SSD Question

[Benjamin,]

Not sure if this is in the right place, so sorry if it isn't.

Basically I want to yank out the optical drive and shove a SSD in it's place. Storing my apps and boot files on the SSD and all the general files and user data on the HDD.

Have any of you done this?

What do you guys think of OWC's bundle and their SSD quality?

Thanks!

 

[GGJstudios]

Not sure if this is in the right place, so sorry if it isn't.

Basically I want to yank out the optical drive and shove a SSD in it's place. Storing my apps and boot files on the SSD and all the general files and user data on the HDD.

Have any of you done this?

What do you guys think of OWC's bundle and their SSD quality?

Thanks!

If you search the forum for "optibay" you'll find dozens of threads with instructions, recommendations, etc. There's a lot of help available in existing threads, such as these:

SSD Buying Guide
MCE Optibay Alternative CHEAP
Installing SSD in optibay
Late 2011 MBP 13" SSD in optibay or HDD bay

 

[FDG]

I agree, google for 'optibay' put your HDD in the optibay and place a Crucial m4 in the HDD bay. I get amazing speed out of it, 500mb/s

 

[Glockron]

I've been looking at this too.

Make sure you put the SSD in the original bay, and the HDD in the optical drive bay. The connections in the original bay are faster, and the SSD can use this speed better than the HDD.

Also - drivewise, you can get the Crucial M4 relatively cheap. If you really want performance, you can get an OCZ Vertex 4 instead for some extra money, or the Agility 4 at performance and price point between the two.

 

[Dc2006ster]

Ssd

I did exactly what you are contemplating doing.

I have a Mac Pro 1.1 with 4 hard drives and an OWC SSD in the second optical bay. I have been very impressed with the performance of the system. Installation using the OWC kit was easy and the quality of the drive and mounting kit is good.

One of my hard drives is partitioned with one partition being a clone of the boot SSD drive. With this setup Superduper can do a smart copy in about 7 mins which is a lot faster than before I had the SSD. If a new OS or app is released, I can install it, try it and if I am not happy, simply restore my boot drive from the backup in a few minutes.

I am interested in Glockron's suggestion to put the SSD in a hard drive bay. I may try that but i guess the trade off is that it will negatively impact the performance of the hard drive that I then put in the optical bay. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[Benjamin,]

Thanks for all your replies guys! I didn't think of searching the forum, and I'll do that in a moment.

I have heard of the OptiBay company as well. I'll jsut go and compare their prices, but OptiBay has better reviews.

On the subject of location. The original HDD's slot has a fast cable than the SuperDrive's but isn't the HDD's slot best for the HDD because Apple claim it's positioned in the best way for heat and everything?

 

[Benjamin,]

Ok...

MCE Tech charge me $279 for the 128 GB SSD (no idea of make/model), and $30 for the enclosure for SSD and SuperDrive.

OWC charge me $229.99 for the 120 GB (OWC Mercury EXTREME Pro 6G SSD), and enclosure for the SSD and tools. No enclosure for the SuperDrive.

That's before shipping. MCE Tech are charging me $20 minimum. No idea about OWC.

And I will also be buying 8GB of RAM, becuase Apple's is lower quality and more expensive. OWC is $40 cheaper, again.

Should I buy of OWC then, becuase their prices are $110 cheaper, overall? With that much left over from OWC I could afford a higher quality SSD, although OWC's will be fine.

 

[Inakto]

Ok...

MCE Tech charge me $279 for the 128 GB SSD (no idea of make/model), and $30 for the enclosure for SSD and SuperDrive.

OWC charge me $229.99 for the 120 GB (OWC Mercury EXTREME Pro 6G SSD), and enclosure for the SSD and tools. No enclosure for the SuperDrive.

That's before shipping. MCE Tech are charging me $20 minimum. No idea about OWC.

And I will also be buying 8GB of RAM, becuase Apple's is lower quality and more expensive. OWC is $40 cheaper, again.

Should I buy of OWC then, becuase their prices are $110 cheaper, overall? With that much left over from OWC I could afford a higher quality SSD, although OWC's will be fine.

Why don't you buy the optibay and the ssd separately? $2/gb is crazy.