Firmware update and SATA II hard drive

So how can I figure out if the drive I have installed is SATA I or SATA II? It's from a purchase made in September of 2008:

http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Samsung/HM500JIMF8U2/
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152114

I'm not experiencing the particular issue this thread is discussing, so I'm guessing that means it's SATA I. And if so, I'll just keep recommending this drive as a viable upgrade option (at least for now.)

The description says "SATA 3.0Gb/s" which thought, means it's SATA II? Could be wrong though.

It's SATA II.

Saharis wrote:
Fishbert, don't forget follow-ups about your cable modifications. Keep us informed as soon as you'll notice beachballs' returns (or not). To date, your post seems the most promising.

It was more replacement than modification, but yeah, I will update.

This weekend I've been out of town (very light usage) so I can't add anything yet. I think I'll live with it normally for a few weeks before I'll say anything more than what I have already. Unless problems arise, that is… that makes it easier to update.

And, if anyone wants to donate a SSD to me, I could see how that works as well. =)

Well, okay then, this issue isn't affecting all SATA II drive upgrades in the 2009 MacBook Pro line, because it's not affecting mine. Not sure what makes me so lucky, but it's a worthwhile data point.

Josh Rafofsky wrote:
So how can I figure out if the drive I have installed is SATA I or SATA II? It's from a purchase made in September of 2008:

http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Samsung/HM500JIMF8U2/
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152114

I'm not experiencing the particular issue this thread is discussing, so I'm guessing that means it's SATA I. And if so, I'll just keep recommending this drive as a viable upgrade option (at least for now.)

The description says "SATA 3.0Gb/s" which thought, means it's SATA II? Could be wrong though.

Chances are, any hard drive you can buy today, or have bought over the last 1-2 years is SATA II capable.

Right now, NewEgg sells 43 SATA II laptop hard drives… and only 6 SATA I laptop drives.
+(It becomes 63 to 2 when looking at full-size desktop hard drives.)+

Josh Rafofsky wrote:
Well, okay then, this issue isn't affecting all SATA II drive upgrades in the 2009 MacBook Pro line, because it's not affecting mine. Not sure what makes me so lucky, but it's a worthwhile data point.

It's been clear from the beginning that this was a hit-or-miss issue. Though, chances of a 'hit' appear to be significant, given the popularity of this thread.

Josh Rafofsky

Your Samsung Drives are not 7200 RPM Drives--they are 5400 RPM drives.

I believe this is why you have no issue.

I checked them out on your posting and clearly they are 5400 RPM drives.

bobg

Robert Gulyas wrote:
Josh Rafofsky

Your Samsung Drives are not 7200 RPM Drives--they are 5400 RPM drives.

I believe this is why you have no issue.

I checked them out on your posting and clearly they are 5400 RPM drives.

bobg

Ok, bob… please… for the last time… this issue HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE RPM OF THE DRIVE!

I appreciate your enthusiasm toward the issue, but you've been working really hard to post information that's either incorrect or has been already posted months ago. A few of us in here have tried to explain this to you already.

Ok Fishbert, I think most of us agree that if you have a SATA 3.0 HD, it is possible to live with the issue if your EFI is 1.6. I my case, the difference in performance was minimal.
When I bought such HD, I didn’t know about the firmware problem. I started to look for more information and found it in this forum. I got here the firmware downgrade tool and did the rollback without problems.

Despite being outrageous to be condemned to have such an expensive computer with a now obsolete technology (since even SATA 6.0 is out), if you have a HD, it is acceptable.

The problem is, our laptops are relatively new (some months old) and SSDs are becoming popular and cheaper. If apple doesn’t solve this problem we won’t be able to take advantage of this technology.

"The problem is, our laptops are relatively new (some months old) and SSDs are becoming popular and cheaper. If apple doesn’t solve this problem we won’t be able to take advantage of this technology."

That's not the only problem. I mean, I do not have to do the Firmware back-roll myself ! Apple have to publish the back-roll instruction, so I don't loose my guaranty if something goes wrong.
And I can't do much : I called Apple care france, they seems not to be aware of the problem so I don't know how I will get the back-roll and if I can demand Apple to do it for me at their cost.

Fishbert:

Sorry--I thought Josh Rafofsky wanted to see what a difference in drives might be.

bobg

My Patriot Torqx 128GB SSD is still rocking in my Aug 2009 Macbook Pro - AFTER giving me all the same problems you guys are having.

Did anyone else try my process of installing and setting up the SSD on an alternate Mac before installing it into the MBP?

I've done this on two mid-09 MBPs with success.

This is certainly an interesting question that theARGIOPE is asking... because the 500 GB SATA II drive I am rocking in my mid-2009 MacBook Pro was originally installed in the previous generation (yet still unibody) MacBook Pro. It worked fine in that one and is working fine in this one. So maybe there is something to be said for "setting it up in a different Mac first." I mean, at least as a workaround, until Apple properly addresses this.

theARGIOPE wrote:
My Patriot Torqx 128GB SSD is still rocking in my Aug 2009 Macbook Pro - AFTER giving me all the same problems you guys are having.

Did anyone else try my process of installing and setting up the SSD on an alternate Mac before installing it into the MBP?

I've done this on two mid-09 MBPs with success.

It is not advisable to take an installation of OS X out of one Mac and put it in another Mac (with different hardware/specs). At the very least, one should clean-install the OS on the new machine, and migrate the data from the old machine over. Just yanking a boot drive from one machine and throwing it in a new model (as it sounds like you are advocating) can cause all sorts of stability issues above and beyond anything discussed here.

Instead, I'd suggest dropping $30 on a replacement hard drive cable or convincing your local Apple Store to replace it for you. As I've cautioned before, this is based on a short period of time on a sample of 1 machine... but it's still looking good so far on my MBP (and most people in here know how far up my tuckus this bug has been).

I moved the HD from one Unibody MacBook Pro to the newer (current gen) MacBook Pro. It wasn't the same model, the newer one has an SD slot, and the longer-life battery.

But after installation, I started from the Install CD that came with the newer machine and did an "Archive and Install" to update the OS. It's been working fine and I don't see any reason why it wouldn't, nor why a "Clean Install" would even be necessary. Sure, that's probably the "safest" course of action, but in my case it wasn't needed. I knew it was available as plan B, if so.

I've done this with many hardware upgrades over the years, many of which weren't even close to the same Mac hardware. Swapping the drive, then doing a simple OS "upgrade" or "archive and install" was all that it took... and all worked fine.

(Just saying.)

Message was edited by: Josh Rafofsky