SSD in a macbook?

[jmc]

For chirtsmas i'm going to revamp my girlfriends old macbook laptop with more memory and a SSD.

What im wondering is do I need to buy a certain brand of SSD due to it being a macbook, or will any 2.5" one work?

[jmc]

So.... didn't even need to ask, was a quick google. ha

[Sonomaa]

that being said, I love samsungs SSDs, they are bosslevel awesome

[Builttolast]

that being said, I love samsungs SSDs, they are bosslevel awesome

The 840 Pro are a great SSD. The non pro are made with MLC memory and last about half as long as the PRO on read/writes. They're fast but a time bomb.

For reliability I always use Intel drives. I have 2 of them plus an OCZ and have installed dozens of the intels.

[jmc]

Thats the next thing i'm trying to figure out, will probably be swapping out a 120 gb drive with the same size SSD since she hasn't even used 60 gb in the past 4 years. (somehow)

[hey]

The 840 Pro are a great SSD. The non pro are made with MLC memory and last about half as long as the PRO on read/writes. They're fast but a time bomb.

For reliability I always use Intel drives. I have 2 of them plus an OCZ and have installed dozens of the intels.

The pro is also mlc. The pro uses 2 bits per cell, the non-pro uses 3. Both should last longer than you'd want to keep them around anyway, in anything even resembling standard usage. In typical usage, it should last at least 10 years for a 128 gb model.

[Builttolast]

The pro is also mlc.

My apologies. This morning for some reason I typed MLC instead of TLC. The regular 840 (last time I looked into it) used TLC while the PRO uses the superior MLC Nand (the same every SSD manufacturer uses). TLC has on average 1/4 to 1/3 the writes of MLC however samsung use some firmware/controller trickery to extend that. It'll still last you 3-4 years of regular writes on a 128gb drive, assuming 70% capacity. The regular 840 is obviously cheaper and fine as long as you understand why. TLC costs about 2/3 what the MLC nand costs and it's reflected in that. I sell both and see no problem with both but I always like my customers especially to know exactly what they're buying. They're two completely different products for 2 very different markets.

You are right in that TLC uses 3 bits instead of 2 for MLC. This is part of the reason longevity is a problem. TLC nand was not designed for this application.

[jmc]

Thanks for the comments, think i'm going to go with http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820147192

SATA III is overkill, as i'm sure the macbook might not even have a sata II connection. However if it lasts longer, i'm all for it.

[Builttolast]

Thanks for the comments, think i'm going to go with http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820147192

SATA III is overkill, as i'm sure the macbook might not even have a sata II connection. However if it lasts longer, i'm all for it.

You will be happy with that and it will transfer to a new PC if you do get one with SATA3. It doesn't matter too much even SATA2 is 250MB/s read/write which is up to 4 times a mechanical HDD (they range from 60-100MB/s). They also allow for simultaneous read/writes which means they seem faster due to a shorter queue and no moving parts means no waiting milliseconds for the head to move or park/unpark. SATA3 will run at the 480-520MB/s that most SSDs are capable of if you do use it with a SATA3 chipset.

[Isiolia]

You'll likely need to force TRIM due to OS X being fussy if it's not an Apple-branded SSD. Instructions here (and a link to an app that'll do it).