There both really good as far as I know but I tend to go with Crucial for my SSDs and RAM. Also it really depends on which one is the cheapest. One other thing. With the Samsung you will need Windows to update the firmware whereas the Crucial can be updated natively on your Mac.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
SSD Buying Guide
- Thread starter Hellhammer
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
- Status
There both really good as far as I know but I tend to go with Crucial for my SSDs and RAM. Also it really depends on which one is the cheapest. One other thing. With the Samsung you will need Windows to update the firmware whereas the Crucial can be updated natively on your Mac.
oh ok cool thanks for your input, im going to keep browsing on the crucial m4 than because i would want to update it on the macbook itself.
enable Trim - opinions?
I am going to buy an SSD tomorrow, probably the Crucial M4 256GB, but I will also look at the prices for a Plextor M5 Pro. I hate Samsung, the company's policies really suck, so that is not an option for me.
What are your opinions on the best way to enable trim, using Trim Enabler 2.2 or the ChameleonSSDOptimizer?
Will install the SSD in a late 2011 MBP 2.2GHz, which now has the standard Seagate 500GB slow-as-it-can-get 5,400 rpm HD.
Thanks in advance for your opinions!
I am going to buy an SSD tomorrow, probably the Crucial M4 256GB, but I will also look at the prices for a Plextor M5 Pro. I hate Samsung, the company's policies really suck, so that is not an option for me.
What are your opinions on the best way to enable trim, using Trim Enabler 2.2 or the ChameleonSSDOptimizer?
Will install the SSD in a late 2011 MBP 2.2GHz, which now has the standard Seagate 500GB slow-as-it-can-get 5,400 rpm HD.
Thanks in advance for your opinions!
I feel the same way as you about Samsung. Would never buy anything from them unless it was the only thing out there. I use Trim Enabler for my SSD and its really simple to use and works as it should so I recommend it.
questions here too: been doing some reading. i have a 2011 15" mbp and want to upgrade to ssd.
thinking to go with the 6gb in the main slot, and a 3gb in the optibay slot.
I'll be pulling out the 7200 500gb HD that's in there at the moment.
I guess the one question I have is, I mean, it would be silly to put this 500GB HD in the Optibay right?
If I make the system drive ssd, logic tells me i should make the second drive ssd too right?
Is this the recommended practice?
thinking to go with the 6gb in the main slot, and a 3gb in the optibay slot.
I'll be pulling out the 7200 500gb HD that's in there at the moment.
I guess the one question I have is, I mean, it would be silly to put this 500GB HD in the Optibay right?
If I make the system drive ssd, logic tells me i should make the second drive ssd too right?
Is this the recommended practice?
bought Intel 335 series SSD
Picked up an intel 335 series SSD 240GB today for $212 here in Japan, at a local PC shop. Running CCC now, copying about 70GB. Will post Blackmagic Disk Speed Tests results after the USB copy finishes and I have installed the drive in my MBP.
Edit: Installed, and up and running. Used Trim Enabler and its working.
Speed is good, nothing spectacular, but the whole machine is so much more responsive, compared with the old mechanical drive!
Picked up an intel 335 series SSD 240GB today for $212 here in Japan, at a local PC shop. Running CCC now, copying about 70GB. Will post Blackmagic Disk Speed Tests results after the USB copy finishes and I have installed the drive in my MBP.
Edit: Installed, and up and running. Used Trim Enabler and its working.
Speed is good, nothing spectacular, but the whole machine is so much more responsive, compared with the old mechanical drive!
Attachments
Last edited:
That is some pretty small discs.
No, why?
Not necessarily. Depends on your needs. Most people keep their HDD for mass storage.
I think he was referring to the link speed of the SATA connection for each SSD, not the size of the SSD he was going to install.
Yeah I was....
I guess it seems weird to me to put an SSD in the main slot, but then with old 7200 HD in the Optibay, it feels like there would be some slowdown ie Apps on one drive Media on another. Best to go two SSD's yeah?
Maybe I'll just go for one first, the main one, see how that goes... and worry about doing the Optibay/2nd hard drive stuff later.
I guess it seems weird to me to put an SSD in the main slot, but then with old 7200 HD in the Optibay, it feels like there would be some slowdown ie Apps on one drive Media on another. Best to go two SSD's yeah?
Maybe I'll just go for one first, the main one, see how that goes... and worry about doing the Optibay/2nd hard drive stuff later.
Why would you put the system on one drive, but the apps on another?
That would be a mess.Normally people put media files which doesn't need speed, and often take up the majority of space, on the HDD.
Hello fellow mac users!
This is my first reply on this forum I hope with all my hart that you guys can give me some answers.
I bought a standard mbp 13 couple months ago, it works great but i decided to upgrade my hard drive to a Solite State.
I'm planning on buying the Samsung 830 128gb - so far no questions
Now, i want to replace the Hdd with the samsung SSD.
Then i would like to put the 'old' HDD in an optibay.
Questions:
1) I'm going to make a bootable thumb drive with Mountain Lion on it. When booting and pressing the option key. Which option do i have to choose to put a clean install on the new SSD?
2) If ML is running on the SSD, there'll still be some files on the old HDD in the optibay including an install of ML. How can i format this disk? (diskutility - format?)
3) How will my macbook know which drive he has to use? (because i want to be sure that apps will be installed on the ssd and documents/music on the hdd)
example: a) if I save a document a Word.doc, how will my mac know that he has to save it on the hdd? and same goes for the usage of Finder. If i open Finder->Documents: will it show my documents then?
b) if I want to install a new app, how will i know that it gets installed on the ssd?
Thanks for reading my reply!
Hopefully someone can help me (i'm sure you guys are more experienced in this than they are in my country - Belgium ^^)
Greetings!
