[xia]

Has anyone used the solid state drive on a Macbook? The 128GB SSD costs $405 extra on a MBP, vs 320GB SATA at 7200 rpm. Will like to hear if someone who are using it to comment on pros and cons (slow?).

Thanks in advance.

[Ted L. Nancy]

Yes. I use a SSD in my MacBook. (I have a 64GB Patriot that I got from newegg, not the upgrade option from the Apple store.) I agree with the overall consensus that the SSD offers a noticeable performance upgrade, especially when starting up the MB and opening applications.

You will be pleased with an SSD. It is anything but "slow," plus there's no risk of mechanical failure (the most common reason conventional HDs die).

I would not recommend getting your SSD through Apple, as the markup is severe. Just get a base-model HD and swap it out. Use the mechanical drive as a backup or eBay it.

[xia]

Thanks for the feedback. My current PB G4-12" had a hard disc failure within two years of usage and it costs me some thousands of $ to get all the contents recovered. Apple did a free HD replacement since I have the Apple care...

When you open a new MB or MBP to swap the HD, will it void the apple warranty?

Is there a particular brand or speed or version of SSD that I should get? Do we know what Apple uses in the system?

Thanks again!

[Maflynn]

No the hard drive is considered a user replaceable component in the MB(P)s

[hadocon]

Check into MLC vs. SLC SSD. There is a different type and one is much faster (and expensive) than the other.

[0157988944]

The hard drive is not user-replaceable on any MBP except the most recent ones just to clarify that.

[Ted L. Nancy]

I've swapped out HDs in older MBs and MBPs before and never had any trouble with my AppleCare. Just make it a point to put the original HD back in the computer if you ever send it in for repairs to Apple.

[Ted L. Nancy]

Originally Posted by xia 

Is there a particular brand or speed or version of SSD that I should get? Do we know what Apple uses in the system?

I have a 64GB Patriot. It works great for me. OCZ is another common brand. Check out dealmac.com for a snappy deal.

If you need maximum storage (128GB is the most you can hope to get out of an SSD right now), be prepared to spend about 300 bucks.

If you want the fastest and best, say goodbye to thrift and get a memoright.

There is another thread that recently discussed how we never know what brand HD will ship with your Apple laptop.

[CharlesS]

Originally Posted by hadocon 

Check into MLC vs. SLC SSD. There is a different type and one is much faster (and expensive) than the other.

SLC is faster than MLC, and also has greater longevity (its cells can be written to 100,000 times, vs. 10,000 for MLC) - but it's more expensive and comes in smaller sizes (I think SLC maxes out at 64 GB currently). Additionally, in true computer industry tradition, descriptions of SSD drives almost never mention whether the drive is SLC or MLC, although I suppose you could figure it out by price (if a drive is significantly more expensive than others of the same size, it's probably SLC).

[Ted L. Nancy]

Originally Posted by CharlesS 

SLC is faster than MLC, and also has greater longevity (its cells can be written to 100,000 times, vs. 10,000 for MLC) - but it's more expensive and comes in smaller sizes (I think SLC maxes out at 64 GB currently). Additionally, in true computer industry tradition, descriptions of SSD drives almost never mention whether the drive is SLC or MLC, although I suppose you could figure it out by price (if a drive is significantly more expensive than others of the same size, it's probably SLC).

Although this is all accurate and informative, I really wouldn't worry about slc vs. mlc at this point. SSDs are still a young addition to the industry. Most companies don't indicate whether their drive is slc or mlc because unless it is an slc, they don't have any reason to brag. Nonetheless, a mlc ssd has enough coolness to impress even the self-described above-average user.

Again, if super-duper, over-the-top, premium-priced performance is what you need, again, go with memoright and they can hook you up with a slc ssd. Don't forget to get two of them for your RAID setup! If you've got unlimited funds, the sky's the limit!

It should also be noted that although the lifespan of an mlc is probably less than 10% of an slc's, the mlc will still outlive your laptop... by at least 5 years.

The maximum capacity for slc is 128GB.

[CharlesS]

For typical laptop usage, yes. For heavy-duty enterprise use, this guy thinks they'd last about 6 months. Of course, no laptop user is ever going to get close to that kind of usage, but for something in between those two, who knows... meh, it'll probably be all right. SLC is still faster, though.

One thing the article brings up is that the larger size of MLC drives means there are more cells for the write leveling to spread writes across, which mitigates things a bit - and on that note, holy crap! 256 GB MLC drives are apparently going to be out real soon now. That's bigger than my current mechanical hard drive.

[xia]

Thanks everyone for the comments and info... I guess that one thing for sure is that the advancement of electronics never stops. Just look at the camera: when a camera is made of steel and glass, a 10-year old mechanical camera is as good as new (in its function). Now, every two months we see newer and better digital cameras that challenge our heart...