SSD Buying Guide
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I'm also looking at buying a 512GB SSD right now. I've done a lot of research on that matter and no you can definitely not get an SSD of that size for < $200. The cheapest I saw was the Crucial M4 512GB but I think I'm going to get an OCZ Vertex 4 instead as it isn't much more expensive but performs a lot better.
Otherwise the difference between 5400rpm and 7200rpm is noticeable but not really huge. You'd gain around 20MB/s which is nothing compared to upgrading to an SSD.
SantaRosa2.2
macrumors regular
I just ordered the Crucial M4 512, I'll be installing it my early 2011 MBP, I was on the fence about the Vertex. I Chose the Crucial only because I came across one at a price I couldn't refuse. I'll have mine in by tomorrow night.
adam044
macrumors 65816
how much?
Around $400 USD
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I just ordered the Crucial M4 512, I'll be installing it my early 2011 MBP, I was on the fence about the Vertex. I Chose the Crucial only because I came across one at a price I couldn't refuse. I'll have mine in by tomorrow night.
Nice! Good luck installing it. You won't regret getting an SSD
I just ordered a Samsung 830 BB/WW ssd for my mbp 15". (although i wish i had the money for a 256 gb )
I need to buy tools for it, and want high quality tools since I will probably do this a lot. I read a thread and it said Wiha was high quality, but where is the best place to buy? ( Preferably amazon since I have prime ) Also, specific tools needed? ( I don't really think i'll need an antistatic wrist strap lol )
Also, since it's a BB/WW, i need to have a notebook upgrade kit. Is there a place where everyone gets it ? ( software + hardware).
Thanks guys =)
(although i wish i had the money for a 256 gb )I need to buy tools for it, and want high quality tools since I will probably do this a lot. I read a thread and it said Wiha was high quality, but where is the best place to buy? ( Preferably amazon since I have prime ) Also, specific tools needed? ( I don't really think i'll need an antistatic wrist strap lol )
Also, since it's a BB/WW, i need to have a notebook upgrade kit. Is there a place where everyone gets it ? ( software + hardware).
Thanks guys =)
adam044
macrumors 65816
Ouch
T'hain Esh Kelch
macrumors 604
I spend 5$ including shipping on DX.com, for a toolset which is working just fine.I just ordered a Samsung 830 BB/WW ssd for my mbp 15".
I need to buy tools for it, and want high quality tools since I will probably do this a lot. I read a thread and it said Wiha was high quality, but where is the best place to buy? ( Preferably amazon since I have prime ) Also, specific tools needed? ( I don't really think i'll need an antistatic wrist strap lol )
Spent more on a Wiha set.
General question for all, where can I buy the notebook upgrade kit? / what do I specifically need to install it into my mbp? ( I have bought a phillips and Torx T6). Also, what software will I need?
Thanks guys !
You will get proponents of both methods. If the OS and all is operating properly on the current drive, I would just clone it over.
K4LK
macrumors 6502
I just ordered the Crucial M4 512, I'll be installing it my early 2011 MBP, I was on the fence about the Vertex. I Chose the Crucial only because I came across one at a price I couldn't refuse. I'll have mine in by tomorrow night.
SantaRosa, how did the Crucial 512 do in your early 2011 MBP?
Equalizer23
macrumors newbie
So I have a Macbook Pro (early 2011) 13", 2.3 GHz i5 4 GB RAM 1333 MHz DDR3.
I want to put a SSD in it and also upgrade to 8 GB RAM. Can I put a SSD drive and also keep my HDD inside the Macbook Pro? What do I need to buy aside from the drive? I'm considering the Crucial M4
I want to put a SSD in it and also upgrade to 8 GB RAM. Can I put a SSD drive and also keep my HDD inside the Macbook Pro? What do I need to buy aside from the drive? I'm considering the Crucial M4
davidlv
macrumors 68020
You will need a caddy or bracket to replace the optical drive and install your present or new HD. http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/drive_bracket/datadoubler/ Most people have the old HD installed where the optical drive was, and install the SSD in the original HD drive bay.
You will also need a Philips head screwdriver #00 to open the MBP and remove the single holding bracket next to the HD and a Torx 6 driver to transfer the lugs on the sides of the HD to the SSD.
See this current thread for some good info. https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1483083/
I also went shopping for a M4, my local supplier was out of stock, so I got an Intel 335 series 240GB, which has very good reviews, http://www.pcworld.com/article/2013225/review-intels-series-335-delivers-more-ssd-for-less.html and is working well in my late 2011 MBP. After installation, you might want to enable Trim, I used Trim Enabler 2.1, no problems there. Make sure you run Disk Permissions repair after rebooting.
Once you get used to the speed of an SSD, it will be very hard to go back to a regular mechanical HD!
