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Older MBP SSD Install

M

mackage

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Apr 6, 2011
274
3
Has anyone installed an SSD in a late 2008 MBP? If so, what type of results did you get? Were you thinking of upgrading your MBP and chose this option instead?

I have been considering purchasing an Apple OEM SSD from ebay for around $200, but I want to make sure it is going to be worth it before I spend the cash.
 
mackage said:
but I want to make sure it is going to be worth it before I spend the cash.
Click to expand...

What do you do on a daily basis? SSD will always improve boot-up time and application load plus read/write times on certain data. Everything else will be the same.

And yes, it has been done on older MBP's. :) Search for 2008 SSD under the MacBook Pro forum. Tons of threads to read.
 
mackage said:
Thanks. However, I know it will work. I was asking if anyone had done it and what type of results they were getting as far as the speed difference and such on this particular model.
Click to expand...

I put a SSD in my 2008 MBP and it made a significant difference in day to day usage. It made the computer feel much faster. If you don't have a ton of data forcing you into a large and expensive SSD, one of the smaller SSD can be had for a reasonable price.
 
simsaladimbamba said:
As the late 2008 Unibody MBP has an S-ATA 3.0Gbps (S-ATA II) interface, any S-ATA II SSD will work.
Click to expand...

Ah, good to know.

What about SATA III? Isn't there some sort of hack or something to get the GPS transfer rate up? Will Intel 510 SATA III drive work here? And if not, what's recommended?

I'm planning on building a DAW around probably Presonus Firestudio Mobile or maybe something else (lost Cubase dongle, not sure about Logic). Multitrack audio software itself tends to be heavy and slow to launch, so it should go on the SSD for sure.

Recording to HD will mean a lot of read/write action. Which SSD is ideal and compatible for that?

I'm pretty sure, but not 100%, that my 4GB RAM will be sufficient.
 
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dhtmlkitchen said:
What about SATA III? Isn't there some sort of hack or something to get the GPS transfer rate up? Will Intel 510 SATA III drive work here? And if not, what's recommended?
Click to expand...

The Intel 510 is a SATA III drive, but SATA is backwards compatible so it should work. That said you are paying more money for SATA III that you don't need. I would just buy the new Intel 320 that is SATA II.
 
mackage said:
Has anyone installed an SSD in a late 2008 MBP? If so, what type of results did you get? Were you thinking of upgrading your MBP and chose this option instead?

I have been considering purchasing an Apple OEM SSD from ebay for around $200, but I want to make sure it is going to be worth it before I spend the cash.
Click to expand...

That's exactly what i did, same computer too. I really wanted a 2011 MBP but didnt want to spend the money so instead of throwing down $2200 for a new MBP, I spent $300 on an SSD and an Optibay. Im very happy with my decision and the SSD performance, its the best upgrade you can do for your computer. Boots in 25 secs, and apps open instantly. I'm going to hold off buying a new MBP until Thunderbolt becomes more mainstream. Take a look at my sig for my setup.
 
BrandoFiasco said:
That's exactly what i did, same computer too. I really wanted a 2011 MBP but didnt want to spend the money so instead of throwing down $2200 for a new MBP, I spent $300 on an SSD and an Optibay. Im very happy with my decision and the SSD performance, its the best upgrade you can do for your computer. Boots in 25 secs, and apps open instantly. I'm going to hold off buying a new MBP until Thunderbolt becomes more mainstream. Take a look at my sig for my setup.
Click to expand...

What operating system are you running? Were you able to enable trim?
 
BrandoFiasco (or anyone else): what SSD brand/model do you recommend for the late 2008 uMBP?

Does it invalidate AppleCare to upgrade to an SSD, and is it detectable if you bring your MBP in for repair (obvs swapping everything back to its original configuration)?
 
simsaladimbamba said:
No, as the HDD is a user replaceable part.
Click to expand...


Oh great, that's good to know. What about moving my existing HDD to the optical drive's location (and removing that)? Is that a bigger task, and would that invalidate AppleCare?

I've been thinking about just putting my archive of files onto an external because I don't need or use them that often, and they're probably half the cause of my MBP slowing down like hell. (If I make a new user account, or use the guest account, it's nippy and quick, but my own user account drags, especially Spotlight).

So, I should buy an SATA II SSD - the Intel 320 (is that the best model?). What is the importance of TRIM and is that easy to get working? And should I wait until Lion comes out, or do it all now?

Sorry about all the questions, I'm not very tech-savvy (I mostly rely on guides like the one above)!
 
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