[BlueApple]

Does anyone here has a SSD drive in your MacBook Pro?

1.) As SSD is still relatively new, I'm worried that it's not matured enough, and better off with the 7200-rpm 500GB drive instead.

2.) Also, how much faster when compared to the 7200-rpm drive?




P.S. I'm not talking about aftermarket SSD, I'm talking about the one Apple offers.



Thanks.

[Maciej]

I can tell you it will be a world of difference - although I don't have one. MBHockey had a Vertex one, I don't know who's Apple ships in their MBPs.

I am waiting until I hear more about TRIM support in OS X. And the next generation of Intel drives which should be significantly faster, more spacious, and cheaper; using the new 25nm fab process.

[screensaver400]

From what I understand, the ones Apple ships are a pretty bad deal. They're both significantly slower and more expensive than the drives you can get aftermarket (Intel and OCZ being some of the best).

[rdlomas]

I can't speak about the Apple SSD's, other than to say that most reviews peg them as inferior to the aftermarket models. Why even bother with the Apple model?

I've had a 120 gb OCZ Vertex since they came out. The firmware just keeps getting better and I've never had any issues.

It screams. Simply put, you will *never* go back to a normal HD once you get a good SSD. It is just magical. Love it. Absolutely love it.

Oh, and compared to a 7200 rpm standard HD? It's not even in the same league. Seriously. Buy an SSD and don't look back.

[kieran]

While I don't have anything to contribute, I do plan on eventually trying to upgrade my MBA to an SSD after the AppleCare runs out next year and prices of SSDs come down a little bit more.

I can't wait to see the difference.

[Xaqtly]

I want to upgrade my Mac Pro to an SSD for the boot drive. I still want the price/capacity ratio to get better first, but it's definitely something I want to do. If I ever get an MBP I'll definitely put an SSD in it. The speed difference is staggering.

[turtle]

I have a SSD in my Dell Mini 9 (after market 32GB) and an Intel X25 in my Beast. Both are hackintosh systems and scream with the SSD. I put the drive in a MacBook I have to play with and it was awesome in there. I currently have 500GB drives in both of my MBs but I'm willing to drop the capacity for the speed and stability the SSD gives.

[Escher]

Interesting! The HDD in my 12-inch PowerBook failed. I was toying with the idea of installing an after-market SSD instead of junking the PB. On newegg.com, they're pretty cheap these days.

So Intel and OCZ are the brands to go for?

[joveblue]

MacBook Pros are due for an update soon. SSDs seem to be due for a significant price-drop from Apple. But then again no one really knows what they will do. But if you're purchasing a new MBP and you can afford to wait a few months I'd say it's definitely worth holding off and with any luck Apple's SSD prices will suddenly be a lot more reasonable.

[Maciej]

Originally Posted by Escher So Intel and OCZ are the brands to go for?

if you're gonna go by brand I'd suggest Intel. If you buy a low end OCZ chances are you could end up with a slow controller. Like I mentioned above, you should be aware of the TRIM issue and that performance degrades over time. AFAIK Apple doesn't have a wiping utility. Because of the way SSDs access and write memory it is a completely different ball game than traditional platters.

Edit: I just noticed you said 12" PB, if you really wanna waste the cash and see what happens you could probably pick up a Kingston drive for around $120, with manufacturer discount $80 (don't know if they're still offering it).

[screensaver400]

The 12" PowerBook uses IDE, not SATA, as far as I know. You'll need to find a compatible SSD, which may be hard. IDE is significantly slower than SATA, and some of the faster SSDs come close to even maxing that out.

So, for a 12" PowerBook, an X-25 or Vertex would probably be overkill. IDE would keep you from seeing the benefits. And, of course, neither have IDE versions (again, as far as I know).

[Majost]

The absolute best source on this subject is Anandtech. He put together an absolutely amazing roundup of the SSD market last spring, and discovered some very serious flaws. I think he actually caused a big shakedown in SSD controller tech. This past fall he did an update. They are complete novels, but both are very good reads, with the newer one more directly relevant to products you'd purchase (but the first one does a stellar job explaining the issues). And one last update on December 31 with some newer products.

Apple uses a Samsung as their SSD drive. It's decent. It doesn't have any of the major issues Anand first found and it will blow away rotary drives, but there are many SSDs available that are faster.

[Escher]

Thanks, everybody, for the pointers on SSD drives!

If I were to "upgrade" my 12-inch PowerBook with an SSD, it would really be for the fun, not speed. At this point, the PB12 serves for Web browsing and as a travel DVD player for the kids. So performance doesn't really matter.

