What SSD should i buy for my macpro?

[wawathings]

Im from Australia and im interested in speeding up my mac pro .
What ssd are the best on the market ?
What size will be enough as a boot HD ?

thanks

 

[UltraNEO*]

Well, all SSD's are fast!! but some are slightly faster!
As to which, that'll depend on your budget, minimal size requirement etc..

 

[nanofrog]

Most reviews would go for an Intel, if budget isn't an issue.

The 80GB seems the most common amongst the current Intel's (G1 & G2's), but primarily due to price it seems. Of other drives, some use smaller, but many have indicated they'd prefer larger, if it were possible. It's going to come down to how much you actually need, so think on it carefully, before purchasing.

Also, you can RAID0 SSD's for additional capacity, and even speed (to an extent, as the ICH10R hits a wall at 650 - 660MB/s, no matter the drive count). Cost wise, it's very similar (MSRP at any rate, street is different ATM, due to limited supply) of a pair of 80's vs. a single 160GB model ($450 for the pair, $440 for the 160GB model).

 

[DoFoT9]

.... of a pair of 80's vs. a single 160GB model ($450 for the pair, $440 for the 160GB model).

dont forget, we are talking in australian bucks here. ~$530 is more on the mark, however with taxes etc i dont doubt if its more around $600..

OP what sort of work do you do? are storage requirements high? if so, maybe some mechanical HDDs in RAID would be sufficient?

 

[gugucom]

If you are interested in datails read Anadtech's review. The jist is that the Intel 2nd Gen beats pretty much everything on the market in terms of performance in virgin and multiple written mode. Other controllers will only come close when TRIM gets supported in coming years by all operating systems. Apple is very unlikely to do that soon. Win7 will do it. The Intels also score very high in compatibility with RAID controllers where models with Inxillinx controllers will actually drop out and crash. I had personal experience with that and would not buy anything but Intel. I fact I have more SSDs on order for my Mac Pro and MBP.

 

[GoCubsGo]

I'd go with Intel or OCZ over any other. The intels though (gen 2) are nearly impossible to come by today).

 

[wawathings]

im firstly upgrading ram to 16 gb shortly after i plan to do something with my harddrive..

at the moment i have the stock 320gb and its almost full so im trying to figure out the best solution, perhaps i can sort out something that will increase performance as well as space hence looking towards the SSD's

My knowledge with harddrive ie raids ect is limited.

I work in design (print, web, animation, 3d)
I have a windows partition often open as well but i always work through leopard osx.

 

[gugucom]

I'd go with Intel or OCZ over any other. The intels though (gen 2) are nearly impossible to come by today).

My order has been set back one week I have just been informed by my supplier who was showing them in stock when I placed the order. It appears that the shortage has hit Europe as well. The word is that new supply is due on 14. September. There hasn't been much reaction price wise but prices here vary greatly (100% is not uncommon) for unusual items.

 

[nanofrog]

dont forget, we are talking in australian bucks here. ~$530 is more on the mark, however with taxes etc i dont doubt if its more around $600..

Currency conversions...//grr.

 

[DoFoT9]

im firstly upgrading ram to 16 gb shortly after i plan to do something with my harddrive..

are you sure that you need too? have you checked your usage /swap files to see if upgrading RAM would actually increase your system?

at the moment i have the stock 320gb and its almost full so im trying to figure out the best solution, perhaps i can sort out something that will increase performance as well as space hence looking towards the SSD's

having a full HD always makes things slower.

My knowledge with harddrive ie raids ect is limited.

thanks ok the people here know HEAPS

I work in design (print, web, animation, 3d)

ok so pretty intense stuff then. disk access is vital

I have a windows partition often open as well but i always work through leopard osx.

do you mean Virtual Machines?? extra RAM always helps for that (only if your using Virtual Memory though).

Currency conversions...//grr.

i agree, it sucks when somebody says "of its $100" but it ends up being $130 or so.. grr.