SSD in a 2009 Mac Mini, worth it? Transferring my OSX install as well

[SAWYER]

I came across a cheap OCZ Agility 3 240GB SSD and am thinking of putting it in my Mini. My specs are 2.53 ghx C2D, 4 gigs ram and a 750 gig hard drive. My disc drive does not work so I am thinking of putting a drive in its place.

I dont game and I think my Mini is quick as is, would I notice a big difference. If I do swap is there a way to get my OSX install on the ssd?

 

[TheStu]

Q: Should I put an SSD into a non-SSD system, assuming the cost is not detrimental?
A: Yes. YES!

Q: How do I transfer my existing install over?
A: You can do the following:
1: Pull your old drive
2: Put your SSD in
3: Put the old drive into an external enclosure
4: Using Carbon Copy Cloner or SuperDuper!, clone your old drive to your new one, you can specify what to copy since there will be a disparity in the sizes
5: Done and done.

Since you want to try putting the SSD into the optical bay, you should check this out.

 

[SAWYER]

I am only concerned with copying the install. I dont have anything on it that I am concerned with. I have an sata/ide adapter that I can hook up drives to so I assume I can put my 750 on it and copy it that way

 

[TheStu]

I am only concerned with copying the install. I dont have anything on it that I am concerned with. I have an sata/ide adapter that I can hook up drives to so I assume I can put my 750 on it and copy it that way

Yes, but if you don't have anything that you are concerned with, you could just do a clean install, and then migrate your stuff over from the other drive.

 

[suncare]

Yes, but if you don't have anything that you are concerned with, you could just do a clean install, and then migrate your stuff over from the other drive.

I agree.

 

[PCTC2]

Yes, but if you don't have anything that you are concerned with, you could just do a clean install, and then migrate your stuff over from the other drive.

Yeah. Definitely. I used to work for a Mac IT desk and we had to upgrade customers all the time to either new systems or new SSDs. We fresh-installed, put their old disk into an enclosure, and then used Migration Assistant to pull over all user data.

 

[Kaido]

Yes, SSD's make a big difference. I put them in 5-10 year old Dells all the time (sometimes with IDE adapters, hah!) and they make a HUGE difference. My current favorite brand is the Mushkin Chronos Deluxe series. Then just throw your old drive in a cheap USB case.

I would also recommend doing a clean install and then copying your files over. I'm personally not a huge fan of Migration Assistant or anything like that, I like fresh, clean installs with fresh app installs & updates, and then the file transfer. It's not for everyone, but you know you're getting a 100% "good" system from the get-go.