Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Suggestions for aftermarket SSD in MBP?

W

w00d

macrumors member
Original poster
Sep 14, 2010
92
0
I have a new 2011 MBP 13 here, and I'm looking for any suggestions for a SSD in the 120 -> 160 gb range.

I currently have an Intel X28M / 80gb drive in the system, and I need more space.

Is there any SSD that works especially well that I should be looking at? Or conversely anything that I should avoid using with the MBP? I'm not really a hardware guy. I just want something that is fast, reliable, and provides a good value. I am willing to pay a little bit extra for less hassle and better reliability. I picked this Intel originally since it had good reviews and seemed like a solid piece of hardware.

Any tips? Thanks in advance!
 
I just put an Intel 80GB SSD in my SR MacbookPro (before they went multitouch) and it feels like a new computer. I already had it in my parts closet though. I just bought a Crucial 128GB SSD for my Windows gaming computer and that's the brand I would recommend.
 
Because of the SATA III port in the '11 MBPs i would recommend a SSD supporting this speed, like a Vertex 3 or C300. When it comes to reliability though, I'd definitly say buy an Intel again - supporting SATA III that would be the 510 series.
 
Shattentor said:
Because of the SATA III port in the '11 MBPs i would recommend a SSD supporting this speed, like a Vertex 3 or C300. When it comes to reliability though, I'd definitly say buy an Intel again - supporting SATA III that would be the 510 series.
Click to expand...



I think that the 510 doesn't even work in MB Pros...

I would go with the Vertex 3, it is a better drive than the C300 hands down.
 
I just got an Intel 320 120GB to put in the macbook pro i just ordered. I could've gone with the 510 but I'm wary of the issues people have been reporting with SATAIII. Once the wrinkles get ironed out, I may move the 320 into my 2008 aluminum macbook and get a SATAIII drive for the '11 MBP. For now though, I was much more comfortable going with the proven reliability of hte SATAII Intel drive.
 
bozz2006 said:
I just got an Intel 320 120GB to put in the macbook pro i just ordered. I could've gone with the 510 but I'm wary of the issues people have been reporting with SATAIII. Once the wrinkles get ironed out, I may move the 320 into my 2008 aluminum macbook and get a SATAIII drive for the '11 MBP. For now though, I was much more comfortable going with the proven reliability of hte SATAII Intel drive.
Click to expand...

What issues?
 
Hi, I've recently sold my MBP, I had upgraded the SSD to an INTEL X25-M 160GB, which cost me £300, and installed a crucial branded 8GB RAM module. It was pretty easy. I was getting really good speeds, and performance increase was very noticeable.

I would strongly advise you to stick with the intel range, as they provide unmatched speeds (read/write) and the performance don't degrade over time. However you will be looking to pay in excess of £300+

If you are short of money, or want more storage space, you can either try OCZ Vertex or OWC SSD, but as I said, intel is far superior and the best quality solid state drive around.

Hope this helps.
 
Legion93 said:
I would strongly advise you to stick with the intel range, as they provide unmatched speeds (read/write)
Click to expand...
benchmarks pls - i would like to see this: x25 out performing a sandforce drive - if you had mentioned for e.g random 4K i would have paid more attention.
For compressible data, random/seq; read/write x25 can not match the v3

Legion93 said:
and the performance don't degrade over time.
Click to expand...
sandforce drives have 7-28% over-provisioning, much more aggressive garbage control and wear leveling = much less performance degradation when compared to other drives

Legion93 said:
If you are short of money, or want more storage space, you can either try OCZ Vertex or OWC SSD, but as I said, intel is far superior and the best quality solid state drive around.
Click to expand...

yes u got that right intel drives are far more $/GB and yes, the earlier drives were reliable, but the intel 510 is hardly reliable -

im quite happy with my owc sf1200 drive till the sata 3 drives come down in price
 
johnnyturbouk said:
benchmarks pls - i would like to see this: x25 out performing a sandforce drive - if you had mentioned for e.g random 4K i would have paid more attention.
For compressible data, random/seq; read/write x25 can not match the v3

sandforce drives have 7-28% over-provisioning, much more aggressive garbage control and wear leveling = much less performance degradation when compared to other drives
Click to expand...

Johnny, have a read of the following article, anand have provided benchmarks for the intel sad, compared with other manufacturers, clearly it shows the X25-M G2 has a better sequential read/write speeds than others.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/2808/4

Besides, macs do not support TRIM, therefore whether if any SSD has good speeds, they will degrade far quickly in time rather than in windows.
 
Legion93 said:
Besides, macs do not support TRIM, therefore whether if any SSD has good speeds, they will degrade far quickly in time rather than in windows.
Click to expand...
Trim can be enabled in OS X. I believe it originated by a poster on here (in the Mac Pro forum) but a quick google search brought me to this link.

