MacBook Pro : OWC vs Vertex 4 vs Other?

[vol7ron]

I've got an early 2011 model MacBook Pro (8,2) and currently am using the 120GB 6G OWC Mercury Electra (http://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/SSDEX6G120/)

It hasn't even been a year and I am sure to run out of space soon. So I am looking at the 240GB 6G Merc. Electra vs the 240 GB OWC Merc. Extreme vs the 256GB Vertex 4.

I don't have as much time to research drives as much as I used to and I surely don't have much familiarity with Mac compatability (usually run windows) - in fact, one of the reason I need more spaces is to install Windows/Parallels.

I have (3) main priorities in trying to get the biggest bang for the buck:

1. Price - obviously the reason I didn't go with the OWC M.Exteme was due to price
2. Performance - that's a broad category, so primarily burst speed and Random seeks/writes
3. Power Consumption - I tend to keep this laptop in sleep more than I have with any other device and have been trying to properly power cycle the battery; I am hoping a better power-friendly SSD might make my use even more enjoyable


I've heard a lot about the Vertex 4 having firmware issues and wondering if that still plagues those drives today. I would gladly pay the $20 more for the V4 vs the Electra, if the performance/battery warrants it and I don't have to jump through hoops to flash the drive.

Any other thoughts are appreciated - I'm guessing that the next round of drives are soon to appear on the market, so costs seem pretty reasonable right now.

 

[jwilliams4200]

Stay away from OCZ SSDs!

For a Macbook Pro, I suggest a Samsung 830.

 

[JSK0703]

I bought the Vertex 4 and have had it for about a week now. I know there have been some negatives with OCZ but I can't complain so far. Yes, it is true that firmware updates are destructive and wipe the drive. But for someone like me that's no big deal since it takes me about 15 minutes to restore my PC.

5 year warranty is nice as well. Hopefully I'll never need it though. Honestly, I bought the 128GB as a stopgap. With the way I like to upgrade I'll probably be adding a larger SSD by the end of the year.

 

[vol7ron]

Stay away from OCZ SSDs!

For a Macbook Pro, I suggest a Samsung 830.

Why is that? From what I've seen the OWCs seem to fair better than the SS830; however the 830 does seem to have a little better power consumption. Just curious about the reasoning there.

I bought the Vertex 4 and have had it for about a week now. I know there have been some negatives with OCZ but I can't complain so far. Yes, it is true that firmware updates are destructive and wipe the drive. But for someone like me that's no big deal since it takes me about 15 minutes to restore my PC.

5 year warranty is nice as well. Hopefully I'll never need it though. Honestly, I bought the 128GB as a stopgap. With the way I like to upgrade I'll probably be adding a larger SSD by the end of the year.

But did you have to flash the firmware and do you have a Mac - I've read that you need to do it in Windows, as an external drive or hooked up to the SataIII port.

 

[Arachnotronic]

I bought the Vertex 4 and have had it for about a week now. I know there have been some negatives with OCZ but I can't complain so far. Yes, it is true that firmware updates are destructive and wipe the drive. But for someone like me that's no big deal since it takes me about 15 minutes to restore my PC.

5 year warranty is nice as well. Hopefully I'll never need it though. Honestly, I bought the 128GB as a stopgap. With the way I like to upgrade I'll probably be adding a larger SSD by the end of the year.

Seconded. Don't let the BS OCZ haters sway you, OP. I've used a bunch of OCZ Vertex 4 drives in machines that I ship to clients (and warranty) and I sleep well at night. They're great drives that perform well and are pretty cheap, too, especially for the performance you get. I'd trade my SSD 510 for a 256GB Vertex 4 in a heartbeat (any of your anti-OCZers want to take me up on that?)

 

[slow_poke]

Yeah, lol, all those guys just got up one day and said I will hate on ocz today for no reason.

 

[Arachnotronic]

Yeah, lol, all those guys just got up one day and said I will hate on ocz today for no reason.

Hating on OCZ for their past isn't cool, especially if they've cleaned up their act.

 

[jwilliams4200]

Don't let show OCZ paid shills and deluded OCZ fanboys lead you to make a terrible mistake and buy OCZ.

There is only one reason to ever buy an OCZ product, and that is if you are so short of money that saving a couple bucks is worth the risk to you of getting an SSD with poor quality control from a company that has a long history of dishonesty and rushing products to market too soon.

There has been a lot of evidence presented in these forums about trouble and problems with OCZ SSDs. Just look for yourself.

 

[jwilliams4200]

Why is that? From what I've seen the OWCs seem to fair better than the SS830; however the 830 does seem to have a little better power consumption. Just curious about the reasoning there.

