Help me select an SSD.

August 14, 2011 12:24 PM

I am considering installing an SSD in my Macbook Pro, and I am looking for suggestions as to which one to choose. Specs for my Macbook Pro are inside.

MacBook Pro (13-inch, Early 2011)
2.3 GHz
Dual-Core i5
8 GM RAM

Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you.

posted by 4ster to computers & internet (9 answers total)

I should have mentioned that I am not too concerned with capacity. I am really looking for advice on reliability and compatibility.
posted by 4ster at 12:27 PM on August 14, 2011

What's your budget?
posted by mhoye at 12:42 PM on August 14, 2011

What's your budget?


At this point, everything is on the table.
posted by 4ster at 12:45 PM on August 14, 2011

The 2011 MBPs have SATA III (faster, some issues on MBPs, can be hotter), but if you bought yours early enough in the year it has SATA II (slower but plenty fast, proven reliable tech.)

I would get either the Samsung or the Crucial in depending on if you want SATA II or III.

The Newegg search I used to filter my results: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100008120%20600038463%20600038487&IsNodeId=1&bop=And&ShowDeactivatedMark=False&Order=RATING&PageSize=20
posted by michaelh at 3:32 PM on August 14, 2011

Another option is a 64GB SSD card, enough for your OS plus apps, with profiles stored on the main drive in case the SSD fails (as mine did, but it gave almost two years of good service.)
posted by michaelh at 3:34 PM on August 14, 2011

RunCore Pro V. I have two in my 17" MBP (removed the DVD drive) and haven't looked back.

http://www.amazon.com/RunCore-Blazing-Security-Enclosure-RCP-V-S2524-MCNT/dp/tech-data/B004VT707W

I run a hosting company that specializes in SSD packages for high-end virtual machines, and only put RunCore and Intel SSDs into my builds.
posted by bfu at 4:05 PM on August 14, 2011 [1 favorite]

I've had very good luck going with Other World Computing... even if you guy with a disk from elsewhere, the optical drive conversion kit is wonderful (if you want to run an sad and a spinner)

As michaelh pointed out, you'll want to confirm whether you can handle 3G or 6G speeds

Good luck!
posted by oldefortran at 4:08 PM on August 14, 2011

TRIM support exists in OS X (Snow Leopard, not sure about Lion) for Apple-installed SSDs only. You may want to consider adding the sort-of-experimental TRIM Support Enabler if you do an aftermarket install. I stopped looking for an SSD for my new MBP because Apple's units are way too expensive, like their memory, but it would be great if my caution were unfounded.
posted by jet_silver at 5:27 PM on August 14, 2011

Not advice per se, but here's what i've done: I've put an OWC Mercury Extreme 120GB SSD (SATAIII) into my mid 2011 15" MBP 2GHz I7. I couldn't get it to play nice in the optical bay, so i moved the HDD (standard 500GB) over and installed it into the default bay. Worked great for three weeks and then died. Sent it back to OWC for a replacement and a week later I got the same drive back. Called them up for an explanation and was told that there was a firmware corruption, which they had fixed. After re-installing and some Time Machine restoring, it works great (6Gb speeds and everything). Super super fast boot ups and program launches. I've got my applications and active documents on the SSD, with my music, pictures, movies, and old documents on the HDD.
posted by jindc at 9:23 PM on August 14, 2011