Edit- also, the link you posted about the intel's speed is a little outdated. This anandtech link shows the intel matched up against some newer drives and shows that it isn't the fastest drive out there.
 
Legion93 said:
Johnny, have a read of the following article, anand have provided benchmarks for the intel sad, compared with other manufacturers, clearly it shows the X25-M G2 has a better sequential read/write speeds than others.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/2808/4

Besides, macs do not support TRIM, therefore whether if any SSD has good speeds, they will degrade far quickly in time rather than in windows.
Click to expand...

That article is 2 years old. Take a look at the latest Vertex 3 review from Anand. It is a review of the 120 GB, and the 240 GB is even faster. OS X supports TRIM through a hack that has been posted on this forum for a week or so. The Sandforce controller has aggressive GC anyway. The Vertex 3 has seen excellent success from those on this forum.
 
kobyh15 said:
That article is 2 years old. Take a look at the latest Vertex 3 review from Anand. It is a review of the 120 GB, and the 240 GB is even faster. OS X supports TRIM through a hack that has been posted on this forum for a week or so. The Sandforce controller has aggressive GC anyway. The Vertex 3 has seen excellent success from those on this forum.
Click to expand...

Wow, didn't know that vertex had a new SSD out, Ive heard that the intel G3 is out and packs 300gb storage space. Although the good thing about the vertex is that it has 6 GBps, compared with intel's 3GBps.

I last used the x25-m so I was just talking from experience, though I cannot upgrade my MBA's SSD, since there is only one manufacturer (OWC Aura) that currently makes SSDs for the Air.
 
TRIM is enabled by Apple if you buy one of their SSDs wi th a new unit...

I'm tempted to get the 128GB (Apple / Toshiba drive) to get TRIM stock enabled and throw in a Vertex 3...maybe Optibay the 128GB.
 
TheUndertow said:
TRIM is enabled by Apple if you buy one of their SSDs wi th a new unit...

I'm tempted to get the 128GB (Apple / Toshiba drive) to get TRIM stock enabled and throw in a Vertex 3...maybe Optibay the 128GB.
Click to expand...

I don't see the concept of how Apple does not support TRIM, yet their own stock of SSD's (which are either Samsung or mostly Toshiba) does, but their stock SSD's are really slow in terms of read/write speeds. I guess they have a very aggressive controller, which zeros out data rather than replacing them. I think I'd have to agree with you there, get a stock Apple SSD and put your own one in the optibay. It'll cost a fortune though.
 
Legion93 said:
Wow, didn't know that vertex had a new SSD out, Ive heard that the intel G3 is out and packs 300gb storage space. Although the good thing about the vertex is that it has 6 GBps, compared with intel's 3GBps.

I last used the x25-m so I was just talking from experience, though I cannot upgrade my MBA's SSD, since there is only one manufacturer (OWC Aura) that currently makes SSDs for the Air.
Click to expand...

I'm in the market for a drive so I've been keeping a close eye on the new drives coming out! :D

TheUndertow said:
TRIM is enabled by Apple if you buy one of their SSDs wi th a new unit...

I'm tempted to get the 128GB (Apple / Toshiba drive) to get TRIM stock enabled and throw in a Vertex 3...maybe Optibay the 128GB.
Click to expand...

That would be a very quick machine!
 
TheUndertow said:
TRIM is enabled by Apple if you buy one of their SSDs wi th a new unit...

I'm tempted to get the 128GB (Apple / Toshiba drive) to get TRIM stock enabled and throw in a Vertex 3...maybe Optibay the 128GB.
Click to expand...

Nice idea... but won't work I'm afraid. TRIM is enabled on a per drive basis.
 
bozz2006 said:
I just got an Intel 320 120GB to put in the macbook pro i just ordered. I could've gone with the 510 but I'm wary of the issues people have been reporting with SATAIII. Once the wrinkles get ironed out, I may move the 320 into my 2008 aluminum macbook and get a SATAIII drive for the '11 MBP. For now though, I was much more comfortable going with the proven reliability of hte SATAII Intel drive.
Click to expand...

maflynn said:
What issues?
Click to expand...

Some users report problems with this drive. Lot's of discussion in this thread. I put a Intel 510 SSD in my 2011 13" MBP and have no problems at all. Others can't even get the OS to install.
 
Weaselboy said:
Some users report problems with this drive. Lot's of discussion in this thread. I put a Intel 510 SSD in my 2011 13" MBP and have no problems at all. Others can't even get the OS to install.
Click to expand...

Thanks, since I have a 2010 MBP and a desktop I suppose I shouldn't have an issue then. I'm not sure which machine will get the SSD, my desktop only has a hard disk, and It could certainly benefit from a SSD.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back