Which SSD for MacBook Pro mid 2009?

You're very welcome! I'm sorry that you couldn't get a "better deal" with shipping from OWC.

FWIW. I have not replaced any of my other Macs with SSDs other than the MacBook I mentioned earlier. I did go with one of the OWC units for that. However, on my PC tower I did go with a Samsung EVO 250 GB drive a few years back and have had no issues with it either ... but, as you can guess, this is more of an "apples-to-oranges" comparison and I don't know how well they would work in a Mac.

I do know that the mid 2009 MBPs did have an option for an SSD drive up to 256 GB. I also believe that the drive interface on this notebook is SATA.

Ref: Apple Specifications - Apple Support

OWC is, of course, just an option. They make it "easy" to do a drive replacement with their kits. However, the process to do so does NOT require OWC's participation and can readily be done as a DIY project ... but I was keying in on your comment about not doing this kind of thing before.

Since your can still boot up your Mac from the original HD, the basic steps to replace it would be:

1. Clone the existing internal HD to the new SSD.

   You will need at least two things at this point to do this:

   • An external drive enclosure to host the new SSD. This is what OWC would provide if you went with one of their kits.
   • Cloning software. A few that come to mind are: Carbon Copy Cloner, and SuperDuper!
2. Verify that you can boot your MacBook from the SSD.

   To do this:

   • Power-down your notebook.
   • Connect the SSD to one of the available USB ports on the notebook.
   • Power-up the notebook and at the startup chime hold down the Option key. Keep holding it down until you are presented with a screen that offers a number of drives to boot up from. In this case you would select the SSD.
   • If the notebook boots up successfully. Log in and verify that it "looks" just like before and that you can both access your applications and connect to the Internet.
   • Once verified successfully, you can power down the notebook and disconnect the SSD drive from the USB port.
3. Remove the original HD, and replace it with the SSD.
   • For this iFixIt is a great resource for step-by-step instructions.
   • After a successful drive replacement you can keep the original drive to either use it as a cloned backup or erase it and use it as an external drive. I would recommend the former.

I suggest that you pay a visit to Other World Computing (OWC). They offer advice on which SSDs work with the older MacBook Pros. You don't have to buy their offering, but you can, at least, get an idea on which ones work with your specific Apple notebook.

FWIW. I recently replaced a failed HD on my 2008 MacBook with one of their SSD solution packages and have been very satisfied with both the ease of doing so, and more importantly, with its performance over the original drive.

Hi,

The Sandisk should work fine. Although many people have success with the EVO, I've heard of more than its share of issues. I don't know why that would be, but if you search these forums, you'll find these cases. Personally, I wouldn't take the chance on the EVO.

Does that mean I should not try and install an SSD above 256GB? I was hoping to fit a 480GB drive if possible.

I don't think that will be an issue, but there is no way I can guarantee that it would work ... or not. If you decide to buy the drive through Amazon, just double-check their return policy ... which is typically outstanding when purchases do not work out.

Note: SSDs come either for SATA or PCIe connections. The latter can support much better data transfer rates. Be sure to get the correct one for your particular Mac ... which should be SATA. Again the iFixIt link I provided earlier should give you an idea on what drives work.

Ref: SSD Interface Comparison: PCI Express vs SATA - overclock

Hi Buddahat-

I put a 480 GB in my late 2008 MB Pro and it works without a hitch. Wish I had read Tesserax' instructions first! I went kinda backwards and put in the SSD first, then cloned my original from the external drive. More of a hassle, for certain. Another option, of course, is to "double" your hard drive space by putting one drive in the regular drive space and a second drive in the space where your super drive (CD/DVD) resides. Just mentioning...

You're welcome. 🙂