I have a 250GB Intel 510 SSD in the 17 inch and this system screams. So fast compared to the standard drive. But I didn't pay for it, work did. 
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Solid state drive worth the money?
- Thread starter ikillwindows
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SSD is the single biggest post-purchase upgrade you can make to a computer in 2011.
Only fools would suggest otherwise. If you can afford it, get it. If you're considering a new computer, get the slightly less expensive processor and buy an SSD with the money you would have spent on the CPU upgrade.
It is worth the money and then some. You'll literally never be able to use anything else happily.
Only fools would suggest otherwise. If you can afford it, get it. If you're considering a new computer, get the slightly less expensive processor and buy an SSD with the money you would have spent on the CPU upgrade.
It is worth the money and then some. You'll literally never be able to use anything else happily.
"Small but noticeable increase in speed"?
True. Every SSD video I have seen has been incredibly fast. There is no doubt that SSD is fabulous, and all things being equal, we'd all rather have SSD.
The problem is that all things are not equal. SSD are expensive, and the question comes down to how much you care about the boot speed and launching of applications. From what I have seen and heard, once everything is going, the speed difference is not so impressive. Wouldn't you agree that the difference is not so noticeable?
Certainly, for those of us who don't care much about launch speeds (a teeny tiny one minute part of my day), the SSD doesn't seem worth it. Assuming people have to make a choice between CPU, RAM, or SSD, I think it's good to tell them the relative merits of each choice. I am not convinced that SSD is always the best option for increasing speed. It depends on what you are doing and what you want to get out of the computer.
For example, one person said it was important to have fast boot / launch times because he wants to pull it out for class and immediately get to work. That sounds like the perfect situation for SSD. People like me, who spend all day in Office or some other program that generally doesn't spend much time accessing files on the drive, probably wouldn't notice much of a performance enhancement from the SSD.
We have to make distinctions, or it will be impossible for people like the OP to make informed decisions.
I guess I am a fool then. I used the Airs (in the store, admittedly) and the Pros, and couldn't tell any difference for the programs I use. I think RAM can be a more appropriate upgrade for someone, depending on their needs. In fact, in terms of cost it will likely give you much more bang for your buck. SSD is great, and no one questions that, but I think we have to consider how the computer will be used in order to give a helpful suggestion.
Alright I'm a fool then too. I'm not questioning that SSDs are great. But for most users it's just a toy and they wouldn't really need the speed. Sometimes one could get the impression that there's no other way left to go other than a SATA3-SSD when reading the forums. Even the slightly slower SATA2-SSDs are already blamed as lame. hello?
If you can easily afford it, go ahead and get one.....if you have to think about spending the money, you'll better invest in something else...
I went for the poor man's SSD: Upgraded my Mid-2010 MBP to 8Gigs RAM. That pretty much dropped page-outs to zero and the machine feels quite speedy.
I guess I could cut down loading times with an SSD but I usually just start up everything I need (mainly LR and PS4 munching Canon 5D2 RAW files, I guess this should be considered heavy loading) and keep all programs running.
I guess I could cut down loading times with an SSD but I usually just start up everything I need (mainly LR and PS4 munching Canon 5D2 RAW files, I guess this should be considered heavy loading) and keep all programs running.
Yep. Me too. I think you have to prioritize based on your usage and budget. Where did the OP go?
I've used SSDs in my Macs since the summer of 2009, and I'd go right ahead and say "yes, it's worth it". IF it is something you care about.
If you need a fair amount of storage space, don't bother with SSDs, the high capacity versions cost too much still.
One warning though, SSDs are addictive. You'll never be able to go back to normal hard drives.
If you need a fair amount of storage space, don't bother with SSDs, the high capacity versions cost too much still.
One warning though, SSDs are addictive. You'll never be able to go back to normal hard drives.
Whether something is worth the money or not is an entirely subjective thing, so there is no right answer that anyone else can give. My MBP's 500GB/7200RPM drive failed recently and because I need at least 450GB had to decide whether it was worth spending £50 on the same again, a couple of grand on a new MBP, or getting another year of life out of this one with an SSD. On balance, the £700 for a Crucial M4 was worth it for me, as it saved me buying a new machine, and it is way faster for things like Aperture and other disk intensive uses.
Yes it is a big speed improvement in every disk based metric measurable. It improves all sorts of day to day usage. There is no heat and no noise either, and battery life is better. On the other hand, it's still more than 10 times the price for the same capacity. Other people would say that it was not worth it until prices fall further, but that's my point. Where you are on the cost vs performance decision scale is unique to you.
Yes it is a big speed improvement in every disk based metric measurable. It improves all sorts of day to day usage. There is no heat and no noise either, and battery life is better. On the other hand, it's still more than 10 times the price for the same capacity. Other people would say that it was not worth it until prices fall further, but that's my point. Where you are on the cost vs performance decision scale is unique to you.
