I just have made a fresh install of Mavericks on a brand new Samsung 840 EVO SSD of 750 GB and thus swapped the old Toshiba HDD which came with my mid-2012 15 inch MacBook Pro. It is absolutely stunning. Reads and writes reach 500 MB/s, just as expected. The only downside I noticed is that it boots up in around 30 seconds, which is kind of lame.
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SSD Buying Guide
- Thread starter Hellhammer
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Go to System Preferences and in the Startup Disk pane set the new SSD as the boot drive then restart. If you don't do that the system searches around for boot sources and it takes forever.
After reading various threads, I've narrowed my search down to the Samsung 840 PRO. I'm going to install this in my early 2011 MBP 15".
Any other ones that I should seriously consider? My top priority is RELIABILITY. I don't want it to crap out within the next 3 years.
Any other ones that I should seriously consider? My top priority is RELIABILITY. I don't want it to crap out within the next 3 years.
Compatibility
Hi,
I want to buy Samsung SSD 840 EVO 250GB for my Macbook pro 13 2009. The question is: is it going to work? Am not an expert about these drives, will drivers work? Are ssds compatible with old macs like mine, is there something to look out for? And also I cant seem to find which type of sata does my mac use... sata II sata III? And if its old sata will it perform well?
Thank you
Hi,
I want to buy Samsung SSD 840 EVO 250GB for my Macbook pro 13 2009. The question is: is it going to work? Am not an expert about these drives, will drivers work? Are ssds compatible with old macs like mine, is there something to look out for? And also I cant seem to find which type of sata does my mac use... sata II sata III? And if its old sata will it perform well?
Thank you
There really isn't much hard data out there on reliability, so it is difficult to say which model/brand is most reliable. You see a lot of anecdotal reports here from users saying they have used a certain model and it is good or bad, but that about all you are going to get.
That said, quit a few forum members have used that drive and I don't see a lot of reports of problems with it.
That drive will work just fine in your machine with no drivers or anything needed. Your system is SATA II and the drive is SATA III, but SATA is backwards compatible, so the SATA III drive will work fine in your Mac. You will be limited to the max speeds supported by SATA II though.
SATA II caps at 300MBps and SATA III at 600MBps. Even still, you will notice a big performance improvement due to the much faster seek times of a SSD.
I'm currently using a Crucial M4 SSD with my 2008 MBP and just ordered a refurbished 2012 15" cMBP, seeing how they are so affordable (while they last) 
.
I plan to swap the disks - sell my old laptop with the HDD, use the SSD in the new laptop. Will I need to reinstall the OS or will it work as is, plug and play?
.I plan to swap the disks - sell my old laptop with the HDD, use the SSD in the new laptop. Will I need to reinstall the OS or will it work as is, plug and play?
I'm currently using a Crucial M4 SSD with my 2008 MBP and just ordered a refurbished 2012 15" cMBP, seeing how they are so affordable (while they last)
I plan to swap the disks - sell my old laptop with the HDD, use the SSD in the new laptop. Will I need to reinstall the OS or will it work as is, plug and play?
It depends, if you have the latest version of Mountain Lion or Mavericks on there, yes it will work.
Hi all,
I'm looking for 240+ SSD for my late 2011 Macbook pro. So far, the choice is down to these two:
240 GB Intel 330 - $188
256 GB Toshiba THNSNH256GCST - $208
(local prices)
I am particularly curious about Toshiba because I hear these drives are actually used by Apple as stock (although probably with customized firmware). In the reviews Toshiba drives often appear second to Samsung 840 Pro, which is $53 more and a little bit out of my budget (unless someone gives me good reason to choose it over the other two). Can someone share their experiences with Toshiba SSD on Mac? Thanks!
I'm looking for 240+ SSD for my late 2011 Macbook pro. So far, the choice is down to these two:
240 GB Intel 330 - $188
256 GB Toshiba THNSNH256GCST - $208
(local prices)
I am particularly curious about Toshiba because I hear these drives are actually used by Apple as stock (although probably with customized firmware). In the reviews Toshiba drives often appear second to Samsung 840 Pro, which is $53 more and a little bit out of my budget (unless someone gives me good reason to choose it over the other two). Can someone share their experiences with Toshiba SSD on Mac? Thanks!
