Which SSD (Solid State Drive) is good for my 2011 MacBook Pro?

Okay I am looking for a good ssd for my macbook pro 2011 between the 150$ and 250$ price range. Which company and price would you guys reccomend?

None, at that price it would be so small as to be practically worthless.
You need about 500 GB to future proof and grow into, and those run about $1200-$1500
SSD's really don't offer that much more performance, it still takes the computer 20 seconds to boot and programs still have to set themselves up so. So although the computer and programs launch a bit faster, it's not instant.
Then to really take advantage of SSD speed, you need to have to have a large amount of files to transfer constantly, to another SSD (or else the slow hard drive slows everything down)
So if you have 500GB to transfer to another 500GB SSD, then that would take about 30 minutes compared to a hour if you had a hard drive instead.
And if you transfer a large amount of data often with a SSD, it wears it out prematurely. SSD's don't even have secure erase ability because allowing that would prematurely wear it out.
So the only thing SSD's are good for are OS boot and program only drives, where little changes, place one's user files on a external 7,200 RPM drive with more space and can handle a large amount of writes and rewrites.
Unfortuntly in a MacBook Pro you have only one space for a drive, you could use a kit to remove the Superdrive and replace it with the hard drive when you add the SSD. Problem with that is you can't boot from any OS X or Windows install disks that way.
So there you have it, SSD is crap.
But if you want to go the SSD + Hard drive with kit route, see Bmer (Dave Merten) who runs Mac Owners Support Group. he will walk you through it all.
And the fastest SSD's can be found on this chart
http://www.harddrivebenchmark.net/high_end_drives.html
https://discussions.apple.com/message/16276201#16276201

Similar Messages

Will apple upgrade my solid state drive in my 15 inch 2014 macbook pro to the 1tb version?

I currently have the 500 GB Solid State Drive in my 2014 15inch Macbook Pro. Due to my usage requirments (videography). I was wondering if i paid for it, could i get apple to install the drive in my macbook?

No. But you can add an external drive for storage uses. However, if you bought it within the past 14 days from date of purchase you can exchange for the model you prefer unless it is a CTO model.

X200 SSD (Solid State Drive) with clean-install of Vista or XP?

Hi all,
I apologize for starting a new thread on a new forum; however, I am running out of research time.
I am about to buy a X200 with the 64GB SSD (Solid State Drive) (and it needs to be bought by tomorrow Can I ask couple questions? :
1) I am legally using this for business purposes with an MSDN license, so I can and will install any clean OS immediately. With the option to install any Windows OS; which will work best [or at all] with the SSD? (I have read conflicting articles, but most are outdated due to SSD's being so new.)
2) With only the SSD and without a MediaBase, I read several guides such as This Thread on this Forum on how "fun" a clean install can be...are there any extra difficulties with the SSD?
I am a software engineer and would normally piece this together my research; however, I am running out of time before I have to decide if the SSD is a viable and installable option at this time (and if I should buy it!)
Thanks a lot!
MikeY

Hello to all.
I'd like to know why AHCI mode is being suggested to use for SSD's? Please tell me why. I just don't understand. I think using Raid 0 Array would be the better choice. How does AHCI mode vary compaired to Raid 0 ? Is AHCI a better Mode? Does it give better performance then Raid 0?
I see alot of you are having problems setting up SSD's. I have read the first thing you need to do is make sure the firmware on any SSD you use should be updated.
I also see a lot of people here talking about the need to install Raid drivers. This is true with all other OS's, but I have found that after a fresh format, even on a new HD, I just installed Win 7 64 bit ultimate I went right into device manager to see what drivers are needed, & to my surprise all the drivers were already installed, including Raid driver & controller. I set up my Raid 0 Array at the F10 prompt, rebooted with OS disk with master drive after setting up boot sequence, & continued from there no problem with 2 150GB Raptor HD's in Raid 0.
I have gone as far as to use a Western Digital HD CD utility disc that has a write zero utility & used it to fast write zero's to the first 63 tracks & sectors including track 0 sector 0 where the MBR is written, & I've reformatted & reinstalled Win 7 from that point, & all the drivers still get auto installed. You can go right into device manager & see for your self. The only driver I ever need my be a sound driver update & Graphics driver. I'm not forgetting that the drivers that are auto installed are generic & may need updating, but what I'm saying is, I haven't seen any yellow question marks or exclamation points in device manager like you do with other OS's before Win 7.

