Hey guys, I recently purchased the Macbook Pro (Early 2011, HR Anti 15") and I am in the market to purchase a SSD that will work a bit faster than what I currently have -- Intel G2 "Postville" 160GB After rigorous researching, I have filtered my choices down to these three drives: 1. Mushkin Chronos Deluxe 240GB ($278) - Toggle Flash, Best bang for the buck but uses a Sandforce controller SF-2281. However, reviews show that it's a good drive without any hiccups? 2. Crucial M4 256GB ($320) - I dont know if I need to say more. It's widely known as a reliable drive among Mac users. 3. Samsung 830 256GB ($335) - This drive is fairly new but it's proven to be fairly reliable. My main questions are: 1. Will I notice some improvement in speed from my old intel SSD to any of these three drives? 2. Which SSD would you choose and why? (Knowing that Mushkin offers the best price kind of makes me hesitate.) Thank you! Don
1. Ive only had the Crucial m4, so i cant say how much fast it would be to the eye from your ssd. i do see that your ssd is a 270Mb read and only 70 write. the write speed is on par with a hdd (eww) so the write times would amazing compared to that thing. the crucial and samsung both have over 500mb/s read so you will see roughly (im assuming) twice the read speed; faster boot up, opening apps, etc. everything you noticed when you bought the intel. 2. i wouldnt get the Mushkin **** because its a stupid name and i have never heard of it besides off the ****** ram they sell on newegg that it constantly breaking. i would spend the small extra amount to get the samsung 830. same reads as the crucial but almost double write speed for almost same price. cant go wrong with the samsung or crucial though. i would usually say get whatever is cheaper (thats why i got the the crucial in the first place), but its only $15 cheaper for a faster drive.
I use Samsung 830 256Gb in my Early-2011 i7 17" MBP. I love it. it is very fast, stable and it is looks good. it can write with 375mb/s and read 480mb/s. i updated with windows to lastest fw. But i dont work with my optibay. so i put it main hdd bay.
I'd say overall you would hardly notice any difference. Maybe in transfer speeds. If you must upgrade I'd go with the samsung for the simple fact that it is the most reliable of the ones you listed, and has the best reviews. I have also thought about upgrading to the samsung from my intel & apple ssd's. Did you read the official samsung thread?
The Mushkin SSD you posted about was recommended by Computer Power User in a recent issue, January 2012, issues for free (and by the magazine themselves) here: http://www.computerpoweruser.com/DigitalEditions/Default.aspx?RefreshCache=true. They do great RAM as well, I have 2 machines up to the nuts in Mushkin ram with no problems.
I stake my reputation and private parts on the Crucial M4. Been using the M4 since forever, and never had problems with them. They have great support and reliability and communicate with their customers. Not to mention roll out firmware fixes whenever major bugs come up
have you considered the Intel CherryVille SSDs? they are pretty amazing and have been properly validated so are the most reliable SSDs around. NewEgg CherryVille. They are more expensive than the drives you posted but should be more reliable .