Key criteria would be low cost (around $100) and easy installation. I'm looking for a drop-in solution that I can install myself. My hardware experience is limited to memory upgrades and replacing a transistor in a fried original AirPort Base Station some years ago.

Is Newegg still a good source for hardware parts?

[Maciej]

Originally Posted by Escher Is Newegg still a good source for hardware parts?

Yes, but often times I've noticed Amazon is able to best Newegg's price on SSDs for some reason. YMMV.

[hmurchison]

I'm looking at the new Sandforce based SSD from OCZ and others. It's the first controller that can best Intel's controller and there are some nice redundancy features which make it very reliable even in preproduction models.

If I'm going to go SSD, I want premium performance. I'll likely buy a 27" iMac next year with a fast Quad Core proc and toss in one of the best performing SSD at the time and I should be good to go.

Bonus: if I get Light Peak I'd be thrilled.

[ast3r3x]

I got a samsung a few months ago and I really enjoy it. As with any new fast piece of hardware, it seems blazing at first and then you get used to it and wonder if it is slowing down or you just want the next best thing. I don't regret it at all, my only beef is 128gb wasn't big enough, and any bigger was too expensive. I am considering upgrading to a newer drive and throwing the old one in my optical bay on my MBP, prices haven't really changed, but I'd love to try a different brand just to see what it does for me.

[Maciej]

Originally Posted by ast3r3x As with any new fast piece of hardware, it seems blazing at first and then you get used to it and wonder if it is slowing down or you just want the next best thing.

Well it is slowing down.

[malcolm]

Can anyone tell me what's the biggest SSD drive (capacity-wise) you can put in a MBP?
Malcolm

[Xaqtly]

Currently the capacity limitations are on the SSDs themselves, not the MBP. The largest one you can get right now is 512GB, and those cost between $1500 and $2k.

[Maciej]

I'm looking at the new Crucial C300. Anyone still using an SSD?

Can any of you guys comment on how significant the performance degradation is? After a few months of use is it still significantly or noticably faster than a hard disk drive?

I'm concerned about these things, especially if I'm about to lay out ~$600.

[turtle]

I'm still using them in the machine I mentioned above and they are still running great. I haven't noticed any drop in speed though it could be there. The still run super fast compared to my HDD based systems.

[Maciej]

Originally Posted by turtle2472 I'm still using them in the machine I mentioned above and they are still running great. I haven't noticed any drop in speed though it could be there. The still run super fast compared to my HDD based systems.

Have you disabled Spotlight, SmartSleep or done anything like that? Some people recommend it, I'm not convinced.

[turtle]

Nope, I live on the edge and I'm not convinced either. In all fairness, my Dell Mini 9 doesn't have heavy file use so I'm not worried about it there in the least. I pretty much only use it to watch movies with that are stored on my flash drive.

Beast does get used on a wider level but I don't disable anything. I did at first, but now I have it run normally. I'm just to used to Spotlight being there for me. Maybe I'll regret it in a few years...but not likely.

[Majost]

Originally Posted by Maciej I'm looking at the new Crucial C300. Anyone still using an SSD?

I too thought it looked like one of the best 256GB drives... but then I read this worrying article from Anand. It sounds like it has very serious firmware issues, and historically Crucial has been very poor on Mac updaters.

[Maciej]

Originally Posted by Majost I too thought it looked like one of the best 256GB drives... but then I read this worrying article from Anand. It sounds like it has very serious firmware issues, and historically Crucial has been very poor on Mac updaters.

Yeah, I'm aware of that too. Although it doesn't concern me too much, I haven't read an enormous amount of outcry about this problem, I don't think I'll get one just yet.

I'm also not sure if his benchmarks are based on the 6Gbps controller... or if that would make much difference for our notebooks since they only allow a maximum 3Gbps throughput.

Ultimately I think I'll wait a little longer before getting one, I'd like to see what Intel's next generation is going to be capable of.

I do need 256GB, or as much space as I can get.

Actually, I should take that back. I need to write up a list of pros and cons before I decide what to do.

[Majost]

Originally Posted by Maciej I'm also not sure if his benchmarks are based on the 6Gbps controller... or if that would make much difference for our notebooks since they only allow a maximum 3Gbps throughput.

In the original article where he first tested the drive (before it bricked), he ran it in both 3Gbps and 6Gbps modes.

I just wish Intel would hurry up with a 250GB+ drive.

[Maciej]

Originally Posted by Majost In the original article where he first tested the drive (before it bricked), he ran it in both 3Gbps and 6Gbps modes. I just wish Intel would hurry up with a 250GB+ drive.

Aahh, that's the article Ive been looking for but somehow forgot to read.

On the second thing, yes I am with you on that.