What SSD (Solid State Drives) will work with a MacBook Pro unibody A1278

What SSD (Solid State Drives) will work with a MacBook Pro unibody A1278?
I see all these options and I would like to know proper dimensions and speed:
SATA III (6 Gbit/s)
SATA II (3 Gbit/s)
SATA (1.5 Gbit/s)
PATA (IDE)
mSATA
PCI Express
Thanks!

Thanks! It looks like Sata III is the way to go and most are happy with this one:
Samsung 840 EVO
http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Electronics-2-5-Inch-Internal-MZ-7TE250BW/dp/B00E3 W1726/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1396894663&sr=1-1&keywords=ssd+2.5

Should I get a 2.0 or 3.0 USB external hard drive for my 2011 Macbook Pro? I need it to be compatible with the USB ports of both a PC and a Mac.

Should I get a 2.0 or 3.0 USB external hard drive for my 2011 Macbook Pro? I need it to be compatible with the USB ports of both a PC and a Mac. I was thinking of getting a Seagate becuase apparently it is compatible with both systems, but I want to know which would be a better investment.

Using USB 3 devices on Mac computers FAQ

I purchased the Logitech F310 game controller for my 2011 MacBook Pro. How do I get the driver installed for it. The Disk that came with the controller is a mini disk and will not insert into my laptop.

I purchased the Logitech F310 game controller for my 2011 MacBook Pro. How do I get the driver installed for it. The Disk that came with the controller is a mini disk and will not insert into my laptop.

May not make a difference anyway. The Logitech support site does not show drivers for Mac OS for the F310:
http://www.logitech.com/en-us/support/gamepad-f310?crid=411
I'd contact their support to find out if there is a Mac driver available, and if they can either give you a web link to get it, e-mail you the software, or snail-mail you a standard-size disk with the drivers.

I need the drivers for earl 2011 macbook pro 13 inch i7 4 gigs for windows 7 64 bits i tried downloading with bootcamp butt it never completes allways ends up with an error please help

i need the drivers for earl 2011 macbook pro 13 inch i7 4 gigs for windows 7 64 bits i tried downloading with bootcamp butt it never completes allways ends up with an error please help if any one has the drivers or knows were i can download them

Doug...
If you don't have it for reference, the manual might come in handy > US/Boot_Camp_Install-Setup.pdf
After it loads, Command + F to find information regarding the drivers.

Setting Up SSD Solid State Drive for Cache...Help!

