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SSD Buying Guide
- Thread starter Hellhammer
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Ok another question...
Is it best to locate the ssd in the superdrive bay of my 2012 mbp and keep the hdd in the original location so that the drop protection sensor still works for the hdd?
Also, what is the latest firmware for the Samsung 830?
Is it best to locate the ssd in the superdrive bay of my 2012 mbp and keep the hdd in the original location so that the drop protection sensor still works for the hdd?
Also, what is the latest firmware for the Samsung 830?
Samsung vs. Crucial in MBP (Early 2011)?
I will be installing a 256 GB SSD in an early 2011 MBP, and have narrowed down the choice to Samsung 830 and Crucial M4.
I've read most of this thread (and some others on SSDs), but, as verdicts change with FW updates etc., I am not sure how the two drives currently compare.
Here is my understanding of each drive's pros and cons based on what I've read:
(1) Samsung performs a bit better and has better garbage collection.
(2) Crucial allows TRIM and firmware updates natively on the Mac.
(3) Crucial has the form factor (9.5 mm thickness) of the original HDD, Samsung is thinner (7 mm).
The factor that worries me the most is (2) - firmware updates. I would hate to have to go through major complications if an update is needed. It seems to me that performance difference isn't significant for normal use, and, from what I've read, people have had no problem with the thinner Samsung being loose in a MBP. So it mostly comes down to convenience over time.
I am leaning toward Crucial, but maybe my considerations are based on misconceptions? Maybe updating Samsung's FW isn't so complicated? Maybe there is more difference in performance and stability than I realize? Please correct me if I'm mistaken.
Currently, Samsung is $200 and Crucial is $187. Not a material difference if one drive has any real advantage over the other, but it is a tie-breaker in Crucial's favor.
I will be installing a 256 GB SSD in an early 2011 MBP, and have narrowed down the choice to Samsung 830 and Crucial M4.
I've read most of this thread (and some others on SSDs), but, as verdicts change with FW updates etc., I am not sure how the two drives currently compare.
Here is my understanding of each drive's pros and cons based on what I've read:
(1) Samsung performs a bit better and has better garbage collection.
(2) Crucial allows TRIM and firmware updates natively on the Mac.
(3) Crucial has the form factor (9.5 mm thickness) of the original HDD, Samsung is thinner (7 mm).
The factor that worries me the most is (2) - firmware updates. I would hate to have to go through major complications if an update is needed. It seems to me that performance difference isn't significant for normal use, and, from what I've read, people have had no problem with the thinner Samsung being loose in a MBP. So it mostly comes down to convenience over time.
I am leaning toward Crucial, but maybe my considerations are based on misconceptions? Maybe updating Samsung's FW isn't so complicated? Maybe there is more difference in performance and stability than I realize? Please correct me if I'm mistaken.
Currently, Samsung is $200 and Crucial is $187. Not a material difference if one drive has any real advantage over the other, but it is a tie-breaker in Crucial's favor.
(1) True. But in real-world usage, you probably wouldn't notice the difference
(2) Not from what I've heard, regarding TRIM support. OS X only supports TRIM in pre-installed SSDs from Apple, anything else requires a third-party workaround, such as TRIM Enabler. You will need a Windows machine to update the firmware of the 830 though... but if it works fine out of the box and continues to do so, why rock the cradle?
(3) The thinness shouldn't make any difference, people have installed the 830 without any special steps added for the smaller size.
I originally wanted the M4, now I'm saving for the 512GB 830.
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One more question... Maybe I am mistaken about the ease of FW updates for Crucial. I just found this Amazon review that claims difficulties if the Superdrive is removed.
I plan to remove the Superdrive, install the SSD in the HD bay, and the original HD in the ODD bay.
Is it true that Crucial's FW updates are not possible booring over USB?
Unlike the review author, I would still have a HD in the MBP. Could I avoid the problem if I keep the HD bootable and use it as the boot drive for any FW updates?
