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Which 128GB SSD drive do you guys recommend?

W

WilliamG

macrumors G4
Original poster
Mar 29, 2008
10,056
3,978
Seattle
So I'm getting a little tired of spinning disks. They're so slow at opening applications/booting etc. I realize that all is not roses with SSDs, but they're definitely the future...

I got the chance to play with a MacBook Air today, the 1.86Ghz with the 128GB SSD, and it blew me away. Leagues faster opening applications etc than any other MacBook/Pro in the store.

With that in mind, I'd like to upgrade my MacBook Pro unibody 2.53Ghz models to SSD. What is the best 128GB SSD for the money? I'm looking to really spend around $300-$400, and not much more if I can help it.

All advice greatly appreciated! I feel lost!
 
120GB OCZ Vertex seems to fit the bill

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820227395

performance wise it's in second place after the super expensive Intel X25
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I agree, however if you prefer to save the most I also recomend this one:
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/661948/
Which for mac (laptop) does great (under windows it have some issues of stuttering as described by other people, but I have never read or experienced any under MAC OS X and it cost ~40% less than the vertex (~200 at newegg with free shipping when I got mine)
 
Thanks guys! After looking, the Vertex does appear sweet, especially since I have to use Windows. Will it work in the current Macbook Air, too, if I got the 1.6ghz?

Thanks again!
 
I'd suggest the Vertex or a Samsung-based drive if the Intel is too expensive for you. The Vertex is going to be a bit riskier as it's using a newer controller chipset from a company called Indilinx; It's latency is MUCH lower (ie: no stuttering) but it's sequential write speeds to take a bit of a hit. IIRC, the drives with the Samsung controllers (IIRC, the OCZ Summit uses one) have been pretty good reputation but they are a bit more expensive.

I would avoid anything using a JMicron controller (OCZ Apex, Core Z2, G.Skill FM-25S2/Titan, etc); like the rest of their product line, the chipset is complete ****. They may advertise faster speeds but their random write latencies are through the roof (think on the order of seconds) so the system will appear like it's pausing a lot while you're performing writes.

As for compatibility, I'm not sure; from what I've heard it's hit or miss. I'd suggest checking out the OCZ SSD forums and see if there are any major complaints there.
 
Thanks again for the information. I ordered the 120GB Vertex just now, so that should do the trick for the MacBook Pro! I do wonder if that drive is better/worse than the Samsung drive in the MacBook Air, though?
 
The Vertex should be a little better then the Samsung drive in the Air.

Personally, I dont think any 2.5" SSD drive other then the Intel is worth buying. Newer revisions of the 80 gb and all 160gb Intel X25 SSDs work fine for Bootcamp.

Give the 2 recent SSD reviews on anandtech.com a read.
 
WilliamG said:
And another question! How do you do firmware updates on these drives in OS X?
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At the moment, you can't without Windows. Looking through their forums, however, it seems they have a bootable CD using FreeDOS working with their flasher. I don't know when it's going to be released but, once it is, you'll just be able to download the ISO, burn it to a CD then boot and flash the drive. Just make sure it's backed up! At the moment a firmware flash erases all data from the drive.
 
Guiyon said:
At the moment, you can't without Windows. Looking through their forums, however, it seems they have a bootable CD using FreeDOS working with their flasher. I don't know when it's going to be released though.
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Hmm.... Thanks for that. If I use bootcamp, can I update the firmware in Windows XP, and without losing data etc?
 
WilliamG said:
Thanks guys! After looking, the Vertex does appear sweet, especially since I have to use Windows. Will it work in the current Macbook Air, too, if I got the 1.6ghz?

Thanks again!
Click to expand...

I'm not familiar with MBA, but because it's so thin, I believe they use smaller 1.8" drives like hard drive based ipods and some netbooks.
 
RKpro said:
I'm not familiar with MBA, but because it's so thin, I believe they use smaller 1.8" drives like hard drive based ipods and some netbooks.
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Yes, you're right. 1.8" drives. :) Now I just need to know if I can update the firmware for the Vertex drive in bootcamp Windows.
 
OK, so basically, I need to connect it to a Windows PC, and then flash the drive. Definitely a nuisance for Mac owners! I need to find out what the latest version of the firmware is... and if the drive has it when it arrives.
 
WilliamG said:
OK, so basically, I need to connect it to a Windows PC, and then flash the drive. Definitely a nuisance for Mac owners! I need to find out what the latest version of the firmware is... and if the drive has it when it arrives.
Click to expand...

The latest firmware is 1275. Your drive might already come with 1275 (depending on stock from where you bought it from), if not it should have firmware 1199, which works great for me in my MacBook.
 
FieryFurnace said:
The latest firmware is 1275. Your drive might already come with 1275 (depending on stock from where you bought it from), if not it should have firmware 1199, which works great for me in my MacBook.
Click to expand...

Thanks for that. We'll see what it comes with. :) Can't wait.
 
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