Hello,
I am trying to configure my system to do really heavy special effects using After Effects and other programs. I bought a new computer with specs below and a Solid State Drive for the cache as recommended in the White Papers. I plug the SSD into a port on top of the machine. I must have it configured wrong because I keep getting the message "disk cache folder cannot be the root of a volume." I don't know how to configure this correctly so my work will use the SSD properly. Can someone walk me through this? Nicole The SSD is a Seagate SSHD 1TB hybrid drive that is supposed to boot and perform like an SSD. The motherboard is an Asus X79 and the processor is an i7 4820k (Ivy Bridge E) Thanks!
Processor Brand
Intel®
Processor
Intel® 4th Generation Core™ i7
(Also known as the CPU). The part of the computer that interprets and executes instructions. Think of it as the brain of the computer.
Processor Speed
3.7GHz (with Turbo Boost up to 3.9GHz)
How fast a computer processor carries out instructions. In general, faster is better, but processor speeds across brands may not be equivalent (i.e., a 3.0GHz AMD processor may not be the same speed as a 3.0GHz Intel processor).
Cache Memory
10MB on die Level 3
A small segment of memory that stores frequently used information for fast access by the processor, improving response time.
System Memory (RAM)
16GB
The memory a computer uses to run its operating system, applications and active data files. Greater amounts of RAM improve speed and enable more applications to run at once.
System Memory (RAM) Expandable To
128GB
Maximum amount of memory a computer can support (as opposed to the amount that comes preinstalled).
Type of Memory (RAM)
DDR3 SDRAM
Graphics
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660
Type of graphics (video) adapter (usually built into the motherboard), identified by manufacturer and model.
Video Memory
2GB (dedicated)
Manages display functions, including screen refresh rates, resolution and color. The more video memory a computer has, the better graphics and video will look.
Audio
High-definition 7.1-channel surround sound
Speakers
None
Network Card
Built-in 10/100/1000 Ethernet LAN
Allows a computer to connect to a network either by using cables (Ethernet) or wireless technology (IEEE 802.11).
Wireless Networking
None
Recordable DVD Drive
Yes, double-layer DVD±RW/CD-RW
Drive that can read CDs and DVDs, as well as write and rewrite CDs and various types of DVDs.
Recordable DVD Drive Speeds
Drive speeds not specified
Maximum write (DVD±R), rewrite (DVD±RW) and read (DVD-ROM) speeds of the DVD±RW drive.
Direct-Disc Labeling
No
Digital Media Reader or Slots
No
Available Expansion Bays
External: 6 (5.25"); Internal: 2 (3.5")
Available Expansion Slots
4 PCI Express x16, 1 PCI Express x1, 4 DIMM
For digital cameras and digital audio players: Slots that allow the addition of a removable memory card, such as Secure Digital or CompactFlash, to increase storage capacity.For computers: Slots on the motherboard that accept sound cards, video cards, memory and other upgrade cards.
USB 2.0 Ports
3 USB 3.0 (1 front, 2 rear); 8 USB 2.0 (2 front, 6 rear)
Ports that allow high-speed (up to 480 Mbps) data transfer between compatible devices.
Keyboard Description
USB
Indicates design, functionality or connection features. Some keyboards offer special buttons for gaming or multimedia use, while other keyboards include features such as illumination or wireless connectivity.
Other Control Devices (mouse, etc.)
USB mouse
Operating System Platform
Windows
Operating System
Windows 8
The master software that controls hardware functions and provides a platform on top of which any software applications will run. Commonly used systems include Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X for computers and Palm OS and Microsoft Windows Mobile for PDAs.
ENERGY STAR Certified
No
ENERGY STAR is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy helping us all save money and protect the environment through energy efficient products and practices.
Best Buy PC App
No
HDMI Output
Yes
Blu-ray Player
No
Graphics Chip
NVIDIA
Drive Capacity
2TB
Discrete Graphics
Yes
Gaming Series
Yes
Hard Drive Size
2TB
Capacity for storing programs, photos, video, music and other electronic information. Hard drive capacities range from a few gigabytes to several hundred.
Hard Drive Type
SATA III (7200 rpm)
Hard drives are classified based on the interface they use to connect to a computer. Common interfaces for internal hard drives include EIDE, PATA (also known as, ATA and IDE), SATA and SCSI. Common interfaces for external hard drives include USB 2.0, FireWire and eSATA.
UPC
892167017218

>dont know how this is done in windows 8
Open Windows Explorer (for Win7) which I think was renamed File Manager in Win8 and go to the "root" of the drive and right click and select New--Folder from the popup window

Solid state drive= wrong choice for the newmacbookpro 2010?

Hi
i've been exchanging on the logic pro forum about the ssd vs the hdd serial to configure a macbook pro for logic.
I would love to hear your point of view or experience about that .
also since it's the apple forum i hope there should be some advice from technician from apple.
since from logic pro forum i had the point of view of logic pro certified level 1 and 2
here is the links :
http://www.logicprohelp.com/viewtopic.php?t=57664
http://www.logicprohelp.com/viewtopic.php?t=55058&highlight=solid+state
thanks a lot for any comments or experiences.
june

but why is it bad to record internally today
I didn't say it was "bad" as such, I said I'd only do it when necessary (and I do) but I'd generally still record to external drives where possible.
imagine you're having a 500 GB internally you can still back up on a other drive after.
is there any consequence about that kind of configuration?
The thing is, the internal drive is the system drive, so it has all kinds of drive activity going on in addition to audio - swap file reading and writing, loading apps, utilities, logging functions and many more.
i heard about the lifetime too but more from some experience from 2009 but i don't know what
happen with the new model if they upgrade their ssd in anyway?
Time will tell I guess, these technologies are new and unproven over enough time yet.

