MacbookPro terribly slow with SSD via SATA but very good via USB

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Level 1

5 points

MacbookPro terribly slow with SSD via SATA but very good via USB

I have a MacBook Pro Early 2011 and I have upgraded to SSD when on Mountain Lion. Installed Yosemite as soon as it was out. The SSD works perfect until day before yesterday. Mac has become too slow, every click takes 15 seconds to respond, boot takes 5 minutes. I then cloned the SSD to a normal HDD and replaced it with it. It boots and works very well from the HDD. I have tried fresh install on the SSD by placing it in the same main harddrive bay and left it for 10 hours but it won't finish installing.

Then, I have tried placing it in a SATA to USB cable and tried installing Yosemite on it. It finishes within 15 minutes, boots and works very well. I placed it again in the harddrive bay and its totally slows down. I then figured that the problem could be with the SSD and its compatibility with my mac.

So, to check, installed windows on the SSD while keeping in the harddrive bay of the MBP. It installs and works perfectly. So, it ain't a hardware compatibility issue.

Finally, after quite a testing, the problem is when the SSD is placed in the main harddrive bay of the MBP and Yosemite is being installed or installed. With Yosemite and the SSD in an USB, it works perfectly.

Has anyone experienced a similar issue or have any suggestions for a fix?

Details: Macbook Pro 8,1 (Early 2011), ADATA 128GB 6gbps SSD

MacBook Pro, OS X Yosemite (10.10.1)

Posted on Mar 29, 2015 11:08 PM

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Answer 1

spudnuty

Level 5

7,116 points

Mar 30, 2015 12:10 AM in response to Sri Vishnu

It will make it easier to help you w/ your problem to know the exact model, size, year built, RAM installed and OS you're running.

" I then figured that the problem could be with the SSD and its compatibility with my mac."

What kind of SSD?

There have been issues with the SATA cables.

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Answer 2

Sri Vishnu Author

Level 1

5 points

Mar 30, 2015 12:22 AM in response to spudnuty

SSD is ADATA Premier Pro SP900 SATA 6Gbps model.

If its possibly a problem with the SATA cable. It should be faulty when I run WIndows on the SSD, also when I run OS X on normal HDD., isn't it ?

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Answer 3

kaz-k

Level 8

49,038 points

Mar 30, 2015 12:31 AM in response to Sri Vishnu

Did you reset SMC?

Intel-based Macs: Resetting the System Management Controller (SMC) - Apple Support

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Answer 4

Sri Vishnu Author

Level 1

5 points

Mar 30, 2015 12:45 AM in response to kaz-k

I did. It didn't help.

I have made couple of fresh installs in these two days and its still the same

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Answer 5

spudnuty

Level 5

7,116 points

Mar 30, 2015 7:58 AM in response to Sri Vishnu

"It will make it easier to help you w/ your problem to know exact size, RAM installed"

Please!

"If its possibly a problem with the SATA cable. It should be faulty when I run WIndows on the SSD, also when I run OS X on normal HDD., isn't it ?"

You would think but we've seen problems like this before. Also not familiar w/ that SSD. I only use SSDs from OWC. Done 6 upgrades so far and never had a return or a problem.

Here's some similar problems. This guy hasn't posted back:

macbook 2012 not booting from internal drive but booting from external usb drive

This was a strange on but in this model the cable actually goes under the securing bar.

Such a strange problem with ssd upgrade

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Answer 6

Sri Vishnu Author

Level 1

5 points

Mar 30, 2015 8:28 AM in response to spudnuty

"It will make it easier to help you w/ your problem to know exact size, RAM installed"

Please!

Size of what? Mine is a 13inch Macbook Pro Early 2011 model. I have 6GB(2+4) of Ram installed.

I should swap the cable from my friend's macbook pro and check but no body would be willingly to let me remove the cable from theirs. Will have to try my luck.

Also, I have called Apple support and they suggested me that I will have to get support with the SSD manufacturer as it seems that everything is fine with the Macbook hardware.

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Answer 7

Lexiepex

Level 6

14,102 points

Mar 30, 2015 8:47 AM in response to Sri Vishnu

First of all: when you connect a SSD to USB, it is also a sata connection on the SSD side (the cable is sata->USB).

Thus if the SSD in the mac connected to the sata connector does not work well the chance is much greater that the internal Mac Sata connector is damaged, than that the SSD is not compatible. The SSD is probably Sata 6GB/s and your Mac is also, but even if your SSD is "only" 3GB/s it should work on a healthy sata connector inside.

But if your mac has a different connector (for example msata) of course you will have a bad connection at the least,

Lex

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Answer 8

Sri Vishnu Author

Level 1

5 points

Mar 30, 2015 8:50 AM in response to Lexiepex

If the internal SATA connector is damaged, it also shouldn't work when I connect other hard drives to it and use, yeah ? It works well with other hard drives.

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Answer 9

Lexiepex

Level 6

14,102 points

Mar 30, 2015 8:54 AM in response to Lexiepex

I must add: your Mac has a Sata 3 connector inside (6GB/s) as I said. the SSD is ADATA. Maybe that is the problem. Wrong connector maybe.

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Answer 10

Sri Vishnu Author

Level 1

5 points

Mar 30, 2015 9:16 AM in response to Lexiepex

The SSD's interface is also SATA III. Also, I have been using this SSD in this same mac for 18 months now. Problem only started now.

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Answer 11

Lexiepex

Level 6

14,102 points

Mar 30, 2015 9:19 AM in response to Sri Vishnu

What does DiskUtility FirstAid Tab say about the SSD?

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Answer 12

Sri Vishnu Author

Level 1

5 points

Mar 30, 2015 10:15 AM in response to Lexiepex

Lol. It says the disk is all OK. Because the SSD didn't fail totally, its just that its I/O operations are too slow.

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Answer 13

Lexiepex

Level 6

14,102 points

Mar 30, 2015 11:21 AM in response to Sri Vishnu

Well, it may be the sata cable inside the mac that is hurt, as all of us suggested from the beginning.

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Answer 14

Sri Vishnu Author

Level 1

5 points

Apr 22, 2015 1:26 PM in response to Lexiepex

It ain't a problem with the SATA cable like I said. It is the problem with the SSD, it got corrupted blocks are something. I bought a new SSD and it is all working fine!

Thanks anyway!

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