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Replacement SSD Recommendations?

Sharkoneau

Sharkoneau

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jan 13, 2017
713
586
Michigan
Hey guys,

I’m thinking about getting an SSD to breathe some new life into my old MacBook Pro. It currently has an HDD. Can anyone offer some insight into some solid (and not overly expensive) options? I’d be interested to see if anyone has knowledge or experience with performance, compatibility, etc.

My setup:

Late 2011 MacBook Pro, 13”
500GB HDD
8GB RAM
 
The Samsung EVO is very popular. I went with a Crucial MX300 but if I could do it again I would have gotten the EVO, not because I am unhappy, but because everyone recommends it. Your 2011 MBP will feel like a new machine, trust me!
 
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LarryJoe33 said:
The Samsung EVO is very popular. I went with a Crucial MX300 but if I could do it again I would have gotten the EVO, not because I am unhappy, but because everyone recommends it. Your 2011 MBP will feel like a new machine, trust me!
Click to expand...
Thanks for the input! I think I may have to go the EVO route, everyone seems to either love or recommend them as you said.
 
The 850 Evo and MX300 are good 3D SSDs that have a nice mix of performance, reliability, and affordability. The Evo is faster, especially in the smaller sizes - for general usage, the difference may not be noticeable. The Evo also has a better warranty. The Transcend 370 is a nice MLC SSD that, if you can still find, was priced lower than many of the TLC SSDs. The absolute king of SATA3 SSDs is arguably the Samsung 850 PRO - as it has industry leading effective speeds (that are not all that much faster than the Evo), industry leading 3D MLC NAND, and the best warranty (10 years + very high TBW ratings).
 
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I'm the only poster in this forum who will recommend that you avoid Samsung SSDs.

Instead I would recommend either Crucial or Sandisk.
Shop for price. I'll -guess- that almost any SSD you buy will outlast the old MacBook Pro.

When the MBPro finally fails on you, take the SSD back out, and "repurpose it" for something else (put it into a 2.5" enclosure, or use a SATA/USB3 dongle, etc.).
 
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EVO 850 PRO $212
https://www.amazon.com/Samsung-850-PRO-2-5-Inch-MZ-7KE256BW/dp/B00LF10KTO?th=1

EVO 850 $175
https://www.amazon.com/Samsung-2-5-...4367596&sr=1-2&keywords=samsung+850+evo+500gb

Crucial MX300 $157
https://www.amazon.com/Crucial-MX30...&qid=1504367543&sr=1-2&keywords=crucial+mx300

Sandisk Pro $139
https://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-480G...ords=sandisk+ssd+plus+480gb+solid+state+drive

I did my upgrade to the MX300 about 10 months ago and paid $120. Flash memory is at a premium right now. I am not an expert on how much faster the EVO is and if it would show in our systems given their age, chipset, etc., but again, I trust this forum (which I found after I did my upgrades), so I would spend the extra money on either EVO.

Since we have the same system, another upgrade I recently did was putting in 16GB of Kingston HyperX 2133 Mhz RAM to replace the 16GB of Crucial 1333 Mhz. Very noticeable, everything is instant, maybe a half bounce. You 8GB is fine, but just pointing this out.

https://browser.geekbench.com/v4/cpu/compare/3818783?baseline=3874345
 
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As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
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LarryJoe33 said:
EVO 850 PRO $212
https://www.amazon.com/Samsung-850-PRO-2-5-Inch-MZ-7KE256BW/dp/B00LF10KTO?th=1

EVO 850 $175
https://www.amazon.com/Samsung-2-5-...4367596&sr=1-2&keywords=samsung+850+evo+500gb

Crucial MX300 $157
https://www.amazon.com/Crucial-MX30...&qid=1504367543&sr=1-2&keywords=crucial+mx300

Sandisk Pro $139
https://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-480G...ords=sandisk+ssd+plus+480gb+solid+state+drive

I did my upgrade to the MX300 about 10 months ago and paid $120. Flash memory is at a premium right now. I am not an expert on how much faster the EVO is and if it would show in our systems given their age, chipset, etc., but again, I trust this forum (which I found after I did my upgrades), so I would spend the extra money on either EVO.

Since we have the same system, another upgrade I recently did was putting in 16GB of Kingston HyperX 2133 Mhz RAM to replace the 16GB of Crucial 1333 Mhz. Very noticeable, everything is instant, maybe a half bounce. You 8GB is fine, but just pointing this out.

https://browser.geekbench.com/v4/cpu/compare/3818783?baseline=3874345
Click to expand...
Thanks, I’m sure that would make a big difference too. I appreciate the links!

I would toy with the idea of different “performance” RAM, but think I’ll probably stick with the SSD at this time. After all, I’m not sure how much longer I’ll hold onto the machine, so the investment amount is a consideration :) maybe in the next one!
[doublepost=1504377233][/doublepost]
pixelatedscraps said:
I have the Samsung EVO 850 500Gb running in my 2011 MBP 17" and can highly recommend it. EVO, Pro or MX300 you can't really go wrong though.
Click to expand...
Thanks! Sounds good.
[doublepost=1504377416][/doublepost]
Fishrrman said:
I'm the only poster in this forum who will recommend that you avoid Samsung SSDs.

