05-12-2010, 11:20 AM

Hi guys, i am new in the mac world...
I want to buy a new Macbook pro 15'' 2,53GHz i5 (my first mac!!). From what i read i think that buying one with 128GB SSD makes it quite faster and more energy saving. The thing is i found an offer that has the standard 500gb 5400rpm hard disk. So i am thinking if it is possible to get this and then replace the hard disk with an SSD i ll buy. So here are some of my issues:
1) Are all SSDs compatible with macbook pro?
2) If i do this change will my warranty be cancelled?
3) Are all 128GB ssds the same in matter of speed or is there a classification (like sata sata2 etc)
4) Why price ranges from 200$-400$. Can you propose any good brands (or blacklist some...)
5) Also i am thinking of getting a case for external hard drive for the 500gb hd to use it for file storage. Is it a good option or should i buy a new ext hard drive?

05-12-2010, 12:11 PM

1. No. The SSD drive must be of the same size (2.5" - 9.5 mm). In other words, one that is designed for notebook computers.

2. Again no. However, if you damage anything in the machine while changing the drive, the cost of repair is on you.

3. All SSDs are not the same. You can research the specifications by going to the manufacturer's web site. Look up the model and get the spec sheet.

4. SSD drives are expensive and prices vary quite a bit. I recommend purchasing from a reliable seller. Go to OWC and shop around.

5. External carrier cases are a handy option. If you buy one, make sure it has both USB 2 and Firewire ports. Again, OWC is a good place to shop for one.

Regards.

05-12-2010, 12:20 PM

The SSDs that Apple ship are just about the worst on the market, but still a lot better than a 5400rpm spindle HDD.

I got a Corsair Real SSD (128GB) and put it in my 2006 MacBook (I actually intend to start a thread about it with video) and it's exceptionally fast. It'll boot within 15 seconds, launch Quicken in XP from cold via virtual machine in about the same time, and any app launches almost instantly. It's easily the best upgrade I have ever made hardware wise in 15 years (including Windows based PCs).

To your questions:

1) Yes as long as it's SATA/SATA II compatible and for a notebook. OS X bafflingly doesn't support TRIM or propper garbage collection (which means SSD performance will decline over time), so some manufacturers don't say they specifically support OS X.
2) No, although guys at the Apple store may tell you otherwise
3) No, there are pretty big differences. Intel X25m, Corsair SSD C300, OCZ and OCW are all good drives. Samsungs are terrible (what you get in the MBA).

Just a quick point on SATA. Almost all SATA II drives are compatible with SATA I (my corsair was) and despite my drive being rated as 6Gbits/sec and my MacBook only being 1.5Gb/sec, the interface is only a theoretical speed. In benchmarks, I get 120 Megabytes per second at the highest and 30 MB/sec at the lowest (1.5 Gb/sec is 190 MB/sec theoretical and 6 GB/sec is 750MB/sec but no one gets those speeds). Yuor MBP probably has a SATA II 3Gb/sec interface

4) Avoid Samsung (which include OCZ Summit) and Toshiba MLC (in the Kingston SSDD NOW!), Intel X25 G1 can perform poorly after a few weeks of use as well. It's a minefield to be honest, it depends on your usage.

5) Up to you, it'd be a shame to waste a HDD so yes, sounds like a good idea.