as hell take the opportunity to ditch the form factor as well and save a big chunk of space.

As usual nobody knows until the day so it's probably wise just to sit back and see what we end up with. Unless they start soldering them to the board there will almost certainly be aftermarket options. All will become clearer in a couple of weeks I guess.
Click to expand...

You do have a good point. Apple has no reason to hold the 2.5" form factor, unless they want to keep it just for the user-upgradable experience. Then again, I'm not a believer of the 'MBP becomes MBA' theory and Apple discontinuing the 2.5" form factor would mean there would be no reason for Apple to distinct their MBP's from their MBA's, would there?
 
My opinion (and that's all it is), is that you could shave a decent percentage off the pro if you got rid of the optical drive and went to "stick" form factor SSDs. They're the 2 biggest cubic inch gobblers. The pro would never go as thin as the air, because you can't pack the same CPU horsepower in without space to cool it, but it could go thinner in my book. The Mrs loves her air, but it all depends on mission profile and pro is therefore the only option for me.

I took the DVD out of my pro and put another SSD in it, then jacked it up to 16GB RAM (I use Logic quite heavily). Would be a shame to lose the option of a second hard drive, but as one whose laptop goes everywhere with him I could stomach it for a gain in portability.
 
I don't think it's a given that the MBP goes super slim. Apple will still want to use high powered CPUs and cooling will be a major limiting factor on just how slim and tight the MBP can be.
 
Realistically, no one knows for sure what the new MBPs will look like, or if they will come standard with SSDs instead of HDDs. The best thing you can do right now is wait and see. Until we know for sure if it's HDD, SSD, or non-replaceable SSD, you can't make plans for how to handle it.
 
Muldert said:
Yes. Go for the 512 Crucial m4, one of the fast ones, very reliable, good reputation and very low pricing.
Click to expand...
I don't get why everybody recommends the m4. I got one now and had one complete freeze and two temporary freezes. The old Vertex 2 had no problems except for the part when it died.
All on SL still I looked trough forums and it seems a common problem. I don't quite get how that drive got its reputation.
Vertex 2 has a horrible reputation because it often dies but at least it works flawlessly up to that point.
 
dusk007 said:
I don't get why everybody recommends the m4. I got one now and had one complete freeze and two temporary freezes. The old Vertex 2 had no problems except for the part when it died.
All on SL still I looked trough forums and it seems a common problem. I don't quite get how that drive got its reputation.
Vertex 2 has a horrible reputation because it often dies but at least it works flawlessly up to that point.
Click to expand...

Because they are overall very reliable, very fast, and very reasonably priced. Sorry you had issues, but your experience is not typical.
 
Nothing against the Crucial M4. However, I would suggest the Samsung 830 series. Fast, reliable, completely manufactured by Samsung. Just my personal preference.
 
user418 said:
Nothing against the Crucial M4. However, I would suggest the Samsung 830 series. Fast, reliable, completely manufactured by Samsung. Just my personal preference.
Click to expand...

It's not $300 faster or more reliable. With the 512 Gb going for $400 shipped, it's the m4 no doubt. If prices were equal then a debate could arise. That's not the case though.
 
Crucial M4 are bad for some MBP. If you search, you will find that they tend to randomly freeze with 13" MBP. Who knows how they will react to newer MBP.

The latest firmware from Crucial made things even worst. 000F is completely unusable on my 13" 2011 MBP. I upgraded to a Samsung 830 recently and it has been smooth sailing. Worth the $25 premium over the Crucial.
 
bozz2006 said:
Because they are overall very reliable, very fast, and very reasonably priced. Sorry you had issues, but your experience is not typical.
Click to expand...
They are reasonably priced but they aren't very reliable. Looking for a fix to my problem I have been through many forums and freezing issues seem to be very common on some MBPs. 000F firmware doesn't work at all on some. It is not a bad drive but there are some still unresolved firmware issues. I started and still have 309 maybe some earlier version worked better but I found no indication for that.
Tony N. said:
Crucial M4 are bad for some MBP. If you search, you will find that they tend to randomly freeze with 13" MBP. Who knows how they will react to newer MBP.

The latest firmware from Crucial made things even worst. 000F is completely unusable on my 13" 2011 MBP. I upgraded to a Samsung 830 recently and it has been smooth sailing. Worth the $25 premium over the Crucial.
Click to expand...
I have not read anything bad about the Samsung drives. I would also recommend that or even a sandforce sf-2261 based on my experience and the research I did after I bought the m4.
I will keep it because I have no time to deal with sending back (hope for some firmware updates that fix it) and all the stuff but I won't be recommending it.
 
No use trying to figure that out until the new MBPs are announced.

We don't know what they will come with standard, what the options will be, or what they will cost.

We don't know what form factor they will use. 2.5" drives like the current line, 1.8" miniature drives, or the blade-style flash memory that the Macbook Air uses.

There may not be any room for an aftermarket SSD at all, or there might be room for three of them.

Just wait until it's announced.
 
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