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modit

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Apr 8, 2008
340
37
Canada
What's the chance that SSDs will come to the Macbook Pro? You can get a 160GB Intel SSD for about $500 http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0311004

Does SSD double in storage? Will 320GB SSD be $500 in late 2010-early 2011? I know it's speculation and for all we know, tablet/slate talk will take us into the SSD future. I need an educated guess.

Also, is the protip "skip out on Apple for the RAM/SSD, get it online...it's easy to install"?

Thank You!
 
Apple will at one point put in Intel drives (right now they use Toshiba or Samsung SSDs). 300GB? Intel is projected to hit that next SSD revision and also have a spacious 256GB SSD SLC.

Right now? Not worth it, not many can afford an SSD and if they can, not many like the small storage spaces.[/URL]
 
Generally speaking, yes, it is best to upgrade the RAM and hard drive(s) in your Mac(s) on your own. You get more for your money.

As for SSDs...it's all speculative at this point as to where the price will go; however, as history (and other products) have shown: the price will likely drop over the course of a number of years and the capacity will increase.

If Apple does actually release a tablet, except a short-term increase (due to shortages) followed by a long-term drop in the price (due to increased production).
 
My canned response from last time :D

Apple will at one point put in Intel drives (right now they use Toshiba or Samsung SSDs). 300GB? Intel is projected to hit that next SSD revision and also have a spacious 256GB SSD SLC.

Right now? Not worth it, not many can afford an SSD and if they can, not many like the small storage spaces.

As for RAM, well, it's always been the case to DIY for saving yourself the money and trouble (in case you do anything wrong). However, Apple's RAM offerings as of late have been on par (or a little higher) than other online retailers (without shipping in some cases).

I let Apple do mine (at the time getting it outside was $150+S&H) and Apple charged me $125 (Student Discount). As for easy to install, yes it's easy.
 
SSDs are already offered as BTO Options on the MacBook Pro?

Others got what he meant, why don't you?

OP: Eventually I'm sure prices will come down. They already have actually in less than a year so that is a great sign. I paid $470 for a 160 GB Intel Gen 2. I would not pay a dime for the Toshiba that they offer as a BTO option in the MBPs.

I hope to see 500 GB Intels in the next 1-1.5 years at a reasonable cost.
 
Others got what he meant, why don't you?

OP: Eventually I'm sure prices will come down. They already have actually in less than a year so that is a great sign. I paid $470 for a 160 GB Intel Gen 2. I would not pay a dime for the Toshiba that they offer as a BTO option in the MBPs.

I hope to see 500 GB Intels in the next 1-1.5 years at a reasonable cost.

If you likey 300GB, thats what the Intel road map shows for G3 MLC drives... as for 500GB maybe in the next 2 years.
 
I let Apple do mine (at the time getting it outside was $150+S&H) and Apple charged me $125 (Student Discount). As for easy to install, yes it's easy.

That's true...cross border shopping, even online, can get pricey for anyone (including students).
 
soon there will be 10TB hard drives in laptops, with an option of a 3TB SSD
a 1TB iPod
a 200GB iPhone
and all MBPs will come standard with 100GB of ram, with 200GB optional

it's just a matter of when it will happen ;)


I remember when my uncle had a PowerBook G4, and I was floored that his laptop had an 80GB hard drive, and I think it had 256MB ram and that was incredible. Now, the iPod has double that....and the MB and MBP have over 6x that amount in space. Now the 15 and 17 MBP comes with 4GB ram minimum

as far as the next refresh (or two) goes, I could imagine the MBP gets an option of a 1TB HDD - nah, make that a 640GB

:apple::apple::apple:
 
As for RAM, well, it's always been the case to DIY for saving yourself the money and trouble (in case you do anything wrong). However, Apple's RAM offerings as of late have been on par (or a little higher) than other online retailers (without shipping in some cases).

I let Apple do mine (at the time getting it outside was $150+S&H) and Apple charged me $125 (Student Discount). As for easy to install, yes it's easy.

Although the price isn't always that different, the shipping time can be an issue. When I bought my Mac Mini, the price difference between getting Apple to up it to 4GB or doing it myself wasn't that big I don't think. However, turning my order into a CTO meant that it would take up to 10 days to travel across the globe whereas getting a stock machine meant I could have it within a day or two from a local warehouse.
 
The smartest move for apple is to have a mini pci-express slot in all next-gen macbook pro's. That way we can have our 40gb+ SSD for a an OS then a standard mechanical 3.5 for storage.
 
If you likey 300GB, thats what the Intel road map shows for G3 MLC drives... as for 500GB maybe in the next 2 years.

Any chance you know where to find intel's roadmap? How does price if into there projections?
 
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