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Samsung 850 PRO SSD anyone?

H

HDH

macrumors member
Original poster
Jun 4, 2009
69
0
I know a lot of people have replaced their factory internal hard drives with Samsung 840 EVO and PRO SSDs, anyone install an 850 PRO?

I just wanna know if everything is cool with this SSD and anything I should know about regarding enabling TRIM.

Also, if I decide to install it as a second drive along with my internal 5400 drive, what exactly do I need, ie. to connect it to the motherboard?

I have a late 2012 mini, 2.3, i7.
 
Can't help with that particular drive, but you need a kit from owc or ifixit. You can get the cable on its own but the kit isn't much more and should include all the relevant screwdrivers etc.

One thing worth checking is which bay your existing drive is in. It seems there is some variation and this could impact which cable you need.
 
Yes indeed

I installed mine last weekend to my 2012 2.3 i7. Still got the stock drive running in there also, its my second mini, the first I used the OWC kit for the mini, this one I used the iFixit kit. the tools are better in the iFixit kit FYI.

So far so good TBH, I've got an 830 in a 2011 i5 an 840 Pro in my work laptop and now the 850 Pro , no complaints at all.

I've gone with Yosemite but if you really have to have TRIM, Mavericks might be better option. TBH I'm going to see how it runs for a while before I decide whether to reinstall 10.9.

Hope this helps and go for it! :)
 
Adz76 said:
I installed mine last weekend to my 2012 2.3 i7. Still got the stock drive running in there also, its my second mini, the first I used the OWC kit for the mini, this one I used the iFixit kit. the tools are better in the iFixit kit FYI.

So far so good TBH, I've got an 830 in a 2011 i5 an 840 Pro in my work laptop and now the 850 Pro , no complaints at all.

I've gone with Yosemite but if you really have to have TRIM, Mavericks might be better option. TBH I'm going to see how it runs for a while before I decide whether to reinstall 10.9.

Hope this helps and go for it! :)
Click to expand...

Hi there, thanks for the great reply. I'm guessing you used this ... https://www.ifixit.com/Store/Parts/Mac-Mini-Dual-Drive-Kit/IF171-005-1

I'm confused about one thing though. The only thing other than the tools needed to install 2 drives is the static connection thingy? Or is there a second tray like thing I keep seeing in pictures?

I don't think I need to buy any tools if I'm just replacing the stock hd with an sdd, I've got the torx in different sizes and hex anyway, correct?
 
Last edited:
I just ordered a 1TB 850 Pro, and I'm keeping Mavericks to have TRIM enabled. I'll let you know how it goes. I have the OWC data doubler kit sitting here.

Preferred that kit as it comes with the wireless adapter shielding foil and potentially a better SATA cable that less people have had problems with.
 
qcmacmini said:
I just ordered a 1TB 850 Pro, and I'm keeping Mavericks to have TRIM enabled. I'll let you know how it goes. I have the OWC data doubler kit sitting here.

Preferred that kit as it comes with the wireless adapter shielding foil and potentially a better SATA cable that less people have had problems with.
Click to expand...

Good luck man, let me know how it works out.

Excuse my ignorance, but I don't understand what these brackets are for. Can you help me out? Do I need one in a late 2012 mini?
http://macupgrade.eu/catalog/data-d...ing-kit-mac-mini-2010-p-991.html#.VFtQ2IfTiec

I was checking out prices of ifixit kits in Europe, they seem cheaper than OWC kits such as this one ....
http://macupgrade.eu/catalog/mac-mini-20112013-25-hdssd-installation-kit-p-824.html#.VFtRAYfTiec

Any other suggestions where I can buy in Europe? I need it in Sweden, have someone coming out my way in about 10 days.
 
HDH said:
Good luck man, let me know how it works out.



Excuse my ignorance, but I don't understand what these brackets are for. Can you help me out? Do I need one in a late 2012 mini?

http://macupgrade.eu/catalog/data-d...ing-kit-mac-mini-2010-p-991.html#.VFtQ2IfTiec



I was checking out prices of ifixit kits in Europe, they seem cheaper than OWC kits such as this one ....

http://macupgrade.eu/catalog/mac-mini-20112013-25-hdssd-installation-kit-p-824.html#.VFtRAYfTiec



Any other suggestions where I can buy in Europe? I need it in Sweden, have someone coming out my way in about 10 days.
Click to expand...


You don't need that bracket. It's to replace a DVD drive in an old mini with a 2.5" drive.
 
HDH said:
Any other suggestions where I can buy in Europe? I need it in Sweden, have someone coming out my way in about 10 days.
Click to expand...

Try Amazon.de. They have the OWC Data Doubler kit, but the picture is wrong, showing only the tools.

I bought direct from OWC in the US but you will probably get stung with import taxes like I did.

I can't guarantee Amazon.de stock will have the bluetooth shielding foil like current OWC stock, but it works out cheaper.
 
