Samsung 840 vs Crucial M500 && RAM upgrade

[Maandy]

Since this is my first post here I guess it's worth saying: hey guys!

I'm thinking about upgrading my early 2011 mbp (13") at last - both the drive (from HDD -> SSD) and the ram from (4GB -> 16GB)

1) I did some digging around and people usually tend to favour the Samsung 840 line, but I'm still hesitant should I get the Samsung SSD840 500GB (MZ-7TD500B/IT) for ~280$ or the Crucial M500 480GB (CT480M500SSD1) for ~380$?

If the prices or the product # seem weird that might be because I'm currently in Japan. Is Crucial worth the extra 100$??

2) as for the memory I read that most people successfully installed 16GB on this MBP model even though Apple officially says it supports only up to 8GB. Besides "you should get a well known brand" are there any recommendations?

I was thinking about the Corsair MAC MEMORY (CMSA16GX3M2A1333C9) 2x8GB but apparently even though it's "mac tested" many people have problems with it? And it seems awfully expensive here (~200$!)

As for alternatives (in Japan) I found:
Patriot Memory PSD316G1333KH - 130$
Corsair CMX16GX3M2A1333C9 - 165$
Corsair CMV16GX3M2A1333C9 - 175$ (no idea what's the difference)
Kingston KVR13N9K2/16 - 165$

Should I just go for the cheapest option or for the most expensive "mac tested" one?

 

[Starfyre]

Hey Maandy! Its a pleasure to be the first to reply to your first post!

1) If it costs more, it doesn't mean its lower quality! (at least in this case with Crucial) There have been several complaints about Crucials products besides SSDs that people have discovered to cost more than Samsung parts. It is likely because of Samsungs coverage of many many different industries and parts, they are just better equipped to manufacture SSDs at a lower cost than Crucials without compromising quality, or in this case, even better quality.

Answer is clear, get the 840.

2) Congratulations! You've found one of the overpriced Crucial product offerings as mentioned in my first post! There are plenty of other great companies for RAM. I recommend Corsair, they can be pricier than Kingston or Patriot, but their quality actually matches the value without being overpriced:

$144.99 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233251&Tpk=CMSA16GX3M2A1333C9

Though there are plenty of other brands out there that are cheaper than Crucial in the 16GB RAM realm.

 

[Maandy]

@Starfyre: thanks! I'll definitely get the Samsung then!

As for the RAM I was actually mentioning Corsair ;-) The thing is they are (the Mac models) pretty pricey here in Japan (~200$ compared to the 144$ on newegg, what a ripoff!) so I was thinking about getting the cheaper corsairs/patriots/kingstones which aren't "mac tested" but cheaper here in Japan (still too expensive, though ;-)).

 

[hachiman]

The Samsung definitely outpaces the Crucial. I have the Crucial M4, but I got that 2 years ago before the Samsung 840 series came out. It's still great but Samsung has the best benchmark results.

 

[justaregularjoe]

The 840 Pro is faster than the 840 (non-Pro) by 200 MB/s sequential write, and and the 840 EVO is faster still.

 

[ScubaCinci]

I've tested both and the 840 is abetter drive all the way around

 

[Maandy]

The 840 Pro is faster than the 840 (non-Pro) by 200 MB/s sequential write, and and the 840 EVO is faster still.

Yes but let's be honest sequential writes for most people aren't that important, are they? I'm not sure I will be able to see the difference. And the difference in price, at least here in Japan, is simply huge 280$ normal vs 480$ pro for a ~500GB. I'm thinking about the EVO but still it's 70$ more expensive than the normal one - not that much but I still am not sure will I see the difference in everyday use.

 

[Weaselboy]

Memory is a commodity item at this point. Find what meets the specs and buy whatever is cheapest from a vendor you think will be around if you have a failure. There is no such things as "Mac memory"... that is just vendors trying to convince you to overpay.

 

[justaregularjoe]

Yes but let's be honest sequential writes for most people aren't that important, are they? I'm not sure I will be able to see the difference. And the difference in price, at least here in Japan, is simply huge 280$ normal vs 480$ pro for a ~500GB. I'm thinking about the EVO but still it's 70$ more expensive than the normal one - not that much but I still am not sure will I see the difference in everyday use.

