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Vertex Mac Edition 2.5" 120GB SATA II Solid State Drive
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I have a Vertex (60GB version) in my MB since March and never had a problem with it.
How much did you pay for it? What is reasonable?
In March I paid $210 and for me it was reasonable - the second Vertex 60GB for my X340 only cost $156 in late August.
I don't need much space (Currently I use ~ 31GB), the speed increase, shock resistance and maybe a little longer battery life are worth it in my opinion.
Well, I finally went and did it today... I bought the Mac version, 120GB one... Installed and used SuperDuper to move my old to the new... One word... FAST! Oh my goodness! I thought going from a MacBook Pro to a Mac Pro was fast, this outdoes everything!
I still have my Intel SSD 160 on order from MacMall, but I couldn't wait, plus this place was running a super deal!
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0311004
I still have my Intel SSD 160 on order from MacMall, but I couldn't wait, plus this place was running a super deal!
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0311004
Did you really buy the much more expensive Mac edition?
You definitely wasted your money. The normal Vertex drives are exactly the same as the Mac edition, just without the Mac label.
You definitely wasted your money. The normal Vertex drives are exactly the same as the Mac edition, just without the Mac label.
Where do you see that the regular version is cheaper than the Mac version?
Mac Version = $359.00 (MicroCenter)
PC Version = $449.00 (Newegg)
No brainer to me! Mac AND Cheaper. Get yours today.
Oh, that was new to me. Prices here in europe are completely different. The Mac edition is about 20-30% more than the PC version.
I already have one in my MacBook. Nice drive, but I definitely prefer the Intel Postville.
I already have one in my MacBook. Nice drive, but I definitely prefer the Intel Postville.
http://www.ocztechnologyforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=63499
I've upgraded my 120 to 1.41GC, works great!
I've upgraded my 120 to 1.41GC, works great!
Thanks for the link, but WOW, too much information! Was it easy to do it? Can you tell me how to do it quickly and easily? What are the benefits to updating the firmware?
Thank you kindly.
I have the Vertex 120GB (regular version) in my MacBook Pro. LOVE IT! Damn thing starts up and shuts down so fast, I don't even bother to sleep it anymore. It's just as fast to turn it off or on!
To find the firmware version your Vertex is currently running, to to System Profiler (About this Mac/More info) and select Serial ATA. Then find the Vertex drive and highlight it on the right. Below that, you'll see the info and the Firmware version will be under "Revision" I believe.
I suspect your currently running 1.30. If it's not 1.41, I highly recommend the firmware upgrade to 1.41GC. These solid state drives have a tendency to slow down over time as you add/delete files. On the PC side, users have had a TRIM utility that cleans up the garbage blocks to maintain speed. Starting with 1.41, there's a version of the firmware with TRIM built right into the drive. Unfortunately, Mac OS X doesn't yet support TRIM (it's expected in a forthcoming Snow Leopard update). So, OCZ and Indilinx (the company they buy the controller from) came up with Garbage Collection. This has the same basic effect of TRIM... cleaning up garbage blocks to maintain the SSD's speed over time.
So, yes, it is a good idea to upgrade to 1.41GC. Then, once Snow Leopard supports TRIM, you can then sideways upgrade to 1.41 with TRIM.
Mark
I have the Vertex 120GB (regular version) in my MacBook Pro. LOVE IT! Damn thing starts up and shuts down so fast, I don't even bother to sleep it anymore. It's just as fast to turn it off or on!
To find the firmware version your Vertex is currently running, to to System Profiler (About this Mac/More info) and select Serial ATA. Then find the Vertex drive and highlight it on the right. Below that, you'll see the info and the Firmware version will be under "Revision" I believe.
I suspect your currently running 1.30. If it's not 1.41, I highly recommend the firmware upgrade to 1.41GC. These solid state drives have a tendency to slow down over time as you add/delete files. On the PC side, users have had a TRIM utility that cleans up the garbage blocks to maintain speed. Starting with 1.41, there's a version of the firmware with TRIM built right into the drive. Unfortunately, Mac OS X doesn't yet support TRIM (it's expected in a forthcoming Snow Leopard update). So, OCZ and Indilinx (the company they buy the controller from) came up with Garbage Collection. This has the same basic effect of TRIM... cleaning up garbage blocks to maintain the SSD's speed over time.
So, yes, it is a good idea to upgrade to 1.41GC. Then, once Snow Leopard supports TRIM, you can then sideways upgrade to 1.41 with TRIM.
