Both Silicon Power and Zheino, which I use, are still in production and available for sale. Both SSDs that I purchased within the past year or two, both you can find in various capacities on eBay.
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New SSD for late 2008 15" MBP
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Well, first, just listing the brand names doesn't really help since it's very dependent on the specific model. Also, some models may use different controllers in different production runs, although often times we have no way of knowing that as end users without specifically checking once we have the drives in hand. However, we can at least list the model numbers.
Second, I personally would avoid brands like Zheino, unless it's just to get an old machine up and running just for fun. Zheino sometimes uses reclaimed flash, which means they buy old used flash from companies that harvest it from dead SSDs, and then put it in their "new" SSDs.
I'm less sure about Silicon Power, but it seems that Silicon Power drives have a reputation online for failing prematurely.
For budget drives, I've tended instead to go with DRAM-less models from the mainstream manufacturers, such as the Crucial BX500. I haven't used that in a MacBook though. I used it in my Mac Pro (1,1->2,1) with good results.
Silicon Power Ace A55 2.5" 512GB SATA III. Shown in Post #2.
Zheino sells exactly one model SSD in 2.5" size. The only differences are the capacity. I have both the 512GB and the 1TB.
All three drives perform just fine, I've not had any issues.
I do also have a Zheino mSATA 128GB SSD in my 17" PowerBook. That's been in there for about two or three years. Still performing.
I'm not saying that what you say is not true, it's just that I have not experienced any of that. And these models have worked for my Macs.
The one Samsung I tried, on a suggestion from a member here, was recognized by my Mac once and then never again. It didn't work. I trust Zheino enough that it's the boot drive for my MacPro.
Just my experience.
Oh, am I the lucky guy loved by the gods of SolidStateDrives ...?
I have used quite a lot of different SSDs from various manufacturers (Crucial, Samsung, Kingston, WD, intel ) without any problems and even without thinking.
Well, maybe sheer luck - but I would continue to go with the flow and check for best reviews in high numbers before I buy. The rest is trial and error! And luck.
There are alway a few bad apples in the basket, so better buy there, where returning of a faulty product is no hassle.
I have used quite a lot of different SSDs from various manufacturers (Crucial, Samsung, Kingston, WD, intel ) without any problems and even without thinking.
Well, maybe sheer luck - but I would continue to go with the flow and check for best reviews in high numbers before I buy. The rest is trial and error! And luck.
There are alway a few bad apples in the basket, so better buy there, where returning of a faulty product is no hassle.
When I mention my positive experience with stuff like the Dogfish or iRecdata line of SSD in old Macs, I’m assuming all components within that m.2, mSATA, or 2.5-inch form factor is using the same on-board components throughout even if this might not be the case. The end-outcome — does it work reliably? — is what I’m most interested to know.
This is where @EugW has a point which wasn’t anything consumers would have considered until pretty recently:
A few months back, Linus (of Linus Tech Tips) found how within a line of solid state storage (they tested volatile RAM specifically, but the same conditions and principle applies to non-volatile SSDs, as well) can vary substantively without a need for the manufacturer to inform end-consumers explicitly, per se.
This issue may be exacerbated as a function/by-product of the tech consumables’ economies of scale being hit recently by chip shortages, and also may be a function of high demand for specific name brand products. Given how LTT above tested Samsung RAM (and the same has apparently occurred with Samsung EVO 970 SSDs, as well), this issue may be most relevant for high-end, high-demand stuff like gaming or enterprise applications.
But given how we’re mostly discussing consumer-level SSDs which, in effect, are commodity items whose demands don’t exactly peak all at once the same way a high-end, specialized SSD (or RAM) line might, I doubt the Zheinos, Dogfishes, or even WD Blue/Green SSDs we’re discussing here are going to see that much variance within the line even if there is a difference between the solid-state chips used between a unit made this month versus, say, a unit made two or six months ago of the same model number and specs.
Which is to say:
Yah, I bought some Dogfish m.2 SSDs in 2020, and some of those are still available presently from the same sellers and have the same specs as then, but I’m not going to worry myself too much about whether the ones I buy now could have different non-volatile-sourced chips from what was being supplied in 2020. The reason I’m not going to worry is they are more than ample — 2020 or now — for the vintage gear on which I’m running the SSDs (or in the write-occasionally-read-frequently use-cases I have with my music, television, and film library archives) and they are all but likely to be just as compatible as the ones I bought previously.
Which is still unacceptable if it affects performance. I expect consistent quality, longevity and performance within a line.
Legit.
For the above applications, I expect longevity, quality, and stability foremost.
I am now using that Crucial BX500 120 GB in my 2008 MacBook (5,1). It works fine, with full SATA II speeds.
(That machine previously had an Intel SSD 330 that was working, but only negotiated at SATA I speeds.)
I have two 256 mSATA Zeheino's in my both my PowerBooks and they have been working great as well. I was a bit nervous about the brand as I had never heard of them, but neither have failed yet and work perfectly. Most meaningful upgrade I have ever done to either machine.
Yeah, I was hesitant too at first. The very first Zheino I got was that mSATA for my PB. I got it at a good price, so I figured I could replace it pretty easily if it turned out to be garbage.
But when it kept performing I just stuck with the brand for my next purchases. None of those have failed. Perhaps they may not be the 'best' and considered lower spec SSDs around here but they work and they are plenty quick for me.