I plan to remove the Superdrive, install the SSD in the HD bay, and the original HD in the ODD bay.
Is it true that Crucial's FW updates are not possible booring over USB?
Unlike the review author, I would still have a HD in the MBP. Could I avoid the problem if I keep the HD bootable and use it as the boot drive for any FW updates?
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Google is your friend on that one mate. I plan to keep my SuperDrive as I need it for music production to burn master CDs, so I haven't looked into opti-bay SSD installs at all. I'm sure a Google search will help though
If not, email Crucial themselves - I got a quick response from them before.
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USB booting was not possible on old Macs but I updated my Crucial SSD through a USB drive as I didn't want to waste a CD. I'm using a 2012 MBP.
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What is "old" in this context? My MBP (early 2011) is older than that reviewer's (late 2011).
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True, but the info I find is rather contradictory.
The real issue is this: If someone (preferably with first-hand experience) can show me a clear reason that I shouldn't worry about updating Samsung FW - or that I shouldn't worry more than about Crucial's - then I'll get the Samsung. Otherwise, I'll feel safer getting the Crucial.
Your Mac should be fine. I believe USB booting is for 2011 macs or later unless you have a Air. Last resort you could always try to find an external drive when you need to update.
Ok, not too sure if i have set up my ssd/hd in my 2012 mbp right.
I have put the ssd where the superdrive was and hd left where it is for the sms sensor.
The ssd has the following...
Link speed - 6 gigabit
Negotiated link speed - 6 gigabit
The hd has this -
Link speed 6 gigabit
Negotiated link speed - 3 gigabit
Is that because the hd is a slow drive? It is a momentus xt 500gb 7200rpm
I have put the ssd where the superdrive was and hd left where it is for the sms sensor.
The ssd has the following...
Link speed - 6 gigabit
Negotiated link speed - 6 gigabit
The hd has this -
Link speed 6 gigabit
Negotiated link speed - 3 gigabit
Is that because the hd is a slow drive? It is a momentus xt 500gb 7200rpm
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I have a late 2008 macbook pro and I was wondering which of the following: Intel series 335 240gb, crucial m4 256gb, samsung 830 256gb, or ocz vertex 4 256gb would be the best choice. Keeping in mind the negotiated link speed bug I have noted in other threads (sata 2 system reading sata 3 drives as sata 1). The price difference between the drives is negligible. I would also like to say that reliability is the preferred trait. After searching the buyers guide, it was mentioned by Hellhammer that the intel 320 would be the best choice for sata 2 machines, but that drive is no longer easily available where I am. Please advise.
My brain is hurting from all of this research and comparison.
I have a mid 2010 13" MB Pro with 8GB, 2.66GHz Intel Core 2 Duo and Hitachi 320 GB 5400rpm HDD.
I want to upgrade to a SSD and need help.
I read that the Intel 320 series is best for my model but it seems to be significantly more expensive than others.
I found this on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-Extre...PDKIKX0DER&s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1353542431&sr=1-2
Obviously it would be limited by my SATA speed or whatever, or would that even work in my MAC.
Or the Samsung 840 Series?
http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Elect...F8&qid=1353550505&sr=1-2&keywords=samsung+830
I want to keep my optical drive. Not do anything complicated, basically just plug and play.
A decent amount of space would be nice, at least 128GB or more.
And then, would I just remove the HDD, put in the SDD and insert the ML install disc?
Thanks!
I have a mid 2010 13" MB Pro with 8GB, 2.66GHz Intel Core 2 Duo and Hitachi 320 GB 5400rpm HDD.
I want to upgrade to a SSD and need help.
I read that the Intel 320 series is best for my model but it seems to be significantly more expensive than others.
I found this on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-Extre...PDKIKX0DER&s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1353542431&sr=1-2
Obviously it would be limited by my SATA speed or whatever, or would that even work in my MAC.
Or the Samsung 840 Series?
http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Elect...F8&qid=1353550505&sr=1-2&keywords=samsung+830
I want to keep my optical drive. Not do anything complicated, basically just plug and play.