There is not much comparison information available on how much trouble purchasers of OWC SSDs have. Also, all of the OWC SSDs I am familiar with use Sandforce, and I think Sandforce should be avoided. The Samsung 830 SSDs compare favorably to all the other major brands, coming in second only to Plextor for having a low chance of trouble for newegg reviewers.

Samsung SSDs are known to work well with Macs. Plextor SSDs are a bit of an unknown to me when it comes to Macs.

So I recommend going with a Samsung 830.

 

[npaladin-2000]

First, ignore the (dis)organized opposition to OCZ. Second: listen to an honest man. I like OCZ's latest products and think they're very good. I would not recommend one for you because they are still working on some lingering issues with Macbooks here and there. OWC, on the other hand, is very Mac-oriented and you might have better luck with one.

Other options to check out would be the Crucial M4 and the Plextor M3S. The Plextor also has a 5 year warranty.

 

[vol7ron]

There is not much comparison information available on how much trouble purchasers of OWC SSDs have. Also, all of the OWC SSDs I am familiar with use Sandforce, and I think Sandforce should be avoided.

I'm a fairly new Mac user. Though, with how powerful CPUs are today and this Parallels VM software, I'm not sure if I'd go back; it feels like I have the best of both worlds, albeit I am not a huge fan of Apple...rant... anyhow, on to my response.

My first SSD for this was an OWC and it had a sleep/hibernation problem. Spent $30 to x-ship and pay for shipping and it's finally working; it's just a little short on space. From what I've seen, they over provision enough so that the drive doesn't degrade when it's full - and I'm about full now.

I decided to go with the 830, mainly for price. The drives on this controller have been out quite a while now and I expect the next batch to be on its way. My SSD purchases have been 80..120..256GB (you can probably make out who the manufacturers are). I'm still biding my time until I can get 1TB at ~$250 (today's 250GB prices). I want 2-3 for my work station and then about 10TB of HDDs for reliable backups/longterm storage.

Anyhow, I'm for competition and Samsung doesn't seem to have too many issues. All seem to perform pretty well for what I need these days, aside for the Vertex 4. From what I've read those drives are nice once the firmware is updated, but it's a pain to update and it's even worse if you are using a Mac. I can use my Windows box, but I don't want to mess with the hassle if I don't have to - spoken like a true consumer.

Next plan of attack is to see if I can find a decent multi-bay 2.5" SSD ->USB3/1394 enclosure, so that I can combine all these cards into one slim device.

 

[mosco]

I would also get an 830 or a crucial M4. I ran a 128GB crucial M4 in a macbook pro for work for a while, and a 830 in a hackintosh.

Also, install http://www.groths.org/?page_id=322.

Good deal coming up on the 830,

http://slickdeals.net/f/4683360-256...it-MZ-7PC256D-AM-240-Free-Shipping-Starts-6-4

 

[bradley]

If the OP weren't on a Mac, I would tell him get a 256GB Plextor M3, currently $199 after rebate @ Newegg. I'm not aware if some of the Mac issues have been resolved with this particular drive. There are also some pretty cool coupons floating around for Neweggbusiness.com for 10-15%.

 

[vol7ron]

I would also get an 830 or a crucial M4. I ran a 128GB crucial M4 in a macbook pro for work for a while, and a 830 in a hackintosh.

Also, install http://www.groths.org/?page_id=322.

Good deal coming up on the 830,

http://slickdeals.net/f/4683360-256...it-MZ-7PC256D-AM-240-Free-Shipping-Starts-6-4

That's the price I got it at (actually a couple $ cheaper) a week or so ago.

If the OP weren't on a Mac, I would tell him get a 256GB Plextor M3, currently $199 after rebate @ Newegg. I'm not aware if some of the Mac issues have been resolved with this particular drive. There are also some pretty cool coupons floating around for Neweggbusiness.com for 10-15%.

Yep, that's one thing MS should really talk about in their ads. If you want your share of hardware or devices to run on your system, you probably need Windows. I like both and could really live with either - after all they work for me and not the other way around

 

[kowalabearhugs]

If the OP weren't on a Mac, I would tell him get a 256GB Plextor M3, currently $199 after rebate @ Newegg. I'm not aware if some of the Mac issues have been resolved with this particular drive. There are also some pretty cool coupons floating around for Neweggbusiness.com for 10-15%.

I've been running the Plextor M3 in my 2011 15" Macbook Pro for the past 5 months. I have run both Snow Leopard and Lion and have had zero issues. This is with heavy production usage via CS5, Lightroom, and Final Cut. Additionally, I have not had to run any firmware updates.

+1 for the Plextor M3