I did try a different brand later on, just to see what else was out there. Silicon Power is also pretty good, although the design specs skew towards reading faster than writing.
I'm pretty happy with Zheino though.
If I can’t get Dogfish here and/or they get more spendy, I’ll be definitely be looking into Zheino next.
I have had nothing but good experiences with Dogfish media — from the 128GB m.2 (in my SL-PPC Mac) and 256GB m.2 (in another PowerBook), to the 1TB m.2 (a pair of which are used in a RAID stripe configuration in an external FireWire enclosure).
For these old Macs, with name brand drives like the Lexar NQ100 going for US$45 for 480 GB, I don't see the attraction of going with an off brand if you're in the US.
Here in Canada the Lexar isn't as cheap, but other models like the SanDisk Ultra 3D and Kingston A400 are inexpensive, only maybe 5-10% more than the off brands.
YMMV in other countries.
Here in Canada the Lexar isn't as cheap, but other models like the SanDisk Ultra 3D and Kingston A400 are inexpensive, only maybe 5-10% more than the off brands.
YMMV in other countries.
We all work with different budgets.
When a line of SSDs shows an established track record for reliability, especially on obsoleted Macs whose exchange value in some cases might be less than replacing an HDD with an SSD solution — and that SSD line is less spendy than a Lexar or a Samsung or whatever — then there ought to be nothing at issue with using that line of SSDs.
Now, if someone insists that I ought to use a big name brand and forgo a smaller brand with positive results and reviews, then I have a Bitcoin wallet in my sig line where folks can send stuff.
The only “on-brand” (i.e., major name brand) storage stuff I buy in Canada these days comes from Western Digital, and that’s usually because they’re spinners. The rest, also bought in Canada from Canadian retailers, have been stuff from Dogfish and iRecdata.
In Canada, off brand drives cost all of $3 less at the 480-500 GB size than the name-brand drives I've mentioned, and sometimes they actually cost more, and also often have iffy warranties.We all work with different budgets.
When a line of SSDs shows an established track record for reliability, especially on obsoleted Macs whose exchange value in some cases might be less than replacing an HDD with an SSD solution — and that SSD line is less spendy than a Lexar or a Samsung or whatever — then there ought to be nothing at issue with using that line of SSDs.
Now, if someone insists that I ought to use a big name brand and forgo a smaller brand with positive results and reviews, then I have a Bitcoin wallet in my sig line where folks can send stuff.
The only “on-brand” (i.e., major name brand) storage stuff I buy in Canada these days comes from Western Digital, and that’s usually because they’re spinners. The rest, also bought in Canada from Canadian retailers, have been stuff from Dogfish and iRecdata.
Dunno about Zheino, but I have seen a fair number of posts about Dogfish drives going belly up within months. Yes, I've also occasionally seen that with name brands, but the proportion is much lower.
I would need to see this with cited references (Web Archive links are fine) for pricing of feature-matched m.2 SSDs in 2019 or early 2020, between a name-brand you prefer and, say, Dogfish or Zheino.
In April 2019, the Dogfish 250GB m.2 SSD was $60, Canadian, shipping included, with a 3-year warranty. It has run 24/7, almost continuously, since buying it.
Presently, from Newegg-dot-ca, the exact same Dogfish is $54, shipping included, with a 3-year warranty. Dogfish’s core business is solid state storage. I’ve had no surprises or hiccups from it or any of the other Dogfish SSDs I run in my gear.
The next “popular name brand” in pricing is a Silicon Power (SP) 256GB model. It retails for $52 plus $20 shipping ($72), with a 3-year warranty. SP make lots of products, not just SSDs.
After that? The next “popular name brand” is the WD Blue 3D 250GB, 5-year warranty, retails for $65 plus $20 shipping ($85), with a 5-year warranty. Paying $60, in-store, would be worth it, provided it’s in stock. The opportunity cost of picking it up myself is negligible (I live in a major city). With its 5-year warranty and a long, steady history of doing one thing and one thing well (mass storage), the WD Blue is a solid contender. In fact, the early 2008 MBP I use as a daily driver runs on a WD Blue m.2 500GB SSD. I went with that because a major retailer with local walk-in locations had it on sale with an in-store rebate (you can probably guess where).
Silicon Power, whilst fine for things like their SD cards, isn’t a brand or product I find to be worth the 10–12 per cent increase over the Dogfish when I know quite little about the broader reliability of their m.2 SSDs. They might be wonderful, but I just don’t know.
Lexar doesn’t appear to presently sell a SATA m.2 unit in the 240/250/256GB range. Maybe I’m wrong and neither Newegg nor other Canadian retailers are stocking one presently.
So pan back with some context: that Dogfish SSD I bought in 2019, coupled with an m.2-to-2.5-inch adapter, cost me about $5 more than what I paid for the entire 17-inch PowerBook G4 into which I installed them. I thought this was reasonable, given the spinner alternative.
Throw some links down below. I’d be delighted to review them.
OK.
I don’t make a lot of money, and so it behooves me to exercise due diligence when it comes to shopping for, well, anything and everything. The differences in m.2 SATA SSD pricing in 2019 and 2020 for what was around then wasn’t insignificant (such as the arbitrary $3 you suggested). Because if this were the case, then my buying decision then would have followed a different direction.
I also don’t wish to argue or belabour this point any further.
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The OP is asking about buying a drive now, not 2-3 years ago. The market has drastically changed since then.
The Kingston A400 240 GