[Stephanie1982]

Hello,

let/s see if someone can help me!
I am not that great at keeping up my mac to make it perform the best it can.. so hopefully someone can give me some advice!

I have a Macbook pro mid-2009 (here are the specs)

Processor 2.26 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
Memory 2 GB 1067 MHz DDR3
Software OS X 10.8.2 (12C60)
160 GB SATA Disk


As you can probably tell by just reading these figures is that my computer has been EXTREMELY slow... and don't worry.. I have purchased 8gb of RAM and will be installing it as soon as I receive it.

Throughout my research though, I have seen another way to maximise the mac performance is switching from hard drive to SSD.
So my question is.. what's the difference? How can I purchase the correct SSD for my MacBook? Is it something I can do on my own (I have previously installed RAM on previous computers with no problems :-) )

Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated!

thank you again,

Stephanie

[Waragainstsleep]

In that MacBook Pro its no harder to switch the HDD for an SSD than it is fit RAM in it.

People have different preferences as to make and model though Samsung 830 or 840 series SSDs come well recommended IIRC. I do not currently advise you to get an OCZ.

If you want to 100% sure that you will get one that works well in your Mac without doing research on different models, I'd say buy one from OWC (http://eshop.macsales.com). Any SSD they sell will be guaranteed to work properly and while you are at it you can get a 2.5" USB enclosure to help you transfer files from your old disk after the new one is in.

[Stephanie1982]

Thank you!
In my research though I have seen vertex 2 SSD 240GB OCZ 2,5" is a good option for a mid-2009 macbook pro.
However, you dont recommend OCZ?

Also, I live in Italy, so i need to find a website to purchase from that delivers here...
that's why i wanted to identify model first.. and then find the cheapest price at a website that in fact delivers to Italy (there are quite a few :-) ).

What do you think?

[Stephanie1982]

Also... you say I need a 2.5" USB enclosure? What is that? I was planning to back up my files on an external hard drive (using time nachine? i still need to figure that one out), and use a USB key with the mountain lion recovery disk assistant..

what's the difference?

[mduell]

Any SATA SSD will do.. the Crucial M4 are popular for value and the Samsung 840 are popular for performance. You probably want a 256GB model to give you some space to grow over your existing 160GB.

[Stephanie1982]

thanks mduell :-)
however... I dont think I quite understand.. could you let me know precisely which one to search for (or which ones) would be good for such a dated computer as mine? I was quite keen on the vertex 2 SSD 240GB OCZ 2,5" ... but as waragainstsleep said.. ocz is not good?

Also, is backing up on time machine good enough to backup?

thank you all for your help! i am sure it;s like explaining this stuff to a 3rd grader!

[mduell]

The age of the computer doesn't really matter within reason, SATA is all forward/backward compatible.
Crucial M4 256GB
Samsung 840 250GB
The price gap has closed enough I'd take the Samsung.

OCZ doesn't have the best reputation. Anecdotally I have one and it died without warning at about 18 months, but the RMA was painless.

Time Machine is a fine backup.

[Stephanie1982]

Thank you all for your suggestions! I will now focus on these models :-)

[Stephanie1982]

The Samsung has two options: one just the SSD and one with the installation kit...

Spend a little more and you get a kit instead of just the SSD. You get a 3.5-inch installation bracket, a US- to-SATA cable, a new version of the SSD Magician software and Samsung's own data-migration software. The software can copy your existing hard disk including OS to your new SSD.


Do I really need the kit? What is the US to SATA cable?
ANd if I use time machine.. do I need their software for data migration? Is it just easier to use theirs?

thank you and apologies for all these questions!

[Waragainstsleep]

No idea what a US to SATA cable is but you shouldn't need any cables, they are already in the MBP. You also don't need the 3.5" kit and the Samsung software will be Windows only and therefore useless to you, so no you don't need the kit version.

[shifuimam]

Pretty sure she means USB to SATA...

To the OP: that cable will let you plug your old drive into your computer over USB. The old drive will show up as a regular external hard drive and you can use the migration assistant to restore your stuff - it's pretty idiot-proof.

The migration software that comes with any of these drives is almost guaranteed to not be Mac-compatible. You don't need it, though - Migration Assistant that comes with OS X will do everything for you and is very simple to do. It will prompt you when you install OS X to transfer all your stuff over from your old drive.