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SSD SATA 3, still problems?

K

kaspervissing

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jul 4, 2011
6
0
Hi Guys.

sorry if this thread already is posted on the wall. :confused:

I've been searching across sites to figure out what to choose of SSD disk for my new MBP 15" (ordered a week ago)

I've been reading so many different things about BSOD, hanging beachball, freezing bootcamp... and so on..

Is it OSX? (I've read, that it works fine with bootcamp and Win7)
Is it sandforce firmware in th new OCZ vertex 3? (Firmware 2.09?)
Is it the unschilded sata 3 cabe in earlier 2011 models
OR
Is it still a mysteri?

Personaly I'm not going for the Fastet SSD disk if the result is a unstable mbp..

Rather a slower SSD and stable...
On the other side I dont wanna spend money on a sata 2, when I have Sata 3...

So guys, Can anyof you give me a hint?

Thx :D
 
Mostly, I think the problems are with the SSD, not the controller. BTW, my vertex 3 is fine.
 
I made the plunge a couple days ago to an OCZ Vertex 3 and all is well - i didn't bother upgrading the firmware (still on 2.06) and until something goes wonky, i won't be!
 
Vertex 3 gives you the best chance of working with MBP 2011.

I tried Crucial M4 and Corsair Force 3, they gave problems.

Vertex 3 has two problems: power consumption and it's not easy to update the firmware in MBP 2011.
 
Just remember, any SSD controller that has built-in garbage collection like SandForce should NOT use the TRIM enabler program as it causes beach balls.
 
Had a C300 in this 2011 15" with no issues and now running twin Vertex 3s without issues.
 
kaspervissing said:
Rather a slower SSD and stable...
Click to expand...

I think this is your answer. You will see some users, including me, who have installed a SATA III SSD in a 2011 MBP and have no problems. At the same time the forums here are still very active with users having a lot of trouble with SATA III SSDs. At this point if you install a SATA III SSD you are taking your chances.

I think the jury is still out on whose fault it is. I read a thread in the OCZ forums indicating Apple has underpowered the SATA chipset to conserve battery life and this is the reason Apple does not advertise SATA III compatibility. Who knows. I think it is very telling the OEM Apple SSD is SATA II.

If you want the best compatibility, albeit with a slight reduction in speed, go with a SATA II drive.
 
My Vertex 3 240GB OEM in my MBP. First one with 0 fill, second one with random data. Yes I like running Windows ;)

intelppmoff0fill.jpg


intelppmoff.jpg
 
i've been driving myself nuts the past few days. i'm settled on every aspect of my order but the ssd. i keep bouncing between apple's stock 256gb ssd and the vertex 3.

with the vertex 3 you either hear stories about how amazingly it performs, or how much headache a person has had... vs the apple drives, which i rarely hear anyone talk about at all :S

at the end of the day, will the apple ssd still provide a noticeably pleasant boost over the 7200rpm i'm accustomed to? down the line, i figure i can always upgrade once sata 3 becomes better established and cheaper.
 
yeah, i think you'll definitely notice the difference when using an Apple SSD vs. a 7200RPM HDD.

i went with a 120GB OWC Extreme 6G SSD for a 2011 15 incher.....i'm really happy....no problems at all. i've been running a 240GB OWC Extreme 6G SSD in my Mac Pro for about 3 months with no problems whatsoever as well.
 
bluesteel said:
yeah, i think you'll definitely notice the difference when using an Apple SSD vs. a 7200RPM HDD.

i went with a 120GB OWC Extreme 6G SSD for a 2011 15 incher.....i'm really happy....no problems at all. i've been running a 240GB OWC Extreme 6G SSD in my Mac Pro for about 3 months with no problems whatsoever as well.
Click to expand...

same here i started out with a 120 gb extreme 6g moved it to my wifes 13 inch and now have a 240 gb extreme 6g and theyve been great.
 
stevemiller said:
at the end of the day, will the apple ssd still provide a noticeably pleasant boost over the 7200rpm i'm accustomed to? down the line, i figure i can always upgrade once sata 3 becomes better established and cheaper.
Click to expand...

Yes it will.

the difference between 7200rpm and Apple SSD is much larger than the difference between SATA II and SATA III SSDs.

The Apple SSD booted my system in ~ 14.5 seconds. The Vertex 3 take ~ 14.5.

Ps. I use a 500GB Momentus XT now. Boots in ~ 16.3 seconds.
 
Philflow said:
Vertex 3 gives you the best chance of working with MBP 2011.

I tried Crucial M4 and Corsair Force 3, they gave problems.

Vertex 3 has two problems: power consumption and it's not easy to update the firmware in MBP 2011.
Click to expand...

Does it decrease battery life significantly?
 
bluesteel said:
i don't agree :) i think OWC gives you the best chance of working with a MBP 2011 because they actually build and test their SSDs for Macs.
Click to expand...

Yeah that's their marketing message and why they can charge a premium ;)

In reality I think Vertex 3 works just as well.
 
Philflow said:
Yeah that's their marketing message and why they can charge a premium ;)
Click to expand...

yeah, the marketing is there for sure, its gotta be.....but OWC actually has a test lab where they test their memory and SSD's extensively. they know a thousand times more about Macs than OCZ does.

i'm not so sure that OWC SSDs are that much more expensive than OCZ SSDs. i've owned three OCZ Vertex 2's and they worked great...but dealing with OCZ customer service was a nightmare. i like that i can call OWC and get someone on the phone in a few minutes and get my issue resolved fast. i was pulling my hair out over OCZ's tech support ticket system where the can take a while to get back to you.

i guess i've just personally had a really good experience with OWC over the past 5-6 years.....enough to trust them and their OWC branded products :)

i sound like i work for OWC...lol!! i promise i don't.
 
yeah the price difference in US is not that big.

Here in the Netherlands its much easier and cheaper to get OCZ.
 
Is there anything that should be/can be done to speed up an OCZ Vertex 3's performance in a 13" MBP 2011? I just installed mine yesterday and it's running great, but I want to make sure I'm using it/maintaining it right. I used Carbon Copy Cloner to put my HDD image on it and that's about it. Didn't install TRIM enabler; didn't try anything else.
 
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