Solid state or Serial ATA drive for MBP?

[milani]

Very soon I'm *finally* going pull the trigger on a new 13.3" MBP, but I need some opinions on whether opt for the solid-state storage drive or just get the regular harddrive.

I am definitely a power user when it comes to computers, but I don't think that huge amounts of storage are going to be that important because this MBP isn't going to be my poweruse computer. As such, I don't think I'll need a huge amount of storage (I typically rely on external drives to move files between computers anyway).

This MBP will be used primarily for: email, internet, light use of Photoshop and Illustrator, web dev (html, css, etc), and school. So really, usage should be pretty light and I can't see myself massing a lot of files on the drive. As such, I'm thinking that I don't need a particularly large harddrive, which is why the SSD is an option for me.

That being said, my reasons for considering the SSD has a lot to do with the fact that I'm going to be using this notebook a lot while I'm at school, at work, etc. I figure if I can get something that's faster and more durable is advantageous, because this notebook is going to be moving around a lot.

Of course, the third option would be to order it with a serial ATA drive and swap it out for a solid state myself...

However, I'd love to hear what you guys think...

 

[barkmonster]

Very soon I'm *finally* going pull the trigger on a new 13.3" MBP, but I need some opinions on whether opt for the solid-state storage drive or just get the regular harddrive.

I am definitely a power user when it comes to computers, but I don't think that huge amounts of storage are going to be that important because this MBP isn't going to be my poweruse computer. As such, I don't think I'll need a huge amount of storage (I typically rely on external drives to move files between computers anyway).

This MBP will be used primarily for: email, internet, light use of Photoshop and Illustrator, web dev (html, css, etc), and school. So really, usage should be pretty light and I can't see myself massing a lot of files on the drive. As such, I'm thinking that I don't need a particularly large harddrive, which is why the SSD is an option for me.

That being said, my reasons for considering the SSD has a lot to do with the fact that I'm going to be using this notebook a lot while I'm at school, at work, etc. I figure if I can get something that's faster and more durable is advantageous, because this notebook is going to be moving around a lot.

Of course, the third option would be to order it with a serial ATA drive and swap it out for a solid state myself...

However, I'd love to hear what you guys think...

I'd go for the SSD if you're using software such as Photoshop or Illustrator. They'll load much quicker off an SSD and using one as the scratch disk will make every memory intensive operation much faster.

 

[thegoldenmackid]

Option Three FTW.

I use a 7200RPM Drive fine, but few that have SSD seem to complain.

 

[musicpenguy]

Go with the SSD - these really make computers fly!

I've got one for my MBA and because the drive is an SSD it actually makes it run faster than a 2006 MBP

 

[Mr Dobey]

Ssd

Less heat, performance, HDD will be obsolete soon. The more people buy SSD's, the quicker the prices will fall.

 

[GoCubsGo]

Less heat, performance, HDD will be obsolete soon. The more people buy SSD's, the quicker the prices will fall.

IT will be a very long while before HDDs are truly obsolete. Right now storage space is too expensive with SSDs. There are true performance benefits but not enough for some that truly outweigh the cost.

I would go with an SSD if you're able to. The 7200 RPM drives are very quick (not as quick as the SSD) but there is vibration reported by most everyone who sticks that speed drive into their MBPs.

 

[noodle654]

My MBA with 128GB SSD kills my MBP. Really kills it.

 

[Technologist]

I switched from the Stock 500GB Apple drive to a 256GB Samsung SSD and the difference was night and day in my new 17" 2.8GHz MBP. Some things like file zip file decompression are 7-8 times faster now.

I also get 10 hours battery life if the display brightness is set lower.

SAMSUNG MMDOE56G5MXP-0VB:

Capacity: 256.06 GB (256,060,514,304 bytes)
Model: SAMSUNG MMDOE56G5MXP-0VB
Revision: VBM1801Q
Serial Number: YFB020S913SY913A2286
Native Command Queuing: Yes
Queue Depth: 32
Removable Media: No
Detachable Drive: No
BSD Name: disk0
Partition Map Type: GPT (GUID Partition Table)
S.M.A.R.T. status: Verified
Volumes:
256GB:
Capacity: 255.72 GB (255,716,540,416 bytes)
Available: 137.6 GB (137,598,386,176 bytes)
Writable: Yes
File System: Journaled HFS+
BSD Name: disk0s2
Mount Point: /

 

[mrsir2009]

If you don't need tons of space get the SSD.

 

[yaroldb]

SSD really makes a difference. If you can afford it, that's the way to go. I have on my MBP and this thing really moves. I hate using my iMac now.

 

[sn0warmy]

Agreed, go with the SSD if you can afford it.

 

[AreYouAMac]

Here is food for thought.... if you don't use your superdrive.

Use a SSD as your main drive ~ i.e. install Snow Leopard and Windows 7 on it. Replace your superdrive with the factory hard drive (via Optibay) and use that to store your data.

Since SSD's are more expensive the more storage you need, just pick up a 64gb or a 80gb - then replace your superdrive with your factory hard drive.

I was planning to do that.

 

[Clete2]

I really wish they offered a dual hard drive option in the larger models.. I need a lot of space but I also want a SSD. :-/

 

[milani]

Hey thanks for all the awesome feedback guys! This will definitely help me decide what to do - and I'll let everyone know when I decide!

 

[alphaod]

Hey thanks for all the awesome feedback guys! This will definitely help me decide what to do - and I'll let everyone know when I decide!

This won't really help with the decision making, but I should clarify that solid state refers to the medium that the data is stored on and Serial ATA is the interface used to connect the drive to the computer. In this case SSDs use Serial ATA. The term you're looking for is HDD (hard drive disk).