Instead I would recommend either Crucial or Sandisk.
Shop for price. I'll -guess- that almost any SSD you buy will outlast the old MacBook Pro.

When the MBPro finally fails on you, take the SSD back out, and "repurpose it" for something else (put it into a 2.5" enclosure, or use a SATA/USB3 dongle, etc.).
Click to expand...
Thanks, that actually is a good consideration. I’m sure whatever I choose will strike a balance between price and performance.

I’m not sure if I need another external unit though. I currently have a 1TB external drive that I’m nowhere near filling up - formatted for HFS+ (Mac compatible). That was definitely overkill haha.
[doublepost=1504377564][/doublepost]
ZapNZs said:
The 850 Evo and MX300 are good 3D SSDs that have a nice mix of performance, reliability, and affordability. The Evo is faster, especially in the smaller sizes - for general usage, the difference may not be noticeable. The Evo also has a better warranty. The Transcend 370 is a nice MLC SSD that, if you can still find, was priced lower than many of the TLC SSDs. The absolute king of SATA3 SSDs is arguably the Samsung 850 PRO - as it has industry leading effective speeds (that are not all that much faster than the Evo), industry leading 3D MLC NAND, and the best warranty (10 years + very high TBW ratings).
Click to expand...
Sounds good, thanks! I did look a little bit into the Pro - It certainly is impressive. However I think I’ll be just fine on the 850, given I’ll max out the machine’s usage to another year.
[doublepost=1504377629][/doublepost]
ZapNZs said:
The 850 Evo and MX300 are good 3D SSDs that have a nice mix of performance, reliability, and affordability. The Evo is faster, especially in the smaller sizes - for general usage, the difference may not be noticeable. The Evo also has a better warranty. The Transcend 370 is a nice MLC SSD that, if you can still find, was priced lower than many of the TLC SSDs. The absolute king of SATA3 SSDs is arguably the Samsung 850 PRO - as it has industry leading effective speeds (that are not all that much faster than the Evo), industry leading 3D MLC NAND, and the best warranty (10 years + very high TBW ratings).
Click to expand...
Sounds good, thanks! I did look a little bit into the Pro - It certainly is impressive. However I think I’ll be just fine on the 850, given I’ll max out the machine’s usage to another year.
 
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
My vote also goes to Samsung 850 EVO and the Crucial MX300. Having said that, I have had good luck with a Kingston HyperX, Corsair, and even a Samsung 840 EVO.

I recommend enabling trim no matter which SSD is used.
 
Sharkoneau said:
Thanks, I’m sure that would make a big difference too. I appreciate the links!

I would toy with the idea of different “performance” RAM, but think I’ll probably stick with the SSD at this time. After all, I’m not sure how much longer I’ll hold onto the machine, so the investment amount is a consideration :) maybe in the next one!
Click to expand...

Good luck, honestly, any of the drives above will make your machine feel like a rocket ship. It's easily the most noticeable upgrade performance wise you can do. Second would be going from 4GB to 8GB+ of RAM, but you are good there.
 
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LarryJoe33 said:
EVO 850 PRO $212
https://www.amazon.com/Samsung-850-PRO-2-5-Inch-MZ-7KE256BW/dp/B00LF10KTO?th=1
...
Since we have the same system, another upgrade I recently did was putting in 16GB of Kingston HyperX 2133 Mhz RAM to replace the 16GB of Crucial 1333 Mhz. Very noticeable, everything is instant, maybe a half bounce. You 8GB is fine, but just pointing this out.

https://browser.geekbench.com/v4/cpu/compare/3818783?baseline=3874345
Click to expand...

I currently have Crucial 133 MHz 16 GB. If what you say is true, I guess I should switch over to Kingston Hyper X2133 MHz RAM. I noticed some application are loading a bit slow (beach balling for 5-10 sec) before they are accessible.
 
Last edited:
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
I have no reason to believe that wouldn't work. See the poster in my thread who actually made me aware we could run HyperX @ 2133. Same year and CPU as you. I would get it off Amazon vs. Kingston. It's worth $10 more to get it in two days and to have a hassle free return (if you need to). I think you will be fine.

EDIT: Doesn't seem to be on Amazon. I got mine last week from Amazon (Monday) and Kingston (Friday). I am returning the Kingston.
 
Last edited:
LarryJoe33 said:
I have no reason to believe that wouldn't work. See the poster in my thread who actually made me aware we could run HyperX @ 2133. Same year and CPU as you. I would get it off Amazon vs. Kingston. It's worth $10 more to get it in two days and to have a hassle free return (if you need to). I think you will be fine.

EDIT: Doesn't seem to be on Amazon. I got mine last week from Amazon (Monday) and Kingston (Friday). I am returning the Kingston.
Click to expand...
Thanks. Yeah. Looks like Amazon doesn't have it now.
I read to geekbench results. Very interesting. I am hoping it will speed up some of my apps.
 
Go for a Crucial or Intel SSD. No need to get a big capacity SSD.
I put in a used Intel 180GB SSD as my primary drive. Bought a HDD Caddy, took out the SuperDrive (DVD) and used my 500GB HDD in place of the DVD as my secondary storage drive. Your MBP will boot up really quickly, the apps will launch really quickly, and you still have a relatively large HDD to store all your junk.
 
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