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Wayland · Aug 27, 2012, 07:16 AM

I have a 2009 2.2 ghz macbook pro, with the 3GB SATA and was thinking about upgrading to a 256 GB Agility 4 SSD. Has anyone tried this configuration yet? I am looking for a decent speed increase, but I don't think the Vertex 4 will do me any better.

mduell · Aug 27, 2012, 07:28 AM

That's a bit specific of a question.

Any SSD is better than a HDD. If you have the kind of workload where an SSD helps, the IO performance of the Vertex may be worthwhile.

Wayland · Aug 28, 2012, 06:48 AM

After researching a little bit, I've found that some SSDs do not like Nvidia controller on my macbook. I don't think this applies to the OCZ though. Also, suprisingly, some SSDs do not outperform normal HD's in all situations. I was just hoping someone else had tried this config already.

Waragainstsleep · Aug 28, 2012, 06:58 AM

I have an OCZ Octane in a 2008 MBP with the nVidia controller. It seems like the problem is often the SATA cable, rather than anything else. I eventually got mine to work and it is definitely faster than an HDD. Apps load quicker and boot time is a fraction.

Eug · Aug 28, 2012, 10:48 AM

Friends don't let friends buy OCZ SSDs.

Malcolm Owen · Aug 28, 2012, 12:40 PM

Originally Posted by Eug

Friends don't let friends buy OCZ SSDs.

I've learned that at my cost. Bought a replacement from another manufacturer that is arriving tomorrow...

P · Aug 29, 2012, 02:02 AM

Originally Posted by Eug

Friends don't let friends buy OCZ SSDs.

The Agilty 4 doesn't use the Sandforce controllers that you are so fond of. It uses an Indilinx Everest 2. That obviously eliminates the advantage wrt TRIM as well.

Wayland · Aug 29, 2012, 11:45 AM

I just checked the OCZ support forum for Mac/Linux. There seems to be an issue with the current 1.5 firmware and mountain lion. I will just wait until firmware 1.6 comes out. It seems like ssd firmware is a major issue.

Waragainstsleep · Aug 29, 2012, 02:49 PM

They warned me about that but I'm running Mountain Lion on an OCZ. Though I think my firmware is only 1.4.

Wayland · Sep 24, 2012, 06:55 AM

I recently purchased a 480 GB Agility 3 during the amazon sale. I thought I would update this thread with my impressions after a week.

Overall, the agility 3 is running like a champ. It came with the latest firmware 2.22 and already had the SATA fix. A lot of the drives with the Sandforce 2281 controller have an issue with the Nvidia SATA in the older macbooks. My drive had the OCZ patch already, which is nice. I installed the drive, did a time machine restore and everything was 100%.

There is only one thing I didn't forsee. The drive runs slightly hotter than my old hitachi 5k320. Previously, the fan was almost never on. Now it is on at the lowest setting every once in a while. Overall it is quieter though as the silent whoosh of the spinning hard drive is gone.

From what I gather, the Agility 4 is slightly faster than the Agility 3, but there is an issue with the current firmware. The agility 4 will be the drive to get in a couple of months.

P · Sep 24, 2012, 07:37 AM

The Agility 4 was the fastest drive until today, when it was beaten by the new Samsung 840 Pro. The regular Samsung 840 looks like it will be the budget alternative in a few months - only 3 years warranty, but it uses 3-bit MLC flash, which means that you can fit 50% more storage in the same die area as regular MLC drives.