Mid2012 best external SSD
Which thunderbold external harddrive would be cheapest and best upgrade to SSD for the mid2012 Mac?
Are you asking about an external SSD or an external HDD? I can't tell. 🙂
31 replies
External SSD.
OK. I am using, as an example, OWC's 6G Mercury Electra SSD with a Seagate $99.00 caddy: Thunderbolt Storage With Any 2.5" Hard Drive or SSD | StorageReview.com - Storage Reviews. It works extremely well getting the maximum performance out of the SSD as possible.
Make sure it use thunderbolt or the interface could limit the speed
So you attach the SSD into the adapter ( so the drive is visible) and from adapter connect through thunderbolt to mac.
I see there is not power adapter so, would not the speed be limited on the interface?
thx
Yes. It looks sort of like a sled. Connect a Thunderbolt cable from the caddy to the computer. No power adaptor required as it is buss powered. The speed of the drive is limited only by the speed of the thunderbolt interface itself which, I think, exceeds that of a 6.0 Gb/s SATA drive interface. But I have not tried to benchmark my drive. Benchmarking isn't the best thing to do to prolong the life of an SSD. But it boots my computer in under 4 seconds.
This is what i need. I cannot stand that my pc at work puts in 3 sec and imac in 40-50sec.
Once you go ssd you cannot stand hdd anymore.
Too slow.
Thx for the advices i completely missed that this product was available.
Now I can upgrade with no need to open the imac and brake the warranty.
Probably bying the cheapest goflex and replacing the harddrive with sdd would make it look better?
any difference between
STAE121 or STAE128 adapters?
I don't recall, but I bought the STAE121. You can check out Seagate's site.
why did you pick OWC? I looked here and I dont even see it mentioned: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/ssd-recommendation-benchmark,3269-3.html
Because they are big Mac supporters. If they sell something for a Mac that means they have tested that it works. No guesswork. Usually their prices are competitive, and they are reliable vendors. Their SSDs are competitive with the fastest devices elsewhere. Very few mfgrs. or vendors can tell you if their products work with Macs confidently. So, I prefer OWC for less hassle.
I just stumbled across the Seagate produce. Wasn't even sure it would work with anything but their GoFlex product line. Took a chance for $99.00 that paid off.
i spoke with OWC rep and he tells me that "The port on the SSD/HDD facing side is not a standard SATA port" on that GoFlex adapter?
Well, it certainly seems to work OK for me. The model number on the bottom is actually SRD0001. The drive connects without a problem to the SATA connector, although the drive does not sit flush on the base. There is a magnet on the other end that holds the drive in place, albeit at a slight angle.
As I said I bought sight unseen. I've never seen the other model.
so you got Seagate GoFlex Thunderbolt STAE121 on OWC drive. I am planning this harddrive: http://eshop.macsales.com/search/Mercury+Extreme+6G+120GB the OWC support claims it wont fit , but if you say so, why not. Any advice for the thunderbolt cable that cost less?
I can't make any promises, but the combo I have is working. Check with Seagate. Maybe the other model is a better one to use. I can't say. I am using the OWC 6G Electra 120 GBs.
The above images should give you an idea.
Mid2012 best external SSD