A decent amount of space would be nice, at least 128GB or more.
And then, would I just remove the HDD, put in the SDD and insert the ML install disc?
Thanks!
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Another great Black Friday sale. 512GB for $299.00!!! Not bad
OCZ Vertex 4 VTX4-25SAT3-512G.M 2.5" 512GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
OCZ Vertex 4 VTX4-25SAT3-512G.M 2.5" 512GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
Yea, the posts do pile up. Scroll back up to post #1718 and follow subsequent related replies all the way to post #1730, and you'll see that I just upgraded a similar 13" MBP (except with the 2.4 GHz CPU) with a 500 GB Samsung 840. Couldn't be happier. Any of the current popular SSD picks will breathe new life into your 2010! Go for it.
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Another great Black Friday sale. 512GB for $299.00!!! Not bad
OCZ Vertex 4 VTX4-25SAT3-512G.M 2.5" 512GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
Already sold out...
Thanks for the info. I got the drive a week or so ago. Love it. So speedy and as lame as this is to say, not hearing the sudden motion sensor clink is bliss, it always used to worry me that something was happening to the hard drive.
I got the package with the SATA to USB cable for a few quid more, which I'm pleased about as it made the install so much easier. I simply connected up my new M4 to my MacBook Pro with the cable and 'restored' my current hard drive to the new SSD via disk utility (after formatting the SSD). Took 4 hours for it all to come across, and then I simply swapped out the two drives and everything had come across including my iPhoto library.
So pleased I did it, really notice a change with my MacBook Pro.
It's funny you mention that because that's how I was going to install mine initially and then I just decided to do it the old-fashioned way but the thought crossed my mind about installing OS and migrating externally first.
I did disable trim though, as I did a bit of homework on it and it turns out is not a necessity. YRMV
SSD for MacBook Pro 13" Mid 2009
Hi everybody and thanks for reading. I'm about to get a 256GB SSD and 8GB RAM for my stock MBP (MacBook Pro 5,5, 2.53GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor, 4GB RAM, 250GB HD @5400RPM) and my two options are (from amazon.es):
Kingston V200 - 151 euro (2-4 week delivery)
Crucial M4 - 179 euro (on stock)
Is one of them better than the other or works better with my mac model? Do they support TRIM and do I need it? Or should I just go for the cheapest one? I use my laptop for photo editing on Aperture, GarageBand, maybe some games (Diablo III and WoW, but very seldom), and the regular use (mail, safari, Skype, iTunes, etc).
Thanks a lot!
BTW, the RAM is also Kingston 2x4GB 1066MHz - 38 euro (on stock)
Also, is there a way that I can enable PowerNap?
Hi everybody and thanks for reading. I'm about to get a 256GB SSD and 8GB RAM for my stock MBP (MacBook Pro 5,5, 2.53GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor, 4GB RAM, 250GB HD @5400RPM) and my two options are (from amazon.es):
Kingston V200 - 151 euro (2-4 week delivery)
Crucial M4 - 179 euro (on stock)
Is one of them better than the other or works better with my mac model? Do they support TRIM and do I need it? Or should I just go for the cheapest one? I use my laptop for photo editing on Aperture, GarageBand, maybe some games (Diablo III and WoW, but very seldom), and the regular use (mail, safari, Skype, iTunes, etc).
Thanks a lot!
BTW, the RAM is also Kingston 2x4GB 1066MHz - 38 euro (on stock)
Also, is there a way that I can enable PowerNap?
Hi,
I don't have any experience with Kingston SSDs but I can say for sure Crucial has fast and reliable SSDs. I highly recommend enaing trim using a trim enabler as it will give you better performance in the long term. Otherwise you'll be very happy with the performance increase for all your uses. You cannot though enable powernap. I don't know of any hacks so far that will let you do that.