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For the lastest Haswell rMBP, is it worth spending $500 on the 1TB upgrade?
-15" rMBP 2.3 ghz / 16 gb ram / 512 gb SSD + 750m at $2629.
or
15" rMBP 2.3 ghz / 16 gb ram / 1 TB SSD + 750 at $3129.
I have the funds for the 1TB version, but I'm not sure if it's good value for money?
-15" rMBP 2.3 ghz / 16 gb ram / 512 gb SSD + 750m at $2629.
or
15" rMBP 2.3 ghz / 16 gb ram / 1 TB SSD + 750 at $3129.
I have the funds for the 1TB version, but I'm not sure if it's good value for money?
It's a great value for the money.
SSD drives slow down as they fill up to 75% storage capacity: the 512GB formatted is ~477GB and ~477 @ 75% = 357.75GB; the 1TB formatted is ~931GB @ 75% = 698.25GB.
With the 512GB you will see speeds of roughly ~720MB+/sec (write) / ~720+MB/sec (read); with 1TB you'll see speeds near ~900MB+/Sec (write) / ~900MB/sec (read).
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You are right, it would be set correctly from the factory... but what you are seeing here is people who swapped out the OEM drive for an aftermarket drive. If the OS boot drive is swapped the Startup Disk setting needs to be reset to the new drive.
Thanks for the explanation! I was paranoid enough to check mine after this thread...
How does the EVO compare to the 840 Pro? There's a huge price difference between the two...
The Pro uses MLC NAND chips while the Evo uses TLC NAND chips. The MLC chips last longer, however cost more to produce.
As the chart below from here shows, unless you are an EXTREMELY heavy user, the cheaper TLC Evo model will likely outlast your computer.
Thanks, Weaselboy!
I keep my computers for about 5 to 7 years so it will definitely outlast my MacBook Pro lol. I'll save a few bucks and get the EVO. I have a late 2011 15" MBP, it has the upgraded i7 in it. I am thinking about getting an SSD and possibly moving the existing HDD to the opti-bay.
I think I have narrowed my SSD search to the Samsung 840 Evo, although I do not like the lack of native update and control options, especially since I do not have bootcamp setup. My question from here is two part:
1) Could I set bootcamp up on the HDD in the opti-bay for the sole purpose of updating the SSD firmware, etc?
2) Does anyone make a shock resistant opti-bay HDD carriage?
3) I lied, there is a third, what is a good external case to put my super drive in, or should I just buy a third party CD/DVD drive?
I think I have narrowed my SSD search to the Samsung 840 Evo, although I do not like the lack of native update and control options, especially since I do not have bootcamp setup. My question from here is two part:
1) Could I set bootcamp up on the HDD in the opti-bay for the sole purpose of updating the SSD firmware, etc?
2) Does anyone make a shock resistant opti-bay HDD carriage?
3) I lied, there is a third, what is a good external case to put my super drive in, or should I just buy a third party CD/DVD drive?
Hey guys,
I have an Early 2008 15" Macbook Pro (pre-unibody). I know that this machine has issues with some SSDs, most recently the Samsung 840 (at least if you're running anything newer than Snow Leopard). I know the original post recommends an Intel 320, but have any other recommendations appeared since the post was made? What about an Intel 520/530, for instance?
If anybody else with this model has experience with upgrading it with an SSD I'd love to hear about it.
I have an Early 2008 15" Macbook Pro (pre-unibody). I know that this machine has issues with some SSDs, most recently the Samsung 840 (at least if you're running anything newer than Snow Leopard). I know the original post recommends an Intel 320, but have any other recommendations appeared since the post was made? What about an Intel 520/530, for instance?
If anybody else with this model has experience with upgrading it with an SSD I'd love to hear about it.
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Will the Samsung 840 Pro be usable on a Macbook Pro 13" Mid 2010?
As SATA is backwards compatible, i assume it should it do its job, yet limited to SATA speeds?
Also, should I simply put back the System using Time Machine (thus saving a USB to SATA Cable) or should I clone it with SuperDuper first?
As SATA is backwards compatible, i assume it should it do its job, yet limited to SATA speeds?
Also, should I simply put back the System using Time Machine (thus saving a USB to SATA Cable) or should I clone it with SuperDuper first?
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