You also might want to disable the Sudden Motion Sensor, useless for an SSD, using the following terminal command:
disabling SMS is:
sudo pmset -a sms 0
I also used the following command to disable the writing to disk on sleep:
1. set hibernate mode to 0
sudo pmset -a hibernatemode 0
hibernationmode 0 is normal sleep, kept in ram nothing written to hdd
hibernationmode 3 is safe sleep, kept and loaded from ram, written to hdd in case of power loss
hibernationmode 25 is full hibernation, memory is written to hdd and then ram is powered off
2. delete the unnecessary sleep file to regain disk space equal to memory (saves the same amount of disk space as your RAM, eg. 8 GBs), since hibernate is disabled, you can use the Go to folder menu for that. The file is found in the /var/vm/ folder, and is named sleepimage. Reboot and simply delete that file.
Your MBP will work with 16GB and the price is not that much more than 8GB now, worth thinking about.
Last edited:
Equalizer23
macrumors newbie
You will need a caddy or bracket to replace the optical drive and install your present or new HD. http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/drive_bracket/datadoubler/ Most people have the old HD installed where the optical drive was, and install the SSD in the original HD drive bay.
You will also need a Philips head screwdriver #00 to open the MBP and remove the single holding bracket next to the HD and a Torx 6 driver to transfer the lugs on the sides of the HD to the SSD.
See this current thread for some good info. https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1483083/
I also went shopping for a M4, my local supplier was out of stock, so I got an Intel 335 series 240GB, which has very good reviews, http://www.pcworld.com/article/2013225/review-intels-series-335-delivers-more-ssd-for-less.html and is working well in my late 2011 MBP. After installation, you might want to enable Trim, I used Trim Enabler 2.1, no problems there. Make sure you run Disk Permissions repair after rebooting.
Once you get used to the speed of an SSD, it will be very hard to go back to a regular mechanical HD!
You also might want to disable the Sudden Motion Sensor, useless for an SSD, using the following terminal command:
disabling SMS is:
sudo pmset -a sms 0
I also used the following command to disable the writing to disk on sleep:
1. set hibernate mode to 0
sudo pmset -a hibernatemode 0
hibernationmode 0 is normal sleep, kept in ram nothing written to hdd
hibernationmode 3 is safe sleep, kept and loaded from ram, written to hdd in case of power loss
hibernationmode 25 is full hibernation, memory is written to hdd and then ram is powered off
2. delete the unnecessary sleep file to regain disk space equal to memory (saves the same amount of disk space as your RAM, eg. 8 GBs), since hibernate is disabled, you can use the Go to folder menu for that. The file is found in the /var/vm/ folder, and is named sleepimage. Reboot and simply delete that file.
Your MBP will work with 16GB and the price is not that much more than 8GB now, worth thinking about.
Thanks for all the info.
So I could get only 256gb of SSD and then keep my 320gb HDD.. What should I put on the SSD and what on the HDD? MAC OS obviously on the SSD, right? I use Pro Tools and Ableton Live (pro audio applications) and big sample libraries.
What 16gb RAM should I get? I'm from Israel, but I'm visiting NYC in Jan' 2013 and want to go to one store and buy all of this.
I need 256gb or 512gb of SSD, a caddy, 16gb of RAM, G Drive Mobile 1tb.
EDIT: I came across this store
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/
Can someone recommend it? What RAM should I get from there? They have the G Drive Mobile and the Crucial M4
EDIT 2: So I figured I'll buy this:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ..._World_Computing_Data_Doubler_Optical_to.html
And this:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ..._0g02391_1Tb_G_Drive_Mobile_FireWire_USB.html
So that covers the external HDD and internal SSD with the whole kit I need to replace the DVD drive in my Macbook Pro for the existing HDD I have.
What RAM should I buy from there? If I can get 16gb, What should I get?
Last edited:
davidlv
macrumors 68020
According to the Apple HP (you could have looked this up yourself
) http://support.apple.com/kb/SP619, your MBP has 4GB (two 2GB SO-DIMMs) of 1333MHz DDR3 memory; two SO-DIMM slots, so you should buy 2 similar 8GB RAM chips. That store should be able to sell you those, and they probably have a choice of brands to chose from. Ask for high-quality chips, there are too many to list here, Patriot, Crucial etc.OWC sells RAM too, a little more expensive than some retailers, but they ship internationally, and they also sell the Crucial M4. http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/hard-drives/2.5-Notebook/
I have no connection with OWC, but I have had good luck buying from them.
iArch
macrumors regular
Hi gang,
I'm thinking about sprucing up my mid 2010 13" MBP by swapping over to an SSD. It's the base 2.4 GHz Core 2 Duo model with the 250 GB hard drive, and I've already upped it to 8 GB of RAM. This little laptop serves my needs well, but I wouldn't mind a performance bump, along with an increase in storage capacity. FWIW, I do wish to retain the optical drive.
