Who makes the SSD in the 2012 MacBook Pro 13" i7 8GB Ram model?

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Who makes the SSD in the 2012 MacBook Pro 13" i7 8GB Ram model?

Looking to make the plunge from PC to Mac finally but finding difficulty in seeking answers to my question. Considering a MackBook Pro 13" i7 2.9 GHz 8Gb Ram, thinking about whether or not to upgrade to a 256 SSD. I posed a question earlier to an Apple tech who couldn't or refused to enlighten me on what the brand name of the SSD was. In earlier forums I had noticed they used toshiba (TS) or samsung (sm) I'm just trying to figure out what I'm spending $300 +/- on. I have also watched some videos from Mac users and from Samsung on how to install an SSD so I'm just trying to figure out if it is wise to upgrade from apple or do it my self. The SSD I was considering was the Samsung 256 830 series. Any insight this Army Veteran would be very appreciative.

MacBook Pro, OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.1)

Posted on Sep 14, 2012 9:51 PM

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Answer 1

Kappy

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Sep 14, 2012 9:53 PM in response to wldra66it

Samsung, I believe.

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Answer 2

Sep 14, 2012 9:53 PM in response to wldra66it

for macbook pro and not macbook air or retina - they use the toshiba ssd - which in turn is only SATA II.

why not buy it with the standard hard drive and swap it out when you get your macbook.

you can purchase the samsung 830 series and install it yourself - that way, you can use the original hard drive that came with your macbook as a back up drive.

good luck

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Answer 3

wldra66it Author

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Sep 14, 2012 10:17 PM in response to Bimmer 7 Series

That's what I was thinking because when I buy stuff I like to have it now, and considering I found the Samsung SSD 256gb 830 series for $209 I was like yes. To me I can't justify upgrading through apple when's it's a hundred dollars or more and it is probably slower. I actually just got done reading some of your posts and find them very interesting. The SSD comes with the laptop connect kit and watched a video from Samsung on YouTube and it looks fairly easy to clone the drive to new SSD then power down and swap out. Something I saw I believe you posted not for sure though something about trim. Is that an issue with the new Samsung SSD? If so how can that be mitigated? Thank you

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Answer 4

Sep 14, 2012 10:32 PM in response to wldra66it

yes, it's much better to do the upgrade yourself - buying the Samsung SSD is a good choice for your Macbook.

it's quite easy to clone your drive - i'll include a link on the step by steps at the bottom and you can use it for reference if you wish to do so.

with regards to Trim, you can download and install Trim Enabler - here's the link for it.

http://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/37852/trim-enabler

the advantage of enabling trim is for performance on the write speed. you can either enable it if you wish to do so or leave it off. see what works best for you.

here are the steps for cloning your hard drive to your new ssd.

https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-4122

should you need more info - feel free to post back.

good luck

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Answer 5

wldra66it Author

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Sep 14, 2012 10:39 PM in response to Bimmer 7 Series

Thank you so much, looking forward to this project I now know what course of action I will take once my funds arrive. So I will respond in a week and half or so once I have everything going. How much of a learning curve is there going from PC to Mac?

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Answer 6

wldra66it Author

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Sep 14, 2012 10:45 PM in response to Bimmer 7 Series

Is this method ok to do? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mihb8YQzDxw&feature=youtube_gdata_player

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Answer 7

Sep 14, 2012 10:53 PM in response to wldra66it

The link you provided works good too.

As to learning between the PC and Mac - at the beginning you'll find the Mac to be harder since you got used to Windowns - in the end however, you'll find that working with Macs are quite easier and a little more forgiving than Windows.

I use both Macbook and Windows Notebook - I find that i'm using the Macbook more than my Windows notebook.

When it comes to upgrading the hardware - a pc is easier since you can do some tweaks in the BIOS which is not accessible in the Macbooks and they're quite picky when it comes to installing RAM.

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Answer 8

Sep 14, 2012 11:30 PM in response to wldra66it

That's a very professional and informative link, providing you with all the info you need. I think that they mention the Samsung 'kit'? If you purchase an external USB enclosure, you won't need the data transfer cable. Just boot from the enclosure with your old hard drive, run Disk Utility to format the SSD, and use Carbon Copy Cloner to clone your old drive to your new. Bimmer is really the expert on CCC around here - I jumped through some unnecessary hoops to get my SSD installed. One thing I would recommend is this toolkit from OWC. It has both screwdrivers that you will need - a Phillips and a Torx.

Good luck,

Clinton

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