HDH said:
Hi there, thanks for the great reply. I'm guessing you used this ... https://www.ifixit.com/Store/Parts/Mac-Mini-Dual-Drive-Kit/IF171-005-1

I'm confused about one thing though. The only thing other than the tools needed to install 2 drives is the static connection thingy? Or is there a second tray like thing I keep seeing in pictures?

I don't think I need to buy any tools if I'm just replacing the stock hd with an sdd, I've got the torx in different sizes and hex anyway, correct?
Click to expand...

No probs, the kit will contain all the required items assuming you have nothing so that's the cable plus some tools , drivers , spudger or pry tool , rubber washers / grommets and then the motherboard removal tool. Oh also there is a pack of 4 screws.

So to answer your question, you could probably get away with sourcing the washers and screws from another source, again pry tools and spudgers are easy to find , the mobo tool is possibly harder however it is simply a piece of metal that I'm sure with thought can be replaced by some considered improvisation.

Either kit will have everything you want, the OWC will take longer to get to you unless as you say you have someone coming from that location soon, the iFixit turned up to me in the UK with 5 days and was a bit cheaper as I would have paid customs charges.

Hope that helps....
 
Adz76 said:
No probs, the kit will contain all the required items assuming you have nothing so that's the cable plus some tools , drivers , spudger or pry tool , rubber washers / grommets and then the motherboard removal tool. Oh also there is a pack of 4 screws.....

Hope that helps....
Click to expand...

HELPED BIG TIME! Thanks a lot!

Just curious to know one other thing since you've already tried it :)
No overheating problems with both drives installed? What can you say about TRIM?
 
HDH said:
HELPED BIG TIME! Thanks a lot!

Just curious to know one other thing since you've already tried it :)
No overheating problems with both drives installed? What can you say about TRIM?
Click to expand...

The SSD pulls way less power than the HDD so you shouldn't have heat problems. the 2012 servers were sold with dual HDD's so you shouldn't have any issues.
 
HDH said:
HELPED BIG TIME! Thanks a lot!



Just curious to know one other thing since you've already tried it :)

No overheating problems with both drives installed? What can you say about TRIM?
Click to expand...


Trim enabler works in Mavericks and Yosemite, I would just use that and not worry too much.

Maybe disable trim before doing an OS X update when 10.10.1 comes out to be safe, but by then we should know if this is necessary based on feedback from the beta testers.
 
Adz76 said:
Either kit will have everything you want, the OWC will take longer to get to you unless as you say you have someone coming from that location soon, the iFixit turned up to me in the UK with 5 days and was a bit cheaper as I would have paid customs charges.

Hope that helps....
Click to expand...

I chose DHL shipping with my OWC kit, and it turned up in 2 days. From what I can see both kits are good, with better tools in the iFixit kit.

However, I did see some reports of problems with HDD/SSD mounting location and having to swap them around with the iFixit kit.
 
qcmacmini said:
I chose DHL shipping with my OWC kit, and it turned up in 2 days. From what I can see both kits are good, with better tools in the iFixit kit.

However, I did see some reports of problems with HDD/SSD mounting location and having to swap them around with the iFixit kit.
Click to expand...

Following the forums, someone had a solution to that problem. HDD in the upper bay with the iFixit cable, and SSD in the lower bay with the cable that came with the mini.
 
HDH said:
Following the forums, someone had a solution to that problem. HDD in the upper bay with the iFixit cable, and SSD in the lower bay with the cable that came with the mini.
Click to expand...

But where did they start at is the big question. Was the OEM HDD in the upper or lower position to start, that is what I'd like to know. My HDD is in the upper position so I'm thinking to put the SSD there, then the lower bay re-use the HDD with the OWC cable. I'm hoping that works as I attempt it this weekend.
 
840 Pro has the price/quality/performance ratio imho

850 is just marketing stuff, not much difference with 840 pro
 
T'hain Esh Kelch said:
Can you tell any difference between the three drives under normal use?
Click to expand...

To be fair, I've not used the new Mini enough with the 850 Pro in as it is my weekend machine, I'm currently selling the one with the 830 in so that's been retired from service and my daily driver is actually a Win 7 laptop with the 840 Pro in as I work in IT so comparing is out of the window without running benchmarking tools.

Sorry! What I would say is it certainly does not feel like any of those drives have stepped backwards, they all seem to improve with each revision, I read a review on one of the tech blog sites and the 850 Pro got a very good write up so I just decided to go for it over an already decent 840 Pro.
 
Damn 39euro kit macupgrade.eu had cost me almost $80 in the end with vat and shipping to Sweden, but the fact that iFixit might have issues with the drives I use and which bay I use it in is a hassle I can't put up with.

I'm planning on using the 7200 HD I have in my 2009 mini in my new 2012 model, plus a samsung 850 pro. Let's see how it turns out.

QUESTION ... though it may sound like a dumb one ... can I install them both, then clone what's on my 7200 onto the SSD? I want my SSD to be my main drive with the system/applications, and then use my 7200 for other files I use often (ie. audio files, videos, photos, etc.) And if yes, what should I use, Disc Utility or Carbon Copy?
 
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