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MacBook pro 2011 ssd or hdd

Would it be better to buy a new MacBook pro with the 128g ssd or keep the standard hard drive? I would get an external drive either way. Which way would you go and why?

Posted on Feb 24, 2011 6:49 PM

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39 replies

Feb 24, 2011 7:20 PM in response to lenn5

If 128GBs is enough space for you then go for it.


I agree. You will have much fasted access speeds. My current MBP has a 500GB HD. I;m thinking of getting a 17" with a 256GB SSD and put things I don't use much on a portable external drive.

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Feb 25, 2011 7:33 AM in response to itaylorweb

I just installed an OWC 128gb ssd on my 2006 MBPro and it's impressively fast. In fact, I hated that computer for becoming so slow and suddenly its reborn. It boots in a matter of seconds, apps launch very quickly. I'd say go for it. I don't believe that ssd are any less reliable, etc. than 2.5" hard drives. Not only is the lack of moving parts mean less wear but also longer battery life (not dramatically though).

Feb 25, 2011 7:44 AM in response to LukeD

For the price and unproven long-term reliability, SSD drives are not worth it.


I think you need to back this up. Apart from the question about limitations on writing to the memory (something on the order of a few tens of thousands...by the way, does anyone know what kind of SSD technology? I know the Air uses Flash but does the Pro use NAND?), what reliability issues are there? Flash memory has a long history, from digital cameras to any number of web appliances and no reliability issues that I know of have been raised.

Feb 25, 2011 11:36 AM in response to Carl Salonen

Carl,

I cannot back it up because in the long-term SSD reliability remains unproven.

I hope that these things last, but I think that HDD is still the best way to go for cost and long-term reliability.

On a side note, I have seen nothing but complaints from video editors using SSD drives. They constantly get freeze frames and rendering issues. Obviously, the technology is not there yet.

Hard disk drives are still king and offer so much more!

Feb 26, 2011 9:53 PM in response to Heath Fashina

Get a SSD but not from apple. First they don't even make public the supplier brand and their is a lot of variability in ssd performance with such things as trim support.

You essentially get double charged if you buy from them. They give you a SSD for extra 200 but you don't even get the regular hard drive. *** is that? If you spent that 200 bucks buying it yourself, you will have 2 drives for what apple charges.

What I did was put my apple drive in an external enclosure...

Feb 26, 2011 10:31 PM in response to Tjd448

Personally I have installed is an OCZ Vertex II. I refuse to go back to a plater driven hard drive now that I have experienced SSD Technology; here's why:
Lower running temps
Less power usage (1-2 hours of better battery life)
Higher MTBF in addition to handling shock better in a portable device
Speed
Nearly similar wake up speeds to Mac Book Air's instant on
More responsive system/OS

.....Need I really say more? When everything thing is said and done, it's up to the consumer. The cost is within my budget and well worth it. To each his/her own. I hope this helps.

Feb 27, 2011 4:59 AM in response to athletejmv

Clearly the SSD offers many advantages, especially in term of speed and if you manage a lot of small files (so: OS boot, XCode development) while the advantages are not evident if you manage a few large files (so: video and photo editing).
I'm a iOS and Mac OSX developer and I'm going to switch to the new MBP 15" with 128GB SDD option. The main reason is that with SSD I will gain in term of speed. This will be done at a cost of 200USD more and 400GB less, so I'm carefully considering this choice.
For sure I will not buy the 256G SSD, because the cost increase would be in such case 600USD, and this difference can be easily compensated by adding an external portable HDD (e.g.: WDC Passport) and one of the arriving Thunderbolt external drives.
So supposing you'll accept the 128GB SSD choice, you must be very careful on how to manage it, especially now that with Snow Leopard TRIM support is still not available (it seems Lion is going to support it).
According to me the new SSD should be used to store the OS (of course), the Applications (faster app startup time), main user documents, XCode projects, /Developer, Mail cache. It should not be used for iTunes (note that iTunes will store all purchased apps, and this means gigabytes). And eventually all iPad and iPhone backups should be stored somewhere else: unfortunately as far as I know there is no way to configure iTunes to do it on an external drive (and YES: iTunes media folder is not the same of iDevices backup) so probably you can only move them manually to the external drive.

Hope all this helps.

Feb 27, 2011 5:33 AM in response to Tjd448

If you don't mind fiddling then go for an Optibay: http://www.mcetech.com/optibay/

Basically you remove your existing HD and put it in a housing which sits where your DVD is. It also comes with an external USB case for your DVD player so you don't lose the functionality. Install your own SSD and move the existing HD where the DVD used to be, it still runs on a the SATA interface so there is no performance issues.

This is great for video and photo editing on the move and the speed increase is phenomenal.. I have my OS and apps on the SDD and my storage and media on the normal HD..

I did this after my warranty period, but i have just ordered the new MBP and will do the same with it. It's a simple procedure just make sure you have the right tools if you're gonna try it.

It's not for all but i'm just adding a third option if storage and speed are important to you.

Feb 27, 2011 7:28 AM in response to Tjd448

I've installed a 128 drive with SandForce controller about a month ago. My laptop now flies through everything. Nothing takes longer than 8 seconds to open, while 90% of my programs open in 2 seconds, and simultatiously. I've also installed 8GB of ram. The whole upgrade costed less than buying anything small directly from Apple at order. So highly recommended. Research SSD's because they are all different. The controller it uses seems to be the most important part.

MacBook pro 2011 ssd or hdd

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