[kga1978]

Hi,
I'm considering purchasing a SSD drive for some performance boost of my MBP 17" (early 2008). I have been considering four different disks and would like any input that people might have. All drives are SATA II standard and my MBP is SATA I, so I'm a little concerned about how well I can utilize the top spec drives (theoretically 150mb/s - most of the drives below are capable of better speeds). Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Disks I'm considering:
Crucial 128GB
I like Crucial memory and have read good reviews of this drive - but it is quite pricey
Newegg.com - Crucial CT128M225 2.5" 128GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid state disk (SSD) - Solid State Disks

Patriot KOI 128GB
'Specifically made for Apple' (whatever that means?), but high power consumption
Newegg.com - Patriot KOI PKA128GS25SSDR 2.5" 128GB SATA II Internal Solid state disk (SSD) - Solid State Disks

Corsair P128 128GB
Looks like an overall good drive, but some reports that it works badly with Apple
Newegg.com - Corsair P128 (CMFSSD-128GBG2D) 2.5" 128GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid state disk (SSD) - Solid State Disks

Intel X-25M 80GB
The king for a long time, but pricey and lower capacity.
Newegg.com - Intel X25-M Mainstream SSDSA2M080G2R5 2.5" 80GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid state disk (SSD) - Solid State Disks

Kingston V-series 128GB
Specs are not as good as the other disks, but the drive is super cheap and has (some) good reviews. Since my MBP is SATA I, maybe this would be the best deal.
Newegg.com - Kingston SSDNow V-Series SNV125-S2BN/128GB 2.5" 128GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid state disk (SSD) Notebook bundled accessory kit - Solid State Disks

Specs:
MacBook Pro 17" (Early 2008 - MacBookPro4,1), 2.5GHz C2D, 4gb ram, 200gb 7200RPM drive.

[Simon]

The Intel X-25M 80GB ($300 shipped) is certainly the fastest and best one. However it's also the priciest at $3.75/GB.

I might consider the Patriot KOI 128 GB ($385 shipped). It's cheaper at $3/GB but it's also got more capacity than Intel. If the Intel's 80GB isn't enough their next drive is 160GB and that one's already rather expensive ($500 shipped).

Even though it's being marketed at Mac people, I wouldn't really consider the OCZ Vertex 120GB ($455) because its just as expensive as the Intel at $3.79/GB.

[mduell]

Originally Posted by kga1978 

I'm considering purchasing a SSD drive for some performance boost of my MBP 17" (early 2008). I have been considering four different disks and would like any input that people might have. All drives are SATA II standard and my MBP is SATA I, so I'm a little concerned about how well I can utilize the top spec drives (theoretically 150mb/s - most of the drives below are capable of better speeds). Any help would be greatly appreciated.

SATA II was a comittee, not a standard. SATA II doesn't mean anything when it relates to standards.
The peak transfer rate isn't that important, since you'll spend most of your time not achieving it anyway.

Read Anandtech's SSD Relapse and buy a drive that doesn't suck for small transfers.

[Simon]

And SATA III (aka SATA 6 Gbps) is already shipping. So the misnomers are definitely here to stay.

[kga1978]

Hey guys,
Thanks for all your help. I decided to go for the 160gb Intel drive - it is more expensive, but most people have this as their first choice.

[Simon]

Good choice.

Be sure to let us know how it works out for you.

[CharlesS]

Those Intel drives are supposed to be blazing fast. You should be quite happy with it.

Let us know how it turns out.