Crucial M500 vs Samsung 840 EVO

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Level 1

14 points

Crucial M500 vs Samsung 840 EVO

Hello,

I hesitated quite a lot before starting this discussion, thinking that people are already sick and tired of SSD comparisons, but I really haven't found my answer and would greatly appreciate your opinions.

So, I have a Mid 2012 13" MBP which I want to upgrade with a SSD to replace the 5400rpm HDD and I'd like to buy one before Mavs comes out, so that I will use it for a fresh install of Mavs.

I'm aiming for a 500GB-ish drive and the two finalists for me are Crucial m500 480 GB and Samsung 840 EVO. Of course, I would consider the 840 Pro or non-pro if you think it's better, but please, no OWC, Corsair, Intel, SanDisk or other recommendations.

I am leaning towards the M500, mainly because of what professional reviews say (http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/crucial-m500-1tb-ssd,3551.html), that although it's a tad slower than the 840 EVO, it's more robust, it has better security and, overall, more reliable. Moreover, I think about Apple's increasing number of fights and lawsuits with Samsung, which could eventually result ins ome disadvantages for Samsung product users in Macs. I'm thinking about future firmware updates from Samsung (which could be hard or impossible for Mac users), or even that Apple could implement some features in a future OSX release or some app which could not work for Samsung products.)

On the other hand, Crucial is not a competitor for Apple and it is known that many people love it in their Macs. Moreover, the slightly better speeds in the Samsung I doubt that they will be noticeable in a daily use. What could they mean: 2-3 sec difference when booting up or 5-10 sec when copying (say) a 10GB file? I think I'm okay with that 🙂

So, what are your opinions?

Thanks a lot!

MacBook Pro (13-inch Mid 2012), OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.5)

Posted on Oct 14, 2013 1:11 AM

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Answer 1

Oct 14, 2013 1:14 AM in response to m3adi3c

How much money will it cost you to upgrade your hdd?

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Answer 2

m3adi3c Author

Level 1

14 points

Oct 14, 2013 1:19 AM in response to victoryhat

In Romania, the price for any of the Samsung 840 Pro, Evo or the Crucial m500 500GB is around $380-$400. Are you trying to talk me out of it? 🙂

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Answer 3

Oct 14, 2013 1:39 AM in response to m3adi3c

No, I'm not trying to talk you out of anything. I was just curious of how much this costs.

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Answer 4

LowLuster

Level 6

12,105 points

Oct 14, 2013 1:46 AM in response to m3adi3c

Have you thought about a Seagate XT series drive, standard rotating HDD with SSD/Flash storage included in one package for much less than any full SSD and more space.

Otherwise either of the 2 brands you are looking at are fine for your Mac.

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Answer 5

m3adi3c Author

Level 1

14 points

Oct 14, 2013 2:02 AM in response to LowLuster

Yes, I have thought about a hybrid drive. But I see them more as compromises and although the SSDs are a lot more expensive, I think they will prove fast, useful and reliable for years to come, so the expenses are somehow justified... I also don't want to invest in my Mac for the following couple of years, so going with a top SSD with a fairly large capacity seems a good idea.

Something else I haven't pointed out: the review from Tom'sHardware also shows that the idle power consumption for the M500 480GB is around .80 W, whereas 840 EVO 500 GB uses only .31 W. Is this difference really a factor, given that I want to use it in a laptop? Or, as I said about the speed differences, it actually translates in seconds/minutes (10? 15?) of battery life?

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Answer 6

Oct 14, 2013 2:11 AM in response to m3adi3c

I've tried to keep track of the Samsung 840 EVO vs. Crucial M500 'competition' and it's not looking good, now, for the EVO series. They just don't seem to work well with some MacBook Pros (not specific model numbers, really, just some MacBook Pros in general).

In testing the Sandforce Controller on the Samsung just isn't as Mac-friendly as the Marvell controller in the Crucial devices. The drives either simply don't work or if they do work they seem to operate at much slower speeds than users on Windows machines are getting.

I don't know the 'why' of any of this unless it's the difference between the controllers.

So I would give due consideration to the Crucial M500 series -> that's what I'm saving up for (the 960GB M500).

Good luck,

Clinton

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Answer 7

LowLuster

Level 6

12,105 points

Oct 14, 2013 2:12 AM in response to m3adi3c

I'm not trying to sway you from getting a real SSD but in real world use no one knows just how long any currently made SSD will last. They just haven't been around long enough to get real life expectancy figures on. They may last nearly forever or fail in the same time frame as standard drives. Most all standard drives, including the Seagate XT series, come with a 5 year manufacturers warranty. Not sure how long the warranty is on any of the corrently available SSDs but I think it is only 1 or 2 years. From what I've read the XT series is almost as fast as a real SSD.

You can get a 750GB model for around $100US, not sure what they would cost in your part of the worls. But that is a big savings over any SSD you are looking at. Enough so you could buy 2 of them and still save lots of money, having the second one as a backup if your original failed.

Anyway best of luck with whatever you chose to do.

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Answer 8

m3adi3c Author

Level 1

14 points

Oct 14, 2013 2:25 AM in response to LowLuster

Thank you for your answers.

There's another reason I don't want a rotating hdd anymore. Some local Apple guy advised me not to carry my laptop in sleep mode if I keep the HDD, because it may wake up (for whatever reason) and, if the disk is spinning and I'm on a bumpy road, it may damage it. So far, I did't care much about his advice, but it actually has happened that my Mac waked up when carrying it from a desk to another. Moreover, sometimes it takes 10-15 seconds for it to go to sleep if it was very active when I closed the lid so I have to wait for it. I understood that these problems don't occur on SSDs, so this is another reason for considering one.

Also, Crucial gives a 3 year warranty.

I totally see your point for the hybrid drive, but for these reasons I think I'm fine spending some extra money for an SSD. And surprisingly, the Seagate is also around $100-150 in Romania 🙂

Clinton, thanks for your answer as well.

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Answer 9

LowLuster

Level 6

12,105 points

Oct 14, 2013 2:33 AM in response to m3adi3c

Not sure who this Mac guy is you spoke to but if you are carrying your Mac with the lid closed and it wakes up from sleep mode then there is something wrong with your Mac. Some type of hardware problem, bug or flaw. No Mac notebook every wakes up from sleep with the lid closed. There is a magnetic switch in the main body that is triggered by a magnet in the lid that puts the system to sleep and stops it from waking up unless the lid is raised. If that stops working correctly then there is a hardware problem with your system and that hardware problem should be fixed ASAP.

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Answer 10

m3adi3c Author

Level 1

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Oct 14, 2013 2:42 AM in response to LowLuster

Well, yeah, but although he hasn't explained it to me like you did (thank you!), it still means that the Mac could wake up on a bumpy road if it isn't held tight. Not squeezing it, of course, but you can't say that the lid can't crack 1cm open by accident or even less, but such that it deactivates that magnet. And this must have been the case for me, I assume, since I was sleepy when I carried it from one desk to another and it woke up.

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Answer 11

LowLuster

Level 6

12,105 points

Oct 14, 2013 2:47 AM in response to m3adi3c

1 CM won't or shouldn't take the system out of sleep. And even if it did the lid would close back down sending it back to sleep. Try it and see for yourself.

If you are carrying your Mac you will probably have it in some type of case which would stop the screen from opening to a point where it would come out of sleep mode.

Ok I'm done all the best to you.

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