SSD (solid stat drive) compatiabilty

I purchased a travel iBook G4. I won't need it for hard drive space but would like to possibly put a 16 or 32 Gig solid state drive in it.
It is a iBook G4 1 GHz machine. Not sure of the compatiablity besides IDE interface. Is it 44 pin? Any other information would be very helpful.

H3Hummer wrote:
I purchased a travel iBook G4. I won't need it for hard drive space but would like to possibly put a 16 or 32 Gig solid state drive in it.
It is a iBook G4 1 GHz machine. Not sure of the compatiablity besides IDE interface. Is it 44 pin? Any other information would be very helpful.
I thought there's only one type of interface for 2.5" IDE (parallel ATA) notebook drives. Here are a few:
http://www.cdw.com/shop/products/default.aspx?EDC=1258727
http://www.cdw.com/shop/products/default.aspx?EDC=1630044
http://www.cdw.com/shop/products/default.aspx?EDC=1394845
http://www.cdw.com/shop/products/default.aspx?EDC=1547602

SSD drive for late 2011 Macbook Pro

Hi there
Has anyone any experience with late 2011 macbook pros and upgrading to ssd ?
Looking at the Samsung 840 ssd but whats the biggest difference between the Samsung 840, 840 pro and evo.
And what is there performance in like in a mac ?
Regards
Paraic

Bear008,
A dock like this "docking station":
...where you just plug your hard drive in instead of putting it in an enclosure.
Clinton

Putting a SSD in the optical drive bay of a late 2011 MacBook Pro.

I want to put a large Solid State Drive in the optical drive bay of my late 2011 (Model ID 8,2, 2.4 GHZ quad i7, 8 Gigs RAM, SSD boot drive) using the carrier and drive from Other World Computing. The "About This Mac" box shows that the optical drive is 6G so I'm thinking that it should be OK putting a 6G drive in that bay, but OWC says that MacBook Pros have only a 3G optical drive capability. I know this was true on earlier models, but my bay says 6G.   The 6 G SSD's are faster and have a longer warranty. I do pro audio work and want to record to the new drive with speed and reliability. Is there any way to prove that my MBPro will handle 6G? I was told by someone at OWC who looked up my my serial number that it would work, but another tech guy at OWC said they didn't recommend it. I'm thinking that they just issue a blanket "no" answer to cover themselves against people ordering a 6G drive for a machine that wouldn't handle it. Before I order a 6G drive is there a way I can know for sure if it will work?
Many thanks,
Robert

If the computer is correctly identified as 15-inch Late 2011 MacBook Pro, and not an Early 2011 build series,
according to MacTracker database (http://mactracker.ca download application) optical drive interface supports
the same spec as the hard disk drive...
Hard Drive Interface    6.0 Gbps Serial ATA (SATA)
Optical Drive Interface    6.0 Gbps Serial ATA (SATA)
So should there be an error in identification, that would make a difference. Some Early 2011 models may
have the 3.0 Gbps or 6.0Gbps data rate in the optical drive. All Late 2011 models should be 6.0 Gbps.
Good luck & happy computing!

Good 500 GB SATA II SDD for Early 2011 Macbook Pro?

Hi everyone,
I have been doing quite some intensive googling on this but I can't really find what I'm looking for so I wanted to ask my fellow MBP early 2011 users I upgraded my HDD last year with Samsung 830 SDD with 256GB and the difference to the stockdrive (I have the MBP 8.2) was incredible. Now I'm at the point where I'd like to ditch the stock drive from my optical bay (I removed the super drive and installed a data doubler frame) entirely and add a larger second SSD (500GB range).
However, I have been seeing alot of comments online where specifically the MBP8.2 has a lot of stability issues with SATA III (6bg/s) drives in the optical bay, even if the link speed is supported through the system report and that the safest way would be to opt for an older SATA II drive.
I can't swap my drives because the Samsung 830 also is SATA III, so it wouldn't work in the optibay.
I searched wide and far and I can only find this model that is still sold today and has the size I'm looking for: http://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/SSDEX3G480/ which is only sold in the US, as I'm located in HK, I'm looking for a more mainstream brand if possible which is also available here.
So here is my question to the community, you guys ever upgrade an MBP8.2 to a 500GB SSD in the optibay recently and which drive model did you have good experience with?
I know its a long shot, but thanks a lot in advance to everyone regardless
Best,
//Simon

