Optibay + 256GB SSD + Optical Drive Enclosure recommendations?

[CFoss]

I think it's time to give my family's 2010 MBP a bit of a boost by installing a 256GB SSD. I was wondering if anyone had any recommendations as of what Optibay, 256GB SSD, and Optical Drive Enclosure to go with.

I know it would be easy with MCE. It's one package, they offer a SSD and optical drive enclosure. That being said, I know they're somewhat premium, I don't know what their shipping costs are like, and I don't know what SSD is included with the bundle.

Also, my other concern is TRIM support. Do you need a specific SSD to have TRIM support? And if I was to create a Fusion Drive with the SSD and the old HDD, will that support TRIM? I have a time machine backup if needed.

Also, I'm not sure if this is a factor, but I reside in Canada. So, to sum up: What optibay, external optical drive enclosure, and 256GB SSD with TRIM support would you recommend?

 

[raptor402]

Hi,

First of all, if you're planning to upgrade to an SSD, I hope you're planning on booting from the SSD (it would be quite a pointless update if you didn't). Therefore, it is advisable that you install the SSD in the main HDD slot and move the original hard drive into the optibay.

I'm afraid I'm not up to date with SSDs, but I would recommend you check out OWC SSDs, which are specifically made for Macs. Otherwise, a Samsung 840 or OCZ Vertex should do. I'm not so sure about TRIM support, but I believe they're all Sandforce based, so it shouldn't be much of an issue.

Finally, MCE offers the external enclosure for 20USD. You might be able to find an external optical drive for just about the same, and possibly less. You should look into that because if you ever plan to install Windows via bootcamp, you'll need to insert the superdrive back in.

Personally, I got a cheap optibay from eBay (around 15USD), got a Samsung 840 256GB SSD from Amazon, and use an Asus external drive. I keep the Superdrive handy, in case I need to reinstall Windows. Up so far, Windows installation has been the only use of an optical drive I've had since I got the laptop back in 2010.

I hope this helped.

Regards
Raptor

UPDATE: 2010 MBPs are limited to 3Gb/s SATA controller, so you might want to look for an older SATA2 SDD for a relatively lower price, though you might be sacrificing on TRIM support.

 

[christopheralen]

I use a hard drive caddy from amazon for $10 for my 2010 macbook pro 13" and it works like a charm.

SSD wise, samsung just released the EVO line that you may want to look into.


*edit - good call from raptor about looking for an older sata2 ssd to save $

 

[raptor402]

I use a hard drive caddy from amazon for $10 for my 2010 macbook pro 13" and it works like a charm.

This caddy bay should be perfect. I have something similar, but I had to mod it in as it didn't have any holes for screws. Also, mine was a bit longer, so I had to remove the plastic plating at the slot end.

 

[CFoss]

Hi,

I hope you're planning on booting from the SSD (it would be quite a pointless update if you didn't). Therefore, it is advisable that you install the SSD in the main HDD slot and move the original hard drive into the optibay.

It will be used as the main OS disk. If I'm not mistaken, the 2010 MacBook Pro has two SATA II ports, so it wouldn't matter where the drive is placed, correct? Also, doesn't the optical SATA II port lack a HDD "fall detection" mechanism?

Also, would I need to setup TRIM for the Samsung 840 Evo? Or is it automatic? And what are your guys thoughts on setting the drive as a Fusion Drive with the old HDD?

Thanks guys for all your answers, keep them coming.

 

[raptor402]

It will be used as the main OS disk. If I'm not mistaken, the 2010 MacBook Pro has two SATA II ports, so it wouldn't matter where the drive is placed, correct? Also, doesn't the optical SATA II port lack a HDD "fall detection" mechanism?

Also, would I need to setup TRIM for the Samsung 840 Evo? Or is it automatic? And what are your guys thoughts on setting the drive as a Fusion Drive with the old HDD?

Thanks guys for all your answers, keep them coming.

Hi,

There are two SATA II ports, but it's always recommended to boot from the main HDD port. You can always switch fall detection off via the terminal.

You might need to use TRIM enabler, but I'm not sure.

Regards
Raptor

 

[dusk007]

There are two SATA II ports, but it's always recommended to boot from the main HDD port. You can always switch fall detection off via the terminal.

Nonsense. If you have an HDD it is better to have it in the main bay. Better mounting for less noise and vibration + SMS.
The notebook doesn't care at all from where it boots. For an OS it is just a SATA port and it couldn't care less which.
It even randomly initializes the disks. Sometimes disk 1 is the mainbay, sometimes the optibay. It always boots the right one. There is no priority for any single port.
The only reason many recommended the main port was because of sata 3 issues and because Apple messed up the sata port for the optical drive. They needed a while to fix it. I suspect the logicboard layout simple wasn't very optimal.

I have an 2010 and there is only SATA 2 anyway and both work fine. My SSD in the optibay (a cheap one from ebay (hongkong)) and has been running without any issues. My Samsung 830 was always stable. The Curcial M4 was had stability issues but never boot or performance issues.

TRIM:
You should always enable it. Just use Trimenabler. Works perfectly well on Samsung drives. Without Trim the drive life span is just a lot lower due to much higher write amplification. The Evo is a TLC based drive so absolutely use Trim.
If trim already works the trimenabler will tell you so. You also need to reanable every time OSX adds an update like 10.8.X.

 

[paul-n]

Samsung 840 Evo is a great drive and likes having enabled TRIM while running.

 

[CFoss]

Can TRIM be enabled with a Fusion Drive, or must it be separate?

 

[benjyhe]

Can TRIM be enabled with a Fusion Drive, or must it be separate?

Bump?

 

[Idgit]

Therefore, it is advisable that you install the SSD in the main HDD slot and move the original hard drive into the optibay.

Don't you lose the benefit of the drop-protection sensor if you move the HDD to the optical drive?