Will an SSD improve responsiveness on my MBP?

[mossme89]

I have a late 2008 15" MacBook Pro 2.4Ghz C2D laptop that I'm trying to improve responsiveness on. I have 3GB of RAM and barely go above 2GB used, and my CPU usage generally stays under 40%. But what I've noticed is that many times it takes a while to boot and for apps to open. And when transferring files, my system becomes extremely laggy. So I've considered getting an SSD to help with this. Would an SSD help with overall responsiveness?

 

[maflynn]

Any disk based operation will show an improvement in performance, so booting up, accessing apps and what not. On pure computational operations it has no impact. Overall it will have a more responsive feel.

 

[vander]

I have a 2010 15" macbook pro and installed a samsung 830 ssd, now the 840's are out, and have noticed a world of difference in performance. It has extended the life of the notebook to the point that while I would like a new rMBP, its hard to justify the purchase when this machine is running so great.

 

[paul-n]

Reponsiveness is the a core competence of a SSD. The usage of a SSD can gave you a felt performance boost.
I can recommend the Samsung 840 SSD which should have more then enough performance for your 2008 MBP.

 

[benwiggy]

I installed an SSD in my 2009 MacBook. I was amazed at how many tasks were being slowed down by the mechanical hard drive. Finder windows would populate *instantly*, rather than the slight hiatus I would sometimes get.
Apps load faster; everything is just "snappier".

It's given my laptop a whole new lease of life.

 

[Mark-Technology]

An SSD is considered a much better upgrade than a RAM upgrade now a days. I recommend you get an SSD for sure and make sure it has at least 250 write and 500 read speeds.

All your apps will open instantly and the computer will be more responsive seeing how you stated that your ram is not completely filled up on a daily basis. Boot up time will increase a lot as well.

Good luck!

 

[tillsbury]

You won't recognise the computer after you put an SSD in it. There is no comparison.

 

[portishead]

You won't recognise the computer after you put an SSD in it. There is no comparison.

Yup. Do it already.

 

[weichsel]

Switched to SSDs 2 years ago.
I once had a faulty Intel SSD in my self-upgraded 2010 MBP and had to switch back to the original HD - Unbearable.
I even noticed a small performance increase in CPU/GPU heavy applications like games.

 

[brop52]

Here's the problem with saying go SSD only. Over time, the RAM on your machine will continue to get more expensive while the SSDs will continue to drop in price. You do the math. It depends on your plans. If you plan on using the machine for more than a year or two more then upgrade your RAM and wait a bit for the SSD prices. Another option is the hybrid SSDs from Seagate.