SSD upgrade thoughts

[dn2shmb]

Hi all,

I have a mid 2009 13" mbp and the hard drive has died. I am looking to upgrade to a SSD and was looking for some input beyond the sticky'ed guide.

I mainly use the computer for music production and performance so reliability is paramount. Outright speed isn't a huge concern as it hasn't been a problem for me with the original drive and the upgrade should be a big enough jump on its own. Also I have access to a pc at work but it would be a plus to not have to update the firmware from a windows comp. I'd be looking for at least 240 GB and would like to keep it less than 400$ but would be willing to pay for reliability and a good warranty.

I know the guide says Intel 320 series but seeing as it was written 2 yrs ago I wanted to check and see if there are any more or better options being offered today. Thanks!

 

[Weaselboy]

There are not really any good stats on reliability, so all you are going to get here is people saying "I had XX and it died, so XX sucks", or "I had YY and it was great." Beyond these anecdotal stories it is hard to say what is most reliable.

That said, many users here seem to have good luck with the Samsung EVO 840 line of SSDs and they are competitively priced. You can get the 250GB version for $177 on Amazon. Samsung also has a Mac compatible (DVD ISO) firmware updater.

 

[Rhinoceros]

I second the Samsung EVO.

 

[Krazy Bill]

Weasel is correct. All opinions will be anecdotal. That said, I "first" the Crucial M4. Almost 3 years now and no degradation. No "garbage collection" hacks applied. Mine cost almost $1000 at the time though.

 

[dusk007]

Forget about firmware upgrades. In most cases you never need to do that. Only when there are new controllers out with some issues. All the current Samsungs and virtually everything currently out is quite solid. It really doesn't matter if there is no easy firmware upgrade option, though there usually is.

It also makes no sense to get one of the old 320 today. Get a new SATA 3 like the Samsung 840 and even if you only get half speed because of SATA 2, it is still the cheapest flash memory.

 

[dn2shmb]

Thanks everyone for the solid input.

I'm thinking I'm going to go with an Intel 530. Good price on newegg and good warranty.

 

[Weaselboy]

Thanks everyone for the solid input.

I'm thinking I'm going to go with an Intel 530. Good price on newegg and good warranty.

I had an Intel drive and it died, Intel drives suck.

Just kidding... good choice.

 

[dn2shmb]

As far as the software side of things after I install the ssd it seems most folks use a carbon copy program to get the data off their old hard drives onto the new ssd.

As my old hd died this isnt really an option for me. I should be able to simply do a clean re install of the osx (snow leopard in my case) from the grey disks and then recover from time machine once the os is installed.

Am i wrong to think that it will be this simple? Thanks

 

[themumu]

As far as the software side of things after I install the ssd it seems most folks use a carbon copy program to get the data off their old hard drives onto the new ssd.

As my old hd died this isnt really an option for me. I should be able to simply do a clean re install of the osx (snow leopard in my case) from the grey disks and then recover from time machine once the os is installed.

Am i wrong to think that it will be this simple? Thanks

It should indeed be that simple. Enjoy the SSD!

 

[Weaselboy]

As far as the software side of things after I install the ssd it seems most folks use a carbon copy program to get the data off their old hard drives onto the new ssd.

As my old hd died this isnt really an option for me. I should be able to simply do a clean re install of the osx (snow leopard in my case) from the grey disks and then recover from time machine once the os is installed.

Am i wrong to think that it will be this simple? Thanks

It is even easier than that. Look at section b on this page. Just hold the C key to boot to the grey disk then use Disk Util to format the drive, then go to the Utilities menu and click restore from backup. This avoids you having to install the OS at all.

 

[gorskiegangsta]

Samsung's 840 TLC drives (that includes the EVO) may not be the best choice if you're working with large files and are looking for utmost performance consistency. Neither is the 840 Pro, TBPH.

IMO, you'd be best off with an MLC drive which actually prioritizes performance consistency. To that end, Sandisk Extreme II and Corsair Neutron GTX, or Seagate 600, or Intel 530 would be ideal.

 

[dn2shmb]

Weaselboy thanks for the link i'll be sure to give that a shot.

is there anything else that would be worth replacing while i'm in there just from a maintenance perspective?

 

[Weaselboy]

Weaselboy thanks for the link i'll be sure to give that a shot.

is there anything else that would be worth replacing while i'm in there just from a maintenance perspective?

Not really. The optical (cd/dvd) drives on these seem to go out a lot, so if having that available is key for you, you might consider replacing it while you are in there. You can get a replacement at iFixit.com and they have instructions how to do it.

Let us know how it goes.

 

[dn2shmb]

Funny you mention that, right before it died I did try burning some cd's and wasn't able to...

 

[Weaselboy]

Funny you mention that, right before it died I did try burning some cd's and wasn't able to...

Dang

I have replaced these for two friends of mine and it was not too bad. I just printed out the iFixit instructions and followed them step by step.