What's the best SSD to put in a mid-2009 MacBook Pro?

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Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch unibody

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PhilLee May 23, 2011

What's the best SSD to put in a mid-2009 MacBook Pro?

Following on from my question about upgrading my MacBook Pro to a 2011 model, I now want to see what peoples thoughts are on the best SSD to use in a mid-2009 2.53GHz MacBook Pro with 8GB of RAM. There seems to be be a lot of conflicting info on the net so I thought I'd ask here.

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ArmpitOfDeath 2 years ago

As with Shlub, what I'm / was running on my 2009-> MBP's were the Vertex 2's and also the Intel X25-M's. (Actually, those are the SSD's I've been buying until recently for all of my aftermarket SSD requirements)

I prefer the Vertex 2 by a slight margin based on price / performance, but for uses where I want maximum reliability and zero hassle, I chose the Intel.

I have some of the new Intel 320's on order to upgrade some laptops I've inherited / dug up and will be using. Nothing to say about those yet, but based on reviews floating around I'd say this seems like a more solid alternative to both the X25 and the V2.

I wouldn't bother going with SATA3 drives - no point.

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parishreop 1 year ago

I have used both Vertex 2s & Intel X25s in the past and can second other's high opinions of them here, but if you're looking for a really easy to implement all-in-one upgrade "kit" so to speak with a drive in the same class, I'd recommend OWC's Mercury Extreme Pro SSDs (eshop.macsales.com/shop/internal_storage/Mercury_E...) and particularly their bundles including an SSD and their Data Doubler mounting bracket, allowing you to replace your optical drive with the SSD and thus retain your spindle drive. You didn't indicate whether you're looking to replace your MBP spin drive or augment it, but if you don't often need your optical drive, augmenting can be a great solution. It gives you the best of both worlds - size and speed - and allows you to get away with a smaller, cheaper SSD than you might otherwise be able to. I've used exclusively 64gb-class SSDs to upgrade my MBPs and never had space issues (by which I mean keeping the SSD loaded at no greater than 66% for a variety of performance & reliability concerns). The Data Doubler kit is $75 purchased alone for use with your 2.5-inch SSD of choice, but much cheaper when bundled with an OWC drive. See the 60gb example here: eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/DDMBSSD060/

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Shlub 2011-05-23 09:42:54

OCZ Vertex 2

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Thanegill 2011-05-23 13:18:13

You want the Vertex 3, it's much faster than the Vertex 2 ( 500Mb/s vs 250Mb/s). But you might want to wait until later this year or early next year. As the price for SSD are going to drop.

www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820...

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ArmpitOfDeath 2011-05-23 14:59:25

I suppose the only possible reason for going with a SATA3 drive is if you intend to move the SSD at a later juncture.

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ryantc 2011-05-26 03:00:39

Honestly, once you put in any modern SSD unless you do a lot of constant data reads or writes, you won't notice the difference in read/write rates as much as you will seek times. I'd go for the new Intel 320 series SSDs especially since they just upped their warranty to 5 years a few days ago. www.anandtech.com/show/4244/intel-ssd-320-review

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PhilLee 2011-06-10 13:26:50

As a follow up, I put a 240GB Vertex 2 in 10 days ago. It took some work to reduce the data on my internal disk but has made a world of difference to system performance. The MacBook now boots completely in less than 15 seconds. Aperture, Photoshop and Hype all load instantly. Can' wait for Lion and trim support.

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MacOff 2012-08-07 21:06:01

Phil, reading a year-old post of yours. A couple of Q's please. Is your computer a Mid 2009 Macbook Pro (5,3)? And if so, was the Vertex 2 any problem to get up and running, or are their any problems with throughput?

I had a conversation with OCZ today, and they recommended staying with the Vertex Plus series (their slowest ones), insisting that their higher speed SSDs can cause problems trying to cram so much data through the relatively slow SATA pipe in the MBP. It's really a 1.5 gb/sec pipe, but via Apple firmware update it's 3.0. OCZ says they've had issues.

