Samsung Evo or Pro For MacBook Pro?

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Level 3

731 points

Samsung Evo or Pro For MacBook Pro?

HI,

I have been wanting to upgrade to and SSD for a while having had a Samsung 840 (Non Pro) in my Black MacBook, but have just been awaiting the funds.

In the next week or so i think ill be able to order and SSD for my MacBook Pro (8.1 i think) its a Late 2011 model (2.4Ghz i5, 16Gb Ram) with a Sata III interface so i want to make it fly compared to the lazy 5400 Drive.

Having had a great experirence with the 840 Non pro, I automatically thought id get the Evo as i think Samsung have the best performance vs cost for SSD drives as well as unrivaled reliability which i regard higher than outright performance (even though Samsungs are fast anyway).

The only reason im asking on here is due to several reviews and forum posts across the web from Mac users saying the Evo is performaing slow and givving the SBBOD in their systems - which has put me off a bit.

I'd be happy with the Evo if i know its going to run well and would buy the 250Gb model but at the moment im more inclined to push my budget for the 840 Pro 256Gb.

Does anyone here have hands on experience with the Evo? Should i be worried or should i just get the Pro?

MacBook Pro, OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.4), 13" 2.4Ghz i5 MacBook Pro

Posted on Oct 8, 2013 4:55 AM

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Answer 1

Best reply

Robodisko Author

Level 3

731 points

Oct 8, 2013 11:09 AM in response to Robodisko

Anyone recommend it one way or the other?

Thanks

Rob

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Answer 2

Oct 8, 2013 11:12 AM in response to Robodisko

Buy the 840 Pro, not the EVO.

I've been reading too many reports of people having problems with the EVO series when used in Macs. Some have had no problems, but there are more problems reported each day. The 840 Pro is an excellent drive with Mac support.

Clinton

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Answer 3

Robodisko Author

Level 3

731 points

Oct 8, 2013 12:27 PM in response to clintonfrombirmingham

Thanks Clinton!

Yes this is what im thinking too.....

Might have to go for the Pro model. Its just gone up a tenner on amazon.co.uk too since this morning. Ill hopefully order one at the end of the month.

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Answer 4

dtimotei

Level 1

0 points

Dec 1, 2013 10:34 AM in response to Robodisko

I wonder... is the case with EVO being not very good on Macs with the Mac Mini also? All of the issues I've seen so far are with the MacBook only. What about the Mac Mini 2011? I haven't found anything about it.

I am at a loss... since I have to buy an SSD for someone and the EVO 250GB looked like a good deal (840 Pro is a bit pricey). The other recommended alternative was the Crucial M500 240GB (which is on sale on amazon.co.uk as a lightning deal, btw), but I am concerned about the real-world performance (low IOPS and low Write speeds, compared with the EVO or other SSDs).

Thanks!

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Answer 5

Dec 1, 2013 10:51 AM in response to dtimotei

I have the 500GB Evo in my late '12 Macbook Pro and it is performing flawlessly. Blackmagic disc speed tests are maxed out.....I am extremely pleased.

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Answer 6

Dec 2, 2013 4:22 PM in response to SteveFLHTCI

Steve...Did you do anythign special to install? I just got the EVO 500GB today and was planning a clean install of Mavericks but wasn't sure if I needed to do a firmware upgrade on the drive first. Following that, I'll copy over the data I want from my old drive.

Running early '11 Macbook Pro

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Answer 7

Dec 2, 2013 4:29 PM in response to terronfromca

Nothing special, and I wasn't aware of any firmware ugrade. I didn't do a clean install, I mirrored my existing drive.

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Answer 8

Dec 27, 2013 3:39 AM in response to terronfromca

Hi! I'm planning on doing exactly the same thing as you, clean install, same ssd, same MacBook model. Have you done it yet? Did you have any problems? Any help or tips before spending all the money would be much appreciated, especially on the firmware issues.

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Answer 9

Robodisko Author

Level 3

731 points

Dec 27, 2013 6:46 AM in response to parmandorc

Hi,

Well I went for the Samsund 840 Pro 256Gb and cloned my existing fresh install over to it using a Sata to USB cable attached to the new SSD. Once cloned over, imbooted off the SSD externally to check all was good.

Then opened it up and swapped over the drives. Simple and easy to do, 10 external screws and two internal for the spacer bar that holds the HDD. Gently pry the connector off the HDD without pulling the cable as they are known to be fragile. Remove the torn screws from the side of the HDD and swap this and the thin metal plat to the new SSD and then replace the cable etc.

First couple of boots were slightly slower than you'd expect and the SSD will index itself. After that it full speed ahead. I installed Tim Groths trim enabler app, checked permissions and had to renter the serial for office as 2012 is to hardware.

You won't regret an SSD. But you'll wonder why you didn't do it earlier!

I've since read of people that have both had and not had issues with the evo drive in a mac, so personally I'd still stear clear. The 840 pro is excellent, guaranteed to work, proven, reliable, cheaper now than ever, and has a longer rated lifespan.

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Answer 10

Robodisko Author

Level 3

731 points

Dec 27, 2013 6:47 AM in response to parmandorc

Also, the drives shipping run the latest firmware anyway...

But it's always worth checking once installed, to make sure

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Answer 11

Dec 27, 2013 6:53 AM in response to Robodisko

Robodisko wrote:

The 840 pro is excellent, guaranteed to work, proven, reliable, cheaper now than ever, and has a longer rated lifespan.

Plus, it has a five-year warranty - the best warranty for a consumer SSD around.

Clinton

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Answer 12

dtimotei

Level 1

0 points

Dec 27, 2013 8:58 AM in response to Robodisko

If you can afford the PRO one: go for it! You'll sleep better when you know you have one of the best SSD in terms of performance, reliabiltiy and compatibility (at least with Macs)

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Answer 13

Dec 29, 2013 9:23 AM in response to parmandorc

I bought the Evo. Did a clean install with the USB adapter the. Swapped the drives in my computer. I turned off apples encryption (file vault) and upped the speed from 250 MB/sec to 500MB/sec. The drive works great and I'm very happy with it. Haven't had any issues. Of course, if I had more money to spend, I would have gone for the pro but I really wanted 500gb.

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Answer 14

Dec 29, 2013 9:40 AM in response to terronfromca

Keep us informed on your luck with the EVO - it may have been a 'bad bunch' early in production that caused problems with MacBook Pros: I would be really happy if I could begin recommending them!

Clinton

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Answer 15

Dec 29, 2013 1:06 PM in response to clintonfrombirmingham

I have an EVO 512GB and have had absolutely no issues with it. Been installed as my primary drive for about 6 weeks now. Speeds are incredible.

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