Resolved 750GB SATA @ 7200rpm VS. 128GB SSD

[ColonelTwinkie]

(I'm pretty new to this forum, so please excuse my noobieness)

I was planning on buying a 17" Macbook Pro this summer as I will be starting high school in the fall. My question is, should I go for a 750GB 7200 rpm SATA hard drive, or a 128GB Solid State drive? I don't necessarily need 750GB, but I'm a bit skeptical about having 128GB because I do plan on dual-booting Windows and using some large programs such as AutoCAD etc.

Any opinions are welcome!

 

[simsaladimbamba]

If you don't mind the speed difference between an SSD and HDD, go for the 750 GB HDD, as 120 GB can be a bit small for dual booting purposes, depending on the size of the applications.

You could also looking into replacing the HDD with an SSD yourself and using the HDD as extra HDD inside the MBP (I and others do so) or as external HDD.

MacBook, MacBook Pro: Replacing the Hard Disk Drive, transferring data to the new HDD

the guide includes:

• 0. Identify your MacBook or MacBook Pro
• 1. Getting a new HDD
• 2. Guides to replace the internal HDD with a newer one
• 3. Transferring data from the old HDD to the new HDD
• 4. Using the optical disk drive (ODD) slot for placing an SSD or HDD inside the MB/P (OPTIBAY)

​

SSD Buying Guide by Hellhammer​

 

[AppChat]

its either space or increased speed at a fraction of thespace

if u can live iwht 120gb go for it.

i have 120gb. i wont lie i do videos and stuff so i ahve to weekly move stuff to my 2tb time capsule and delete stuff.

if u can afford it go bigger but ssds are still pricy.

IMHO stick with the stoc drive for now

 

[ColonelTwinkie]

If you don't mind the speed difference between an SSD and HDD, go for the 750 GB HDD, as 120 GB can be a bit small for dual booting purposes, depending on the size of the applications.

You could also looking into replacing the HDD with an SSD yourself and using the HDD as extra HDD inside the MBP (I and others do so) or as external HDD.

MacBook, MacBook Pro: Replacing the Hard Disk Drive, transferring data to the new HDD

the guide includes:

• 0. Identify your MacBook or MacBook Pro
• 1. Getting a new HDD
• 2. Guides to replace the internal HDD with a newer one
• 3. Transferring data from the old HDD to the new HDD
• 4. Using the optical disk drive (ODD) slot for placing an SSD or HDD inside the MB/P (OPTIBAY)

​

SSD Buying Guide by Hellhammer​

Ok, say I decide to get an OptiBay, would it be worth it to put a 16gb SSD in the OptiBay to run my core OSX and Windows on and keep the rest of my stuff on the SATA?

 

[Medic278]

I would go with the 750 HDD. 128 is not a lot of space at all. I have a 128GB SSD in my MBA and I am forever moving products off it onto my other machines or external HDD. If you really want an SSD you can do one of two things, 1. Buy a Hybrid drive (SSD+HDD) they are larger and are for example a 4GB SSD cache and a 500GB HDD its kind of the best of both worlds. 2. If you can live without the optical drive you can buy an SSD and remove the optical drive and drop the SSD in there. There are many kits available to do this. Generally speaking if your going to be using CAD software your probably going to want and need more than 128GB.

 

[simsaladimbamba]

Ok, say I decide to get an OptiBay, would it be worth it to put a 16gb SSD in the OptiBay to run my core OSX and Windows on and keep the rest of my stuff on the SATA?

16 GB for Mac OS X and Windows and applications and temporary files is too small. 64 GB might be okay, but as a 120 GB SSD can be had for less than 150 USD, I would go for 120 GB.

 

[AppChat]

Ok, say I decide to get an OptiBay, would it be worth it to put a 16gb SSD in the OptiBay to run my core OSX and Windows on and keep the rest of my stuff on the SATA?

ok ignore my post then...

 

[ColonelTwinkie]

16 GB for Mac OS X and Windows and applications and temporary files is too small. 64 GB might be okay, but as a 120 GB SSD can be had for less than 150 USD, I would go for 120 GB.

Ok, so maybe a 32 GB? I am trying to keep the budget as low as possible since the laptop is already $2600.

----------

ok ignore my post then...

Sorry, I'm not trying to ignore anyone's posts.

I'm just trying to find the best compromise keep it fast for a while without spending too much.

 

[simsaladimbamba]

Ok, so maybe a 32 GB? I am trying to keep the budget as low as possible since the laptop is already $2600.

What if you buy an SSD later?
I ran a 60 GB SSD in my MBP without any additional internal HDD, and 60 GB was cutting it for just Mac OS X usage, but I also have an Applications folder with up to 20 GB of files in it.

Or get a 32 GB SSD and install your primary OS on it and use the 750 GB HDD to install the secondary OS onto it with an additional partition or two for data storage.

 

[Medic278]

Ok, so maybe a 32 GB? I am trying to keep the budget as low as possible since the laptop is already $2600.

Welcome to Apple prepare to pay the tax and open your wallet please. In all seriousness perhaps your should hold on the upgrade until you get your hands on it and see how it performs. If you want to increase its speed on the cheap increase the RAM and hold off on the SSD until you can afford one. Your talking about a pretty small SSD, and odds are once you buy it and go threw the hassle of installing it your going to decide its too small and you need bigger. Then what do you do with a tiny SSD, good luck selling it. I say you wait and get it and use it a bit before deciding its too slow for you. If you really want to do an upgrade, upgrade the RAM you'll notice a difference and its hundreds of dollars cheaper. Your talking about a major upgrade before you even have it and used it. Give it a chance it may surprise you, like you said its a $2600 computer, you shouldn't have to dump another few hundred dollars into it right out the gate.

 

[ColonelTwinkie]

Welcome to Apple prepare to pay the tax and open your wallet please. In al seriousness perhaps your should hold on the upgrade until you get your hands on it and see how it performs. If you want to increase its speed on the cheap increase the RAM and hold off on the SSD until you can afford one. Your talking about a pretty small SSD, and odds are once you buy it and go threw the hassle of installing it your going to decide its too small and you need bigger. Then what do you do with a tiny SSD, good luck selling it. I say you wait and get it and use it a bit before deciding its too slow for you. If you really want to do an upgrade, upgrade the RAM your notice a difference and its hundreds of dollars cheaper.

Haha, I do understand that nothing pertaining to Macs is cheap. I see what you're saying.

I will probably just go with the 7200rpm and upgrade later if I really need to.

Thanks!

 

[Medic278]

Haha, I do understand that nothing pertaining to Macs is cheap. I see what you're saying.

I will probably just go with the 7200rpm and upgrade later if I really need to.

Thanks!

Now thats a mature and sensible solution.