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SSD for Macbook Pro

K

kkasaye

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jun 12, 2012
16
0
Hey I was torn between buying a 13 " mbp or a 13 " mba for quite some time (the base models with 8 gb ram) and have now finally decided on the 13" MBP with gb, but the only thing that still makes me kind of want the MBA is the SSD. So I was wondering what 256gb SSD do you guys think I should purchase for my 13" MBP + 8gb of ram. Thanks!

PS. if anyone could link me to any tutorials on how to install the SSD once I have it, that would be great! if not, that's fine. I'm sure I can find one myself :p
 
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DougFNJ said:
Perhaps this will ease your mind.....

http://www.amazon.com/SAMSUNG-2-5-I...id=1340123089&sr=8-1&keywords=samsung+ssd+256

As far as installation, it is easy, unscrew the screws on the bottom of the Macbook Pro, then unscrew the screws to the hard drive, unplug it, then plug in the SSD, place it in the spot of the existing drive, screw it in place, and your good.
Click to expand...

Thanks a lot! Sounds easier than expected. The price is much cheaper than upgrading the SSD on the apple store site too!
 
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kkasaye said:
Thanks a lot! Sounds easier than expected. The price is much cheaper than upgrading the SSD on the apple store site too!
Click to expand...

I would also disconnect the battery before swapping drives just to be safe. I have killed a HDD by not doing that once (on a custom desktop with molex connector)
 
Swapping the SSD for the HDD really is easy. The most I'd ever done before was change RAM, and I was able to install an SSD in less than 20 minutes. http://www.maclife.com/article/howtos/how_install_ssd_unibody_macbook_pro

As for which SSD to get, the SSD Buying Guide link that simsaladimbamba posted has tons of useful information. Samsung, Intel and Crucial seem to be the most popular brands. If you look around and hit a sale you can probably get a Crucial 256GB M4 for around $200.

If you plan on using the old HDD as an external drive, make sure you pick up an external enclosure for it, as well. They're cheap and can be purchased from Amazon, Newegg, etc.
 
Replacing the stock HDD with an SSD is one of the easier components to replace with the Unibody Macbook Pros (except the Retina MBP :p)! The following tutorial is labeled for the late 2011 13" but the 2012 13" has the same basic internal layout.

http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Installing-MacBook-Pro-13-Inch-Unibody-Late-2011-Hard-Drive/7656/1

As far as what brands to get, I would suggest the Crucial M4 or the Samsung 830. Prices are definitely declining slowly on SSDs. As sweetbrat mentioned, you could get a good price during a sale at Newegg/Amazon/etc. I believe the 256GB Crucial M4 was $179.99 earlier this week (not sure if that's the case anymore). In any case, good luck!

EDIT: Also, as AfzalivE said, it is a good idea to disconnect the battery connector while working with the internals.
 
angelomango said:
I believe the 256GB Crucial M4 was $179.99 earlier this week (not sure if that's the case anymore).
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Yeah, it was one of Newegg's weekend deals, but it's not that low anymore. I'm sure it will go on sale again soon, though. Right now it's $200 on Amazon, but not sure how long that will last, either. SSD prices have been very volatile lately, so you have to check the prices often. I've seen the M4 vary by $50 or $60 over just a few hours. There's some good deals out there, for sure, if you keep your eyes open.
 
did anyone else disconnect their battery when doing this? that wasn't one of the steps on any of the videos i watched on youtube, i just don't want to mess with something that I will come to regret later.
 
serb said:
did anyone else disconnect their battery when doing this? that wasn't one of the steps on any of the videos i watched on youtube, i just don't want to mess with something that I will come to regret later.
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disconnecting the battery is a fairly simple affair. There one little connector and you just lift it and leave it there. Then you press it back when you're done :)

I have seen it an at least one video.
 
serb said:
did anyone else disconnect their battery when doing this? that wasn't one of the steps on any of the videos i watched on youtube, i just don't want to mess with something that I will come to regret later.
Click to expand...

I didn't disconnect it, and I didn't have any problems. If it's something that you're concerned about, go ahead and do it.
 
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