Just wondering your experiences.

Thanks.

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PhilLee 2012-08-08 04:50:05

I've had no problems at all with the Vertex 2 in my mid-2009 MacBook Pro (2.53GHz, 8GB RAM). It boots quickly and sleeps wakes instantly. Apps start quickly too. Recently I've done a lot of encoding of ripped blu-rays using IVI and it's never missed a beat. It also handles Mountain Lion with no issues.

MacOff 2012-08-08 11:03:03

Thanks Phil. I wonder why OCZ was so adamant. Maybe they've had so many issues with the 3 and 4 models on the slower SATA machines that they've used a bit too much caution in their recommendations. But based on your experiences, I think I'll go for the Vertex 2. Nice to be in touch with someone in a similar situation. I've used IVI, and like it too.

sim12 2012-11-12 21:32:40

MacOff, which SSD are you buying then? I am also out in the market to upgrade. May be will wait till Black Friday.

And are you going the dta doubler route? I think I recall seeing some CD tray replacement choices on Amazon for a lot less than the option at Macsales.

MacOff 2012-11-13 11:17:22

Hey sim12, thanks for writing. I wound up with the OWC Mercury Electra 3G (480 gb). I found it for $300 on ebay, but they're even cheaper now, at least used. Yeah, that's a lot of money for a 2.5" drive, but man is it fast! And it's only going half the speed of the ones in newer Macs. My mid-2009 has a max speed of 3 gig speed.

If you're on a Mac that tops out at 3 gig SATA speed, I'd highly recommend looking at the Samsung 830 as well. Highly recorded! It comes in a variety of sizes, but make no mistake, all are the same basic drive. You will pay more, depending on how it's packaged. If it's going right into a Macbook Pro, you don't need anything but the drive itself… no brackets, etc. Looks like the best deals are for a 256 gb model, going for around $150 to $200, sometimes less on a special.

I have not gone the replacement bay route yet. If I did, personally I'd go with the Optibay www.mcetech.com/optibay/. I've seen the cheap ones on ebay as well, but I've heard they're not made well. If you call Optibay and talk to the techs, you'll be convinced why paying a bit more for theirs is better. I'll be getting one in the near future.

Hope this helps. (Incidentally, I am not affiliated in any way with the companies or products I've mentioned.)

sim12 2012-11-13 11:34:34

Thanks for the detailed reply.

I am charged up about being able to extend the life of my computer by another 1-2 years without feeling the need to upgrade.

And I am very reluctant to upgrade to the new Retina display MB Pros. They are expensive, and they are not at all upgradable.

Ideally, I should buy a 512GB SSD and replace my 500GB HDD, but that would cost $400 in today's prices. Vs if I purchased a 256GB OCZ with 5 year warranty, then I can do it in $200. And I will retain the HDD - not the best solution, but I will move most everything to the 256GB drive. I will kick out the photos, music and movies folder to the HDD. So hopefully the HDD can sleep most of the time.

$11 caddy with good reviews - www.amazon.com/Drive-Unibody-MacBook-SuperDrive-Re...

And $190 SSD - www.amazon.com/OCZ-Technology-2-5-Inch-Industrys-W...

If the $11 caddy which does have decent reviews does not work very well, then perhaps I will return and bite the bullet to buy the more expensive option. $11 Vs $58 sounds like quite a premium to pay without trying the $11 one...

Now the question is whether I should wait till Black Friday sales. Since it is only a week away perhaps I should.

Samsung 830 drives are more expensive and only offer 3 year warranty. Although, I will buy either of the two, based on what deal is being offered.

Looking forward. And thanks for the feedback.

Btw, do you know if I will get a 3G connection in the optibay as well? I know that is not your setup. I have a 2009 September purchased MB Pro with 2.8Ghz core 2 duo.