Daimand
This is my first reply on this forum
I hope with all my hart that you guys can give me some answers.I bought a standard mbp 13 couple months ago, it works great but i decided to upgrade my hard drive to a Solite State.
I'm planning on buying the Samsung 830 128gb - so far no questions
Now, i want to replace the Hdd with the samsung SSD.
Then i would like to put the 'old' HDD in an optibay.
Questions:
1) I'm going to make a bootable thumb drive with Mountain Lion on it. When booting and pressing the option key. Which option do i have to choose to put a clean install on the new SSD?
2) If ML is running on the SSD, there'll still be some files on the old HDD in the optibay including an install of ML. How can i format this disk? (diskutility - format?)
3) How will my macbook know which drive he has to use? (because i want to be sure that apps will be installed on the ssd and documents/music on the hdd)
example: a) if I save a document a Word.doc, how will my mac know that he has to save it on the hdd? and same goes for the usage of Finder. If i open Finder->Documents: will it show my documents then?
b) if I want to install a new app, how will i know that it gets installed on the ssd?
Thanks for reading my reply!
Hopefully someone can help me
(i'm sure you guys are more experienced in this than they are in my country - Belgium ^^)Greetings!
Daimand
Hello fellow mac users!
This is my first reply on this forum
I bought a standard mbp 13 couple months ago, it works great but i decided to upgrade my hard drive to a Solite State.
I'm planning on buying the Samsung 830 128gb - so far no questions
Now, i want to replace the Hdd with the samsung SSD.
Then i would like to put the 'old' HDD in an optibay.
Questions:
1) I'm going to make a bootable thumb drive with Mountain Lion on it. When booting and pressing the option key. Which option do i have to choose to put a clean install on the new SSD?
2) If ML is running on the SSD, there'll still be some files on the old HDD in the optibay including an install of ML. How can i format this disk? (diskutility - format?)
3) How will my macbook know which drive he has to use? (because i want to be sure that apps will be installed on the ssd and documents/music on the hdd)
example: a) if I save a document a Word.doc, how will my mac know that he has to save it on the hdd? and same goes for the usage of Finder. If i open Finder->Documents: will it show my documents then?
b) if I want to install a new app, how will i know that it gets installed on the ssd?
Thanks for reading my reply!
Hopefully someone can help me
Greetings!
Daimand
I hope this answers your question:
1) You will automatically see your pendrive show up in the list of bootable drives when holding down the option key. Just select it and it will boot no problem.
2) Yes you can easily reformat using disk utility. You can even do so from the bootable pendrive but you may want to copy all of your files first.
3) Whenever you save or install anything OS X will ask you where you want to save it anyway. SO you just have to select the appropriate drive.
Hi guys I found out I can pick up a Sammy 830 SSD 128 G for $89. I was wondering can I move my current Intel 330 series 128 G to my optibay? Will it simply just register it as a SATA1 drive?
You need a special bracket which you can by from OWC to fit a drive in the optibay. Also the speed depends on what Mac you have. Macs made after mid 2011 will be Sata 3 while previous models will have Sata 2 for the optibay
I have the mid 2009 MBP. So my intel ssd is only running at 1.5 gigs. Thus thinking of changing it for a Sammy
If you link speed is only 1.5Gbit/s you won't notice a difference between them. Go for the cheapest!
1) and 2) are solved then
Question 3 I still have some doubts over it. Earlier this morning I read that you have to do something with 'terminal' to setup Finder properly.
For example: when i save a word.doc now, And i save it to 'Documents' directory (still using the HDD). I can find that doc tru finder in Documents. But if I have the 2 drives installed, i think the Finder/Documents directory will still be on the SSD where the OS is running. So if I save a doc and I choose 'Save to HDD' then it won't show up in the finder if I go tru Finder/Documents right?
Hope you understand what i'm trying to say
Baseline is that i want to configure my macbook that it automatically searches on the HDD for docs/music/pictures and on the SSD for applications. 
If I backup my HD with Time Machine (320GB in a late 2008 AluBook), then remove the HD and install a SSD in its place, can I just restore from Time Machine? Is it the same as cloning the drive?
Seems much easier and you can save £20-30 by buying the "basic kit" rather than the "upgrade kit" with a lot of SSDs.
Seems much easier and you can save £20-30 by buying the "basic kit" rather than the "upgrade kit" with a lot of SSDs.
Only if you are using a locally attached (not networked) USB or Firewire external drive with Lion 10.7.2 or better. If you are, Lion will create a bootable recovery image on the Time Machine drive. You can option key boot to the Time Machine backup and format then restore from there.
I managed to find the answer on my 3th question on youtube!
http://youtu.be/yc6jJEgLzhM
This is what I meant
Great! Now everything is cleared out im gonna start ordering the parts i'll be needing
I managed to find the answer on my 3th question on youtube!
http://youtu.be/yc6jJEgLzhM
This is what I meant
Great! Now everything is cleared out im gonna start ordering the parts i'll be needing
Oh great. Good that you found an answer. I was actually thinking for a second that you basically wanted to make you own fusion drive!
Hey, everyone I have a question and I need some help.
I was under the impression that the easiest way to transfer data from an old HDD to a new SSD is via the supplied transfer cable (in my case the Laptop Kit provided with the Samsung 830).
Is there another method that is recommended? Thanks for the help.
I was under the impression that the easiest way to transfer data from an old HDD to a new SSD is via the supplied transfer cable (in my case the Laptop Kit provided with the Samsung 830).
Is there another method that is recommended? Thanks for the help.
Unless you have a external HDD enclosure or some other way of transfering it I would say the cable is your only option.
That will work just fine. That cable is really the same thing as the external enclosures mentioned, just without the box that surrounds the drive. I actually think the cable is easier since you just plug it in and use it without having to open up an enclosure.
- Status