Ah, fair enough. You'd really only see the benefits when you were doing massive writes; it's still going to be snappy for reads. I think you would really only notice a difference in stuff like reinstalling your OS; but hey, it's still going to blow an HDD out of the water.

 

[Starfyre]

@Starfyre: thanks! I'll definitely get the Samsung then!

As for the RAM I was actually mentioning Corsair ;-) The thing is they are (the Mac models) pretty pricey here in Japan (~200$ compared to the 144$ on newegg, what a ripoff!) so I was thinking about getting the cheaper corsairs/patriots/kingstones which aren't "mac tested" but cheaper here in Japan (still too expensive, though ;-)).

Just come pick up some RAM when you come to US for vacation.
If I were in you, I would probably just get the cheapest out of the three brands since they are all probably a ripoff in Japan... though depending how less or how much more of a ripoff your able to accept, the brands I would recommend would be...

Corsair - RAM ベスト!
Patriot - RAM Midiamu
Kingston - RAM Kihon...

 

[gngan]

Yes but let's be honest sequential writes for most people aren't that important, are they? I'm not sure I will be able to see the difference. And the difference in price, at least here in Japan, is simply huge 280$ normal vs 480$ pro for a ~500GB. I'm thinking about the EVO but still it's 70$ more expensive than the normal one - not that much but I still am not sure will I see the difference in everyday use.

You are right. You won't see difference in real usage.

As for RAM, Kingston offers 'Mac Tested' but the price is also double. I have kingston 4gb x 2 RAM that is not 'Mac Tested' and it works flawlessly. Just make sure the spec is correct and a reputable brand. You don't have to spend more money for someone to 'test' it for you.

Stuff in Japan is generally more expensive. Come to Hong Kong to get it! I think I got my RAM for USD 57 and Crucial M4 128 SSD for USD 100.

 

[paul-n]

The 840 Evo is a bit better compared to the old 840, so I would buy the Evo if price is not much higher.

 

[Yamato1]

In Tokyo

Hi Maandy,

I am in Tokyo myself. I picked up a late 2011 MBP that came with free Applecare at Bic Camera. I had Bic Camera upgrade the ram to 8GB. I'm not too sure about the brand, but it was way cheaper than the "Apple approved" brand. I travel often to the US for work, so I picked up a M500 240GB on sale. I know people that have responded prefer Samsung, but just wanted to let you know that it has been in my MBP for about 8 months, and I am happy with it.

Where are you planning to pick up your RAM and SSD in Japan, if I may ask? I may need a larger SSD.

Yamato1

Since this is my first post here I guess it's worth saying: hey guys!

I'm thinking about upgrading my early 2011 mbp (13") at last - both the drive (from HDD -> SSD) and the ram from (4GB -> 16GB)

1) I did some digging around and people usually tend to favour the Samsung 840 line, but I'm still hesitant should I get the Samsung SSD840 500GB (MZ-7TD500B/IT) for ~280$ or the Crucial M500 480GB (CT480M500SSD1) for ~380$?

If the prices or the product # seem weird that might be because I'm currently in Japan. Is Crucial worth the extra 100$??

2) as for the memory I read that most people successfully installed 16GB on this MBP model even though Apple officially says it supports only up to 8GB. Besides "you should get a well known brand" are there any recommendations?

I was thinking about the Corsair MAC MEMORY (CMSA16GX3M2A1333C9) 2x8GB but apparently even though it's "mac tested" many people have problems with it? And it seems awfully expensive here (~200$!)

As for alternatives (in Japan) I found:
Patriot Memory PSD316G1333KH - 130$
Corsair CMX16GX3M2A1333C9 - 165$
Corsair CMV16GX3M2A1333C9 - 175$ (no idea what's the difference)
Kingston KVR13N9K2/16 - 165$

Should I just go for the cheapest option or for the most expensive "mac tested" one?

 

[fredace]

firmware update

Hey guys
I'm thinking of getting either crucial m500 250gb or 840 evo. as far as i can understand, the 840 evo will give better performance, but what about firmware update? i dont have windows installed, so can i update evo without connecting to windows? and is it important to be able to update firmware?
(sorry im so ignorant )

/Frederik

 

[scottsjack]

I need lots of storage capacity. For my new late-2012 MBP 15" I chose a Crucial M500 960GB. It tests as slower than a Samsung but at almost one TB it does the job quite well for just over $500.00. I also installed 16GB of Crucial RAM for $140.00. B&H of course.