OCZ Vector 256Gb SSD review is up on Anandtech - Looks like a good all-round drive to challenge the Samsung 840 Pro
http://www.anandtech.com/show/6363/ocz-vector-review-256gb
http://www.anandtech.com/show/6363/ocz-vector-review-256gb
RAID two SSD's (raid 0 striped) with working bootcamp
I just wanted people to know that it is possible to raid two SSD's from different manufactures (same GB storage) and have Bootcamp working with Windows 7.
First I backed up my software on external drives (carbon copy cloner for Mac).
Then I installed the second SSD using the "data doubler".
I booted into the Mac OS and performed a bootcamp install.
Then I used the mac utility (before booting into OS X) to RAID (0 striped) the two SSD's together.
This wiped out everything except the "windows (bootcamp) drive". I then took out the SSD and reinstalled the optical drive to utilize the Windows 7 CD to restore a prior backup after re-formatting to NTFS. Once I verified that Windows 7 was working, I reinstalled the Second SSD, and connected my Carbon Copy cloner drive (external bootable backup of OS X.)
After booting up from the backup (external drive) I used the carbon copy cloner to install to the pair of SSD's I configured to RAID.
All I can say is... every bulletin board I read stated that this wasn't possible. I haven't noticed any obvious improvement from day to day performance, but the read and write speeds have doubled: Write in the lower 530's, and Read in the 830's. The volume for both drives on RAID 0 (less the amount I have partitioned for windows around 272GB) is 722 GB.
The two SSD's I utilized are the Crucial M4 (firmware 010G) and Vertex 4 (firmware 1.50). Both have TRIM enabled. I have a late 2011 macbook pro with 16GB of corsair ram.
Just wanted to let people know about this.
I just wanted people to know that it is possible to raid two SSD's from different manufactures (same GB storage) and have Bootcamp working with Windows 7.
First I backed up my software on external drives (carbon copy cloner for Mac).
Then I installed the second SSD using the "data doubler".
I booted into the Mac OS and performed a bootcamp install.
Then I used the mac utility (before booting into OS X) to RAID (0 striped) the two SSD's together.
This wiped out everything except the "windows (bootcamp) drive". I then took out the SSD and reinstalled the optical drive to utilize the Windows 7 CD to restore a prior backup after re-formatting to NTFS. Once I verified that Windows 7 was working, I reinstalled the Second SSD, and connected my Carbon Copy cloner drive (external bootable backup of OS X.)
After booting up from the backup (external drive) I used the carbon copy cloner to install to the pair of SSD's I configured to RAID.
All I can say is... every bulletin board I read stated that this wasn't possible. I haven't noticed any obvious improvement from day to day performance, but the read and write speeds have doubled: Write in the lower 530's, and Read in the 830's. The volume for both drives on RAID 0 (less the amount I have partitioned for windows around 272GB) is 722 GB.
The two SSD's I utilized are the Crucial M4 (firmware 010G) and Vertex 4 (firmware 1.50). Both have TRIM enabled. I have a late 2011 macbook pro with 16GB of corsair ram.
Just wanted to let people know about this.
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New Intel firmware up on Intel's site
For anyone running an Intel SSD, check this out:
http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?agr=Y&DwnldID=18363
Haven't had the time yet to do it myself....
Edit: Just finished the update, works fine.
From the Intel web site:
"Intel Firmware Update Tool v1.9.3
This revision adds a firmware update for the Intel SSD 335 series
No other firmware changes were made from the previous release. This release adds a firmware update for the Intel® SSD 335 Series fixing the following issue :
- Incorrect reporting of the E9h media wear indicator value"
For anyone running an Intel SSD, check this out:
http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?agr=Y&DwnldID=18363
Haven't had the time yet to do it myself....
Edit: Just finished the update, works fine.
From the Intel web site:
"Intel Firmware Update Tool v1.9.3
This revision adds a firmware update for the Intel SSD 335 series
No other firmware changes were made from the previous release. This release adds a firmware update for the Intel® SSD 335 Series fixing the following issue :
- Incorrect reporting of the E9h media wear indicator value"
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