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Trying to decide on Apple SSD or OWC SSD

R

robotfist

macrumors regular
Original poster
Nov 7, 2007
141
277
I've heard the OWC SSDs are better for people in production (graphic design/video) due to the fact that they don't degrade as quickly over time. How are the Apple SSDs in this respect?

I'm trying to decide on whether to get an iMac with the built in 2TB and 256GB SSD option or just get it with a 2 TB drive and add an OWC SSD on my own. One deciding factor is whether or not this will void my warranty or prevent the use of Applecare on the machine.

Any ideas? I can't find many reviews on the stability and degradation of the Apple SSDs. There seem to be a lot of good reviews on the OWC drives.
 
Apple uses Samsung last time I checked maybe they use others. TRIM is enabled on Apple branded SSD's giving it pretty much the same degradation protection. So that should not be a worry. Sandforce based SSD's like OWC's are having some issues with failures right now and I have 2 but they are in easy to get into Mac's in case of a failure. An iMac is a pain in the rear to be moving hard drives in and out of so you want to make sure you get something known for stability. The OWC's are faster than Apple's but it may not be all that noticeable in daily use as you are still somewhat limited with the large HDD interaction if you have your Home account moved.
 
derbothaus said:
TRIM is enabled on Apple branded SSD's giving it pretty much the same degradation protection.
Click to expand...

I did not know TRIM was enabled on the Apple branded SSD's. Awesome! That makes my decision so much easier!

As for the voiding warranty, I think it does void the warranty if you attempt to install a secondary drive on an iMac that was only ordered with a single drive.
 
robotfist said:
I did not know TRIM was enabled on the Apple branded SSD's. Awesome! That makes my decision so much easier!

As for the voiding warranty, I think it does void the warranty if you attempt to install a secondary drive on an iMac that was only ordered with a single drive.
Click to expand...

Now you've opened a can of worms. Some people will totally disagree with you some (including myself) will not. At the end of the day it's Apple's warranty and they will interpret it. I would STRONGLY recommend you read the warranty closely, if having a warranty is important to you and you are using the machine in a production environment then take the safe route.
 
rkaufmann87 said:
Now you've opened a can of worms. Some people will totally disagree with you some (including myself) will not. At the end of the day it's Apple's warranty and they will interpret it. I would STRONGLY recommend you read the warranty closely, if having a warranty is important to you and you are using the machine in a production environment then take the safe route.
Click to expand...

I agree. Opening and adding a ssd does not void your warranty. All you are doing is taking a few things apart and adding one cable
If you take your time and follow the directions you will not break anything.
 
Do it yourself and same the £'s or $'s so go with OWC or one of the other brands
 
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Going the third party SSD route is not as cheap and easy as it's made out to be. For one thing, cracking open an iMac and installing one isn't for everybody and it has its risks. Another factor is Apple has control over the firmware for their SSD's. They are the only ones with official TRIM support under OS X, and any firmware updates would be easy to apply.

To update the firmware on a third party SSD (non-OWC) you'll have to either buy and install Windows on your Mac, remove the SSD from your Mac and install it in a Windows computer, or remove the SSD from your Mac and ship it to the manufacture. All of which is a pain in the ass, and you can probably forget about ever having official TRIM support under OS X.

To update the firmware on OWC brand SSD's released >2010 you will need a DVD drive to boot off of, and as we all know Apple is slowly eliminating the optical drive from its products. Plus, you will need a USB mouse as bluetooth does not work during their firmware update. And, as always, if it forks your brand new Mac, don't call Apple.

If you want an SSD with official TRIM support and want to save a few dollars in the process, buy a refurbish mac that already comes with one from Apple. Right now, in the US at least, you can get a 27" mid-2011 i7 iMac with a 256GB SSD for $2289. Where else can you get a 256GB SSD for $89?!
 
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