MacBook Pro 17" Mid 2009 & Patriot 256GB V3 SSD

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Level 1

5 points

MacBook Pro 17" Mid 2009 & Patriot 256GB V3 SSD

I started with a Patriot WARP V2 128GB in my Macbook Pro 15" Late 2008. This drive really smokes with this configuration. I was very pleased. When I purchased my newest portable beast (MacBook Pro 17"), I thought I would get >= performance from the next generation Patriot WARP V3 256GB. Man, was I wrong, this drive gave me problems from the beginning. It started with not being able to properly partition and format the drive for use with OS X. It took three attempts to complete the task. After getting the drive installed and working, my computer starting locking up at random. No consistency in when and what tasks were being performed. The drive also becomes randomly unresponsive. Very slow access times were also noted. I have also noticed this drive runs very warm, enough to warm the entire left side of the case. Has any one had success using this drive in a MacBook Pro 17" Mid 2009? At nearly $700, I cannot just stick this thing in a drawer.

"All of Them" From Powermac G5 - MBP 17" 2.8, Mac OS X (10.5.7)

Posted on Jun 17, 2009 10:11 PM

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Answer 1

Mac-Medic

Level 6

17,301 points

Jun 18, 2009 9:14 PM in response to fretdevil

Macs are having problems with SSD drives. The root cause is the OS X journaling file system. The Apple-written SATA controller driver can saturate the bus at times, inhibiting performance. Some manufactures are even selling special "Mac" versions of their SSD drives that are slowed down on purpose to compensate for this problem. Unfortunately, the problem still exists in Snow Leopard, from what I've read.

Also, I read that Apple has secretly slowed the recent new laptops down (3.0GB/s to 1.5GB/s) to compensate for the problem.

Dave M.
MacOSG Founder/Ambassador  An Apple User Group  iTunes: MacOSG Podcast
Macsimum News Associate Editor  Creator of 'Mac611 - Mobile Mac Support'

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Answer 2

fretdevil Author

Level 1

5 points

Jun 18, 2009 10:07 PM in response to Mac-Medic

Thanks for the info Dave.

I assume the MacBook Pro (Late 2008) makes use of a different controller as they do not exhibit this behavior. I am curious whether the Warp V2 128GB SSD would perform as advertised in the newer MacBook Pros. However, I am not willing to sacrifice the time nor my patience with such an endeavor.

It is a shame my MacBook Pro 15" 2.53 outperforms this computer.
MBP 15" Startup: 12-14 seconds; Launch PS CS4: 2-3 seconds.
MBP 17" Startup: 45 seconds to 1 minute; PS CS4: 6-10 seconds. This is a lifetime once you have experienced the speed of SSD's.

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