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SSD for Mac Pro 2010

Which is the best 256 GB SSD for my Mac Pro (2010)?

Mac Pro, Mac OS X (10.6.5)

Posted on Jan 4, 2011 10:07 AM

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40 replies

Jan 5, 2011 12:21 AM in response to dralanir

Hi dralanir,

I would endorse The hatter's and Grant's recommendation of the OWC Mercury Extreme Pro range of SSDs as the best choice for your new Mac Pro, and would advise against buying an OCZ SSD.

Having both an OCZ Vertex EX 60GB SSD, and an OCW Mercury Extreme Pro RE 100GB SSD myself, there is one major, and very significant difference between the two companies. OCW is a very Mac-friendly and Mac-orientated company, whereas OCZ most definitely is not!! OCZ do not want to know unless you use Windows, and there is no way that I want, or need, anything other than the Mac OS on my system. "Dimdows" is banned!!!

I imported my OWC SSD to the UK from the USA, in preference to buying another OCZ SSD from a UK reseller, and I have not regretted that decision.

You do not need an adaptor for a 2.5" SSD if you install it in the Mac Pro's lower optical drive bay, and, in my opinion, unless you need two internal optical drives, that is the best place. It is extremely easy to install an SSD in the lower optical drive bay of a 2009 or 2010 Mac Pro:
http://macperformanceguide.com/Mac-InstallingSSD.html

Installing your SSD there leaves your Mac Pro's hard drive bays free for future expansion, and I use mine for a 4 drive striped RAID 0 of WD VelociRaptors. My SSDs are used only as system boot drives (OS and applications).

Regards,

Bill

Jan 5, 2011 8:35 PM in response to dralanir

I agree with those that have said the OWC Mercury Extreme SSD is the best. It really is. I would have gone with that, if it wasn't so expensive.
I went with this option:
2x64GB Kingston (got both for $140)
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Raidon/PD2520/
This little case is a hardware raid enclosure
Then i put this enclosure via OWC brackets, into the 2nd dvd drive and plugs in via SATA. This is my boot drive, only apps on here. This leaves me 4 drive bays.
But if you can afford the OWC, go with that.

Jan 6, 2011 3:13 AM in response to dralanir

Hi dralanir,

******************************************************************************** ************************
What about Crucial RealSSD C300 256GB CTFDDAC256MAG-1G1?
******************************************************************************** ************************

Don't be tempted!

Grossly inferior to OWC Mercury Extreme Pro/Pro RE SSDs!

See Lloyd Chambers' 13 page review:
http://macperformanceguide.com/SSD-RealWorld.html

With particular emphasis upon these pages:
http://macperformanceguide.com/SSD-RealWorld-Compare.html
http://macperformanceguide.com/SSD-RealWorld-SevereDuty.html
http://macperformanceguide.com/SSD-RealWorld-Conclusions.html

Like OCZ, Crucial's SSDs are designed for PCs, with Macs solely as an afterthought!

On the other hand OWC's Mercury Extreme Pro/Pro RE SSDs were purpose-designed for use with Apple Macs by a Mac-friendly, Mac-orientated company!

It's a no-brainer really!

Regards,

Bill

Jan 6, 2011 5:34 AM in response to dralanir

Hi dralanir,

******************************************************************************** ************************
PRO SSD or PRO RE SSD?
******************************************************************************** ************************

On the first page of his 9 page review of these SSDs, Lloyd Chambers said "Unless you are considering RAID-0 striping, the Extreme Pro line with its 20% higher capacity is your smart move":
http://macperformanceguide.com/Reviews-SSD-OWC-Mercury_Extreme.html

Despite that I opted for the 100GB Pro RE, instead of the 120GB Pro, because I decided that the 28% over provisioning and longer warranty made it the better choice for my particular usage.

There is no 256GB option, because of the over provisioning, and so your choice is between the 240GB Pro and the 200GB Pro RE:
http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/internalstorage/Mercury_Extreme_SSDSandforce

There is no difference in performance, and so it is for you to decide which is best for your particular usage:

240GB Pro, with 7% over provisioning and 3 year warranty
http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/internalstorage/Mercury_Extreme_SSD_Sandforce/Solid_StatePro

or

200GB Pro RE, with 28% over provisioning and 5 year warranty
http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/internalstorage/Mercury_Extreme_SSD_Sandforce/Solid_State_RaidEdition

Regards,

Bill

SSD for Mac Pro 2010

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