I've been following a few threads and have pretty much settled on Samsung. Just waiting on the right price as they seem to rise and drop willy nilly and I wanna be ready to pounce.
The question for me right now is which one to go with. 512 GB Samsung 830 or 500 GB Samsung 840? 840 Pro? I can clearly see the differences in the read/write specs among them, but I just can't help wonder if that really matters much, given that everything's having to pass through my MBP's SATA II pipe. If so, then I can just focus on price and at the moment, the 840 is winning in that regard.
So, is SATA II the limiting factor on my MBP?
I'm thinking about sprucing up my mid 2010 13" MBP by swapping over to an SSD. It's the base 2.4 GHz Core 2 Duo model with the 250 GB hard drive, and I've already upped it to 8 GB of RAM. This little laptop serves my needs well, but I wouldn't mind a performance bump, along with an increase in storage capacity. FWIW, I do wish to retain the optical drive.
I've been following a few threads and have pretty much settled on Samsung. Just waiting on the right price as they seem to rise and drop willy nilly and I wanna be ready to pounce.
The question for me right now is which one to go with. 512 GB Samsung 830 or 500 GB Samsung 840? 840 Pro? I can clearly see the differences in the read/write specs among them, but I just can't help wonder if that really matters much, given that everything's having to pass through my MBP's SATA II pipe. If so, then I can just focus on price and at the moment, the 840 is winning in that regard.
So, is SATA II the limiting factor on my MBP?
Yes SATA 2 is the limiting factor. Your MacBook Pro will not be able to get read and write speeds above max 260MB/s because of that.
Equalizer23
macrumors newbie
Last question. My Macbook Pro's fans are working extra when I record audio or convert audio (tough jobs for a computer). I hear them, and the laptop gets heated. Can I fix that somehow? If I get a SSD and RAM should I except more noise from the fans?
carlili4190
macrumors regular
Hey everyone.
I've been looking to get a SSD for my Early 2011 15" Macbook Pro for a while now. Its the 2.3GHZ Intel i7. However, I'm still pretty lost with what SSD to get. I want to an SSD where I will have no compatibility problems. I'd also like to keep my optical drive.
I'm looking for a SSD with at least 400 Gigs of storage. Can anyone recommend a good SSD for me?
Here is the Serial-ATA info for both drives.
Vendor: Intel
Product: 6 Series Chipset
Link Speed: 6 Gigabit
Negotiated Link Speed: 3 Gigabit
Description: AHCI Version 1.30 Supported
Vendor: Intel
Product: 6 Series Chipset
Link Speed: 6 Gigabit
Negotiated Link Speed: 1.5 Gigabit
Description: AHCI Version 1.30 Supported
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
I've been looking to get a SSD for my Early 2011 15" Macbook Pro for a while now. Its the 2.3GHZ Intel i7. However, I'm still pretty lost with what SSD to get. I want to an SSD where I will have no compatibility problems. I'd also like to keep my optical drive.
I'm looking for a SSD with at least 400 Gigs of storage. Can anyone recommend a good SSD for me?
Here is the Serial-ATA info for both drives.
Vendor: Intel
Product: 6 Series Chipset
Link Speed: 6 Gigabit
Negotiated Link Speed: 3 Gigabit
Description: AHCI Version 1.30 Supported
Vendor: Intel
Product: 6 Series Chipset
Link Speed: 6 Gigabit
Negotiated Link Speed: 1.5 Gigabit
Description: AHCI Version 1.30 Supported
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
iArch
macrumors regular
Cool, thought so. That takes any interest in the Pro model off the table. Since the regular (non-Pro) 500 GB 840 is now a good bit less expensive than the 512 GB 830 on Amazon ($399 vs $499), I'm gonna go ahead order the former. I traded in a couple of iPhones to Amazon a few weeks back and have a bunch of credit there anyway.
Appreciate the help!
I just ordered the Crucial M4 512, I'll be installing it my early 2011 MBP, I was on the fence about the Vertex. I Chose the Crucial only because I came across one at a price I couldn't refuse. I'll have mine in by tomorrow night.
Hey SantaRose. I'm thinking of getting the same SDD for the same laptop. The only thing that I'm worried about it how to get everything from my old HDD onto the new SDD. My question is, if I put the new SDD into an enclosure before installing it, and use 'Carbon Copy Cloner' to copy my HDD onto it, when I install the SDD, will it be good to go with the same OS and all my documents and data, or will I have to do anything else?
Donka
macrumors 68030
An SSD and more RAM won't make any difference to the fans ramping up when converting audio but you will find it will finish the task quicker using an SSD meaning the fans will spin down again quicker. This is one of the first things I noticed when I switched my MBP to an SSD - audio conversions that I do a lot of were noticeably quicker.
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