Mark
So, how easy/difficult was it to upgrade? Where can I find the download? Where are the instructions... I'm all new to this game, but I love it! FAST!
Everything you need to know about updating the firmware can be found in OCZ's forums. dr. shdw gave you the link:
http://www.ocztechnologyforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=63499
In a Mac Pro, the update is easy. But SOME models of MacBook Pro don't play well with the FreeDOS boot disc you create to do the firmware update. I, unfortunately, have one of those models of MacBook Pro. I grew very frustrated with it all. But, I finally broke down and removed the Vertex 120 from my MacBook Pro and plugged it into one of the drive bays of my Mac Pro. Once I'd done that, updating the firmware took a couple of minutes tops.
Since your Vertex is already plugged into your Mac Pro, simply read the thread CAREFULLY and follow the instructions for updating.
Mark
Well, after reading ALL 10 pages, the conclusion is that the 2009 Mac Pro can not be updated with the latest firmware. That was a fun read for nothing... Unless you got it to work somehow?
Well, sorry about that! I guess I got so wrapped up in not working in my model of MacBook Pro I didn't pay any attention to it not working with some models of the Mac Pro. It worked fine in my 2006 Mac Pro.
Send me a stamped, self-addressed envelope and I'll send you back the 30 minutes of your life that I wasted.
Mark
Well, sorry about that! I guess I got so wrapped up in not working in my model of MacBook Pro I didn't pay any attention to it not working with some models of the Mac Pro. It worked fine in my 2006 Mac Pro.
Send me a stamped, self-addressed envelope and I'll send you back the 30 minutes of your life that I wasted.
Mark
I'll have it in the mail today!
Yeah, I wonder what the deal is... It isn't working for the 2009 Mac Pro and many of the MacBook Pro's... So much for being Mac friendly!
I'll have it in the mail today!
Yeah, I wonder what the deal is... It isn't working for the 2009 Mac Pro and many of the MacBook Pro's... So much for being Mac friendly!
Has to do with the chipset. The drive out of the box should work fine. You could try using a friend's PC or Mac.
vs Intel SSD 160
Alright, so I received and installed the Vertex 120, but I had also ordered an Intel SSD G2 160 from MacMall for $480... Should I keep the Vertex and return the Intel or keep the Intel and return the Vertex? Space and price aren't the issue, SPEED is! Thoughts?
Alright, so I received and installed the Vertex 120, but I had also ordered an Intel SSD G2 160 from MacMall for $480... Should I keep the Vertex and return the Intel or keep the Intel and return the Vertex? Space and price aren't the issue, SPEED is! Thoughts?
I think this 'chipset' argument OCZ constantly cites is a bit suspect to say the least...
Thing is, my Nehalem 2009 Mac Pro perfectly booted the previous OCZ firmware updater disk and managed flawlessly to upgrade a Vertex drive firmware from version 1.1 to 1.3.
Now all of a sudden that very same Mac Pro with the very same Vertex drive cannot upgrade the firmware to version 1.41 due to 'chipset' issues?!?
Yeah, right...
Someone explain to me how OCZ managed that previous firmware updater to run just fine on the very same chipset.
Seems more likely their current updater is a bit 'lazy' and doesn't support the chipsets it used to.
Might be wrong, but doesn't seem like the chipset is to blame here.
Somehow OCZ's Mac support doesn't look all that great. Not sure I can recommend them.
I understand OCZ can't support every Mac out there, but come on, the current Mac Pro model can't run their current firmware updater? Not even for a 'Macintosh Edition' Vertex drive?
To make matters worse the 1.4 updater is considered a vital update because version 1.3 has severe known issues!
Ugh...
Um, keep the Intel. Its a no-brainer on that one, Intel hands-down makes the best SSD's on the market.
The difference between the normal and "Mac edition" is the sticker.
Hardware-wise, absolutely. No difference.
Yet I would have expected it comes with Mac firmware updater support.
I'd be happy to pay a bit extra if they guarantee all Mac models will have the ability to upgrade the firmware. And if not, OCZ could at least offer a free mail-in update service.
The current experience is a far cry from this...
But Intel's SSDs aren't all rosy either.
Only last week they finally acknowledged their own driver issues.
No fix for it yet though...
As I keep saying. SSDs are great - if they work. Just be aware that they do not yet work as reliably as HDDs (and these don't work reliable all the time either...).