Hi LowLuster,
Thanks but:
1. I can't swap my drives since I already have an SATA III SSD in the main bay, so it doesn't matter where it put the new second SDD there will be an SSD in the opti bay
2. Yes in general SATA III drives should be backwards compatible but as I stated the MBP 2011 early edition (15 & 17" models only) seems to have issues with 6gb/s drives in the opti bay as reported here:
"#2 – For those with a MacBook Pro 15″ or 17″ model that has SATA 3.0 6Gb/s link capability reported, it is very important to note that this EFI update does not appear to have resolved reliability of using a 6Gb/s drive in the optical bay. If you have a 6Gb/s optical drive bay connection and are using a product like our Data Doubler, we still recommend only using a SATA 2.0 3Gb/s drive in that bay. MacBook Pro 13″ owners who find 6Gb/s links in their optical bay are not experiencing issues with 6Gb/s drives and this update doesn’t affect that usage."
Link: http://blog.macsales.com/11895-2011-macbook-pro-sata-problems-resolved
If you have made any contrary experience pls let me know

Is Recovery Disk Needed for Early 2011 MacBook Pro (A1278)

Early 2011 MacBook Pro (A1278)
I'm planning on putting in a new hard-drive (SSD) after a little scare with my factory hard-drive and the mounting bracket coming loose.
The plan was to open it up, install the hard drive, restart with Command-R held down, enter OS X Recovery, and finally restore from my Time Machine back-up.
However... I've heard that my model may not have the ability to enter OS X Recovery without a DVD that was shipped with the hardware. First, is this true? When I had issues with the current hard drive, I was able to use Command-R to enter OS X Recovery. It even appeared to have me connect to the internet and looked like it downloaded the application. Does that indicate that I should be able to do that again? Or did that get pulled from the hard-drive somehow? Second, if I need a disk - I did NOT get a disk from Apple when I purchased my device from the store. I do NOT throw things away (I have all the little inserts and everything still in the box, even the receipt). Can I obtain this disk from Apple for free?

The Early 2011 MacBook Pro supports 16 GB of RAM, although Apple says it only supports 8 GB of RAM.
You can buy more RAM at OWC or Crucial > http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/memory/Apple_MacBook_MacBook_Pro/Upgrade/DDR3_133 3MHz_SDRAM You can find memory compatible with Macs in other sites, but I recommend those two sites because you can be sure that the RAM will be compatible.
If you need help installing memory > http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1270

How to migrate from internal hard drive to SSD (Solid State Drive)?

I just bought 128GB SSD. I want to replace my internal hard drive with SSD on MacBook Pro. My internal drive has only Mac OS installed (no dual boot with Windows/Linux). Going forward I want to boot my Mac OS from SSD and use internal drive for backup purposes only. I read many forums regarding this here, but each one talks about different methods of doing it.
* Carbon Copy Cloner for the Mac side (free)
* Casper 6.0 for the Windows side (not free)
* SuperDuper
Can some one provide me with simple steps to migrate Mac OS along with my personal data from internal hard drive to SSD?

Because Windows is not involved, you don't need Casper or anything else Windows-related.
Use Disk Utility to repair permissions and repair the directory on your internal hard drive. Buy an external SATA hard drive enclosure* and mount your SSD in it. Connect it to the MBP and use Disk Utility to create a single GUID partition on it, formatting the partition Mac OS Extended. Use SuperDuper or Carbon Copy Cloner, it doesn't matter which, to make a bootable clone of the internal hard drive on the SSD in the external enclosure. Restart the computer holding down the Option key, and select the SSD to start up from; the purpose here is to verify that the SSD really is bootable. If that works OK, shut down, disconnect the external enclosure, and exchange the drives.
*I recommend a FireWire 800 enclosure, but they are much more expensive than USB-only enclosures, which will work OK — USB is just slow.

Which SSD (Solid State Drive) is good for my 2011 MacBook Pro?

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for