SSD imho is the best upgrade you can get for your computer.
It makes differences that you could truly feel, like booting up from 1min to 20sec, start your apps almost instantly.
No other component gives you such "shock" in term of performance. Say if you go from GTX260 GPU to the latest nVidia/AMD solution, sure the latest probably runs twice as fast as the old one, but in real world computing, there's very little change in your experience unless you work heavily with 3D rendering.
So yes, SSD is worth every cent. And one little suggestion, since you are already buying new, might as well spend some extra for SF2xxx controller based, not much difference in price, but much faster.
It makes differences that you could truly feel, like booting up from 1min to 20sec, start your apps almost instantly.
No other component gives you such "shock" in term of performance. Say if you go from GTX260 GPU to the latest nVidia/AMD solution, sure the latest probably runs twice as fast as the old one, but in real world computing, there's very little change in your experience unless you work heavily with 3D rendering.
So yes, SSD is worth every cent. And one little suggestion, since you are already buying new, might as well spend some extra for SF2xxx controller based, not much difference in price, but much faster.
Depends.
1. If you do an optical bay, so that you can place a SSD + HDD, then it's worth it.
2. If the SSD will be your only drive, hell no. SSD are not for storage, but for booting and Apps that need to launch quick.
It's why I'm hoping Apple will do Flash + HDD at the 2012 revision. ( flash doesn't take up much space, so the optical drive doesn't need to be removed. )
I certainly would not agree that the difference is not so noticeable. It's not just boot up time and program launches that are faster. Anything that you do that involves disk IO, which is the single biggest bottleneck on any computer, is significantly faster.
Like I said, anyone who argues that it may not be worth it has never upgraded to a SSD or needs to immediately go to the doctor and get their powers of perception examined. Once you upgrade to a SSD you will never want to work on a non SSD system again. Anytime I use somebody else's computer now, I feel like I'm trying to swim through molasses. I just makes everything snappier.
Bolded for truth.
Several have said that the SSD's "performance" is better than a HDD; the problem is that there's more to "performance" than just "speed" - capacity matters, too.
You also beat me to the punch with your second point; 90% or more of my computer use involves programs that have been launched and left open for days at a time. Once those applications are in memory, the storage medium isn't really accessed all that often, if at all, for the applications themselves. There might be a noticeable speed boost in iTunes when I click Play for the first time, but I don't really want my songs to play faster; speed of the drive, at that point, isn't important to me - but storage capacity is.
Oh, and the cost...that's a big deal too.
Like I said in post #18, one can't base one's judgement on the value of SSDs solely on YouTube videos.
Can we just say that SSDs are worth the money if you want one and don't have an aversion to less storage capacity and the price?
I use SSD and I wouldn't want to go back and my storage capacity of 512 gb is adequate for my needs. Different people have different needs and views on value. It's my understanding that some people don't even believe that Apple products aren't worth the money!
Can we just say that SSDs are worth the money if you want one and don't have an aversion to less storage capacity and the price?
I use SSD and I wouldn't want to go back and my storage capacity of 512 gb is adequate for my needs. Different people have different needs and views on value. It's my understanding that some people don't even believe that Apple products aren't worth the money!
My impression is that the majority of folks who buy an SSD don't "need" it, but enjoy the addition as it enhances their overall experience.
I installed an Intel 80GB SSD in my Mac Pro some time ago. Does it speed up boot times? Yes. Do applications launch a bunch quicker? Sure. Did I need it? Probably not. But it's a lot more fun machine.
I just sold my old 15" MBP and bought a new i5 13". And I've been toying with the idea of a Intel 320. But I can't pull the trigger. I just don't use the laptop enough to justify the expense. YMMV.
I installed an Intel 80GB SSD in my Mac Pro some time ago. Does it speed up boot times? Yes. Do applications launch a bunch quicker? Sure. Did I need it? Probably not. But it's a lot more fun machine.
I just sold my old 15" MBP and bought a new i5 13". And I've been toying with the idea of a Intel 320. But I can't pull the trigger. I just don't use the laptop enough to justify the expense. YMMV.
Not sure if you've actually used an SSD but it sounds like you havn't from it's marginalization to just "the speed". SSD offers many advantages over platter based drives including :
More rugged (intel's are rated to withstand a higher shock during operation than a mechanical based disk at rest (and much more so than a mechanical drive in operation ).]
Better security for those inclined (I can blank out every cell on an SSD in 50 seconds vs several hour multipass write for a traditional disk).
Silent.
Cooler.
Saves Power (though this is debated because some say that the increased IO means that you'll be able to do more hence more processing = less battery life.)
I completely disagree with your statement. Your usage will dictate your worthiness of the upgrade. It all boils down to what you do with the system,your funds available, and your needs. To claim that someone like my wife or my kids are going to see worth in he upgrade to an SSD for surfing the web (such as Facebook, Study Island, and Webkinz) is asinine. The drive included is more than sufficient for their needs, and to say that they need to visit a doctor as they are wrong is incorrect.
Also, The bottle neck in the most systems is the internet speed.
I actually dislike rotational drives now. They just give me the problems. It's like when I click on even a simple folder to open, I could go out to lunch and get back in time for the file to be available. Also, they don't even work normally with FW800, and I would also imagine Thunderbolt.
They will soon be history, along with DVDs and anything that even remotely looks like a like it might try to spin.
YMMV
They will soon be history, along with DVDs and anything that even remotely looks like a like it might try to spin.
YMMV
Come on now, how many people who frequent this forum fall into surf and check email only group? Sure, if that's the only thing you ever do then it wouldn't necessarily be a no brainer upgrade. Also, obviously if you can't afford it, this discussion is mute.
So excuse me if I made the leap that we were talking about people who do real work/play on their computers who can also afford to spend a few hundred bucks on a SSD. For those people, an SSD upgrade, especially on on a MAC a few iterations back, will be the single most significant thing they can do to speed up their system. I doubt you will hear anyone say that "I upgraded my HDD to a SSD and I don't notice much of a difference".
I honestly can't even believe this is a debate. The ONLY reason I can think of that you wouldn't want a SSD is that you can't afford it. Assuming of course you have a system capable of housing more than one drive.
I would bet that the number is larger than you think. I would bet the number is somewhere north of the 65% range. Read most of the technical discussions and they are all populated by the same people. Just search for the overheating, batteries aren't sufficient, anti-virus, and which screen threads and you will see the same things stated: All I had open were (insert preferred browser and number of tabs and pages open here), mail, skype , and (insert preferred chat program here). Why is my computer having (insert thread problem here)? You will occassionally see the iphoto or editing program inserted
There are large numbers of technical threads on here, but don't kid yourself and think we are a cutting edge think tank of users. The average users will do nothing more than word processing, chat, email, and surfing, all of these will see little marked improvement from an SSD. In these cases,itis pure bragging rights.
I freely admit about the uses of my wife and kids. She could have sufficed with an old Thinkpad (which she was doing fine), but I wanted her to have a new Mac. I consider myself a power user (On the average day, as I am now, I have 2 VM images running in the background executing QA automation ( one Windows 7 and one Windows XP), 2 mail clients open, 2 IM clients, Skype (idling atm), and am surfing the net. I could see a benefit from and SSD and see its need and value, but for my wife and kids executing Webkinz over the Airport, how would I justify the added cost???
I bought the smaller 120gb owc ssd, and moved the wd scorpio 1tb to the optical bay. I launch parallels many times a day (consumes to much battery power to leave it running all day), and it's quick to launch on ssd but painfully slow on hdd.
i unmount the hdd when i'm not using itunes and iphoto to conserve the battery even more.
for me, best upgrade i've made.
If you want to quantify this, then yes, it is worth it and you have a high chance of satisfaction. Look at the people on this forum who have a SSD and how they feel about them. You will be hard pressed to find someone who regrets getting one. Honestly, if they were still a grand for a 64GB one I would still buy it given how much better it is.
Yes, it's worth the money. But only if you go with optibay.
128 Gb SSD are affordable now, and you can install there all your apps and documents in most cases. But of course you need more space than that.
So I got a 128 Gb Crucial m4 and a optibay-like device where I put my 750 Gb hdd, and I couldn't be happier. I agree it's the most useful upgrade for 200 you can do for a MBP. I already had 8 Gb of RAM, and trust me, installing a SSD is much more noticeable, performance wise, than going from 4 to 8 Gb. My '10 MBP is MUCH faster where it counts: booting, restarting, waking up from hibernation, mounting disk images, copying files, launching any app - photoshop, office, anything, saving your work, indexing, browsing your photos with iPhoto, previewing images and pdf's, and specially when using a virtual machine. My virtual win 7 machine boots and feels faster than most pc laptops running it natively!
So yes, definitely I couldn't go back to a hdd as a system drive anymore...
128 Gb SSD are affordable now, and you can install there all your apps and documents in most cases. But of course you need more space than that.
So I got a 128 Gb Crucial m4 and a optibay-like device where I put my 750 Gb hdd, and I couldn't be happier. I agree it's the most useful upgrade for 200 you can do for a MBP. I already had 8 Gb of RAM, and trust me, installing a SSD is much more noticeable, performance wise, than going from 4 to 8 Gb. My '10 MBP is MUCH faster where it counts: booting, restarting, waking up from hibernation, mounting disk images, copying files, launching any app - photoshop, office, anything, saving your work, indexing, browsing your photos with iPhoto, previewing images and pdf's, and specially when using a virtual machine. My virtual win 7 machine boots and feels faster than most pc laptops running it natively!
So yes, definitely I couldn't go back to a hdd as a system drive anymore...