01-17-2012, 11:14 PM

I wanted to ask current SSD MBP users about performance in real world usage.

I am about to make a final serious decision on a 15" or 17" 2.5 GHz Quad Core i7, 512 MB SSD MBP, RAM Maxed Out.

In my research in SSD performance, all that I am finding is boot up times and app launch times. That boot and launch speed is nice and impressive, but I want to know what its like to actually "use" the applications and perform tasks on the MBP with SSD.

I understand Thunderbolt will address some issues and help with external storage tasks.

I used VMWare Fusion VMs, Remote Desktop (RDP), Adobe Master Suite CS5 on OSX, MAMP/WAMP Server among other things. Any on topic feedback would be appreciated.

Sorry in advance for the screwed up double post

01-17-2012, 11:26 PM

Much faster boot up, shut down, opening and closing applications, and last but not least faster file transfers and creation/deletion of partitions.

I may not have fully understood your question, but those are some of the advantages of having a SSD. Whereas there are some disadvantages: Very high price and small storage capacity (60, 80, 120, and I think 160 maximum) compared to regular hard disks.

I'd look into buying a 7200 RPM hard drive and installing it rather than a SSD one.

01-17-2012, 11:36 PM

I have a early 2011 15" MBP now, 8GB RAM, 500 GB HDD 7200 rpm, Duo Core i7 which is pretty zippy.

Just looking for real world performance in actually running apps, and is the SSD performance worth more than what I have now.

01-17-2012, 11:39 PM

Your computer's performance is top-notch. An SSD would be a decent addition, but I don't think it's worth the money. If you don't need the optical drive, you can actually replace it with a SSD. lol

01-17-2012, 11:53 PM

Thanks Its my work MBP, I'm looking to replace my personal 2009 MBP I sold a while back. I think the bump to the top Quad Core i7, a 750 GB 7200 rpm with as much RAM as it will take may be the path I take.

For the cost of the SSD, chances are I will invest in the Thunderbolt Display instead.

I'll just sit this round out and wait for the SSD prices to come down a bit and address that issue later.

I would still like to hear some real world application usage/experiences/regrets, etc.

01-17-2012, 11:57 PM

SSD vs 7200RPM HDD - Speed tests - YouTube

SSD Program Performance VS. 7200 RPM HDD (Part 3) - YouTube

01-18-2012, 12:25 AM

If I understand SSDs correctly, the applications you use the most will launch and perform the fastest over time and the others rarely used may boot up in a HDD similar timespan when accessed.

In the MBP the CTO - Configure to Order only offers SSD or HDD, I have seen some people take out the Optical Drive, move the HDD to the Optical Drive Port (Sata 2) and install the SSD in the original HDD bay to take advantage of Sata 3 and put the optical drive in a case and connect it externally when needed.

I rarely need an Optical Drive on a laptop these days, where the dual drive configuration would work.

I would like to see where the Samsung 830 series 512 GB SSD 6Gbps fits into that performance test graph.

I'm not in a rush to buy, I just want to build the best possible MBP I can while I have an opportunity to do so.

Thanks for the links, Office and Google Earth is some of the normal use items I was looking to see run on SSD.

01-18-2012, 12:07 PM

SSDs don't top out at 160GB, they go all the way to 640, from what I have seen.

Sure your set up is fast, but if you threw in an SSD, you will notice the performance gains as soon as you boot up.

It launches apps way faster, and boot times like mentioned previously.

Your system will just scream.

You can take out the optical drive and use your 500gb hdd in there, thats what I did, and then I have an SSD for apps.

It does everything I need it to

01-18-2012, 12:08 PM

BTW, OWC makes great 6G SSDs, their mercury pros. You don't need TRIM support, and the SSD won't slow down.

Transfer speeds are some of the fastest out there.