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Which of these SSDs would be the best option for 13'' MBP??

Which SSD is best option for Macbook Pro 13''?

  • Total voters
    26
  • Poll closed .
M

MilkMan4

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jun 22, 2011
150
0
Samsung 470 Series MZ-5PA128 Solid State Drive - SATA II, 128GB, 2.5"
Link http://www.compusa.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=6939076&CatId=5300

Intel SSDSC2MH120A2K5 510 120GB Solid-State Drive - 120GB, SATA
http://www.compusa.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=226370&CatId=5300

Intel SSDSA2CW120G3K5 320 120GB Solid-State Drive - 120GB, SATA
http://www.compusa.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=226360&CatId=5300

Kingston SV100S2/128GZ SSDNow V100 Solid State Drive - 128GB, SATA, 2.5", Stand Alone
http://www.compusa.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=7010580&CatId=5300

OCZ VTX3-25SAT3-120G Vertex 3 Solid State Drive - 120GB, 2.5", SATA III
http://www.compusa.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=91218&CatId=5300

Or another brand/model???
Which would present the fastest speeds, best quality and reliability, with no problems and why?
And does anyone have any personal success with any of the above???
 
If you have the new MBP with SATA 6Gbps go for either the Intel 510 or the 320. If you only have SATA 3Gbps go for the Intel 320. Personally I'd go for the 320 series either way.

Vertex 3s are fast, but their reliability is not as good (a lot more RMAs compared to other SSDs, a friend of me working at a computer store tells me). The Intel drives on the other hand are known for their great reliability. Personally I'd go for better reliability than the faster speed. Plus I've heard of compatibility problems on the Vertex drives in Macs, but Intel ones generally work well.

For more information read here.
 
i have the 2011 model, so it does have sata III 6gb/s

so i am thinking that i want one that is sata III, right?

ik the intel 510 and OCZ vertex 3 do. but any word on the samsung and kingston??

and what about an OCZ agility 3?
 
Agility is a cheaper line, below Vertex. I would go with the Vertex 3, and if you have the money the MAX IOPS version.

I'm going with a Vertex 2.34(the one still made with 34nm NAND), as mine only has SATA2.
 
Not sure about the Samsung drives (I think Apple's official SSDs are made by Samsung, but performance is not as good as the Vertex 3 or Intel), but I'd skip the Kingston drive, as it is based on last generation technology (not sure about reliability either).

Like I said, Vertex 3 is faster than the Intel drives, but may be less reliable, so pick depending on whether reliability or speed is more important to you.

Also there is the issue of TRIM, which helps your SSD stay fast (without TRIM the drive will get slower the more you use it). TRIM's official support for non-Apple branded drives will come with Lion next month, so take that into account as well (I myself am waiting for Lion to come out before grabbing an SSD for my MBP).
 
DWBurke811 said:
10.7 having TRIM support on non Apple drives is still a rumor, as the current release does not.
Click to expand...

I will be seriously disappointed if TRIM support for third party drives is not included in Lion. In which case maybe the Kingston drives are good, since they are known to be a bit overly aggressive on garbage collection, which is a plus for computers without TRIM support.
 
Kingston could possibly have a low lifespan due to it's aggressive garbage collection.

I can't comment on Samsungs customers service outside Korea.

Intel 510s is reported to have trouble negotiating to SATA 6Gbps. Not sure if the issues have gone away.

I recommend Intel 320 for absolute reliability. The best combination of all I would have to say is an OWC drive. They are competitively priced as the OCZ and use the same controller as the SandForce drive but they back it up with excellent customer service and a five year warranty.

However SandForce itself is a problem these days. OWC haven't reported any issues and I haven't seen any on these forums or elsewhere but I'd be weary or keeping up with the news on SandForce itself. Their new firmware seems to have fixed some errors but I don't think they rolled it out to all manufacturers....
 
TheCakeIsALie said:
I will be seriously disappointed if TRIM support for third party drives is not included in Lion. In which case maybe the Kingston drives are good, since they are known to be a bit overly aggressive on garbage collection, which is a plus for computers without TRIM support.
Click to expand...

how will we know for sure if Lion has TRIM Support for other SSDs when it comes out?
 
Sorry I'm currently on my iPhone...

TRIM is currently not supported on Lion and apple has stated they don't really want to support trim on all drives because there are so many varieties of controllers. (didn't hear it first person but I'm read it on ms rumors somewhere..)

Oh and forget the Max Iops, even anand believes it's not worth the $50 premium if you aren't doing ions intensive tasks.
 
Last edited:
"fastest speeds, best quality and reliability, with no problems and why?"

I guess you want the best battery life too? :D

There is no SSD that catches all.

Vertex 3 is the fastest but reliability is so so, batter life is sub par.

Intel 510 is fast but know quite a few issues with MBP 2011.

Samsung 470 is not the fastest but very good battery life and very low failure rate. Good GC too, so you won't need TRIM.
 
Last edited:
Intel 320. 5 year warranty,cheaper than sata 3 drives, still a HUGE upgrade from stock hdd speeds.
 
okay so now i'm kind of narrowing it down to either Intel or Samsung.
It seems like the Samsung 470 and Intel 320 sound pretty reliable out of them all, but I'm not sure if i can just pass on the 510 since its SATA III!! :confused:
But maybe samsung will be coming out with a SATA III SSD sometime soon???
 
MilkMan4 said:
okay so now i'm kind of narrowing it down to either Intel or Samsung.
It seems like the Samsung 470 and Intel 320 sound pretty reliable out of them all, but I'm not sure if i can just pass on the 510 since its SATA III!! :confused:
But maybe samsung will be coming out with a SATA III SSD sometime soon???
Click to expand...

Go with the 510, that way it can be beachball city. :)
 
Vertex 3 Max IOPS in mine. Its freaking fast, Chrome startat in half bounce! Since I got a quadcore and a timecapsule, speed is what Im aiming for. I love it!
 
does anyone have any benchmarks of a 2011 model macbook pro 13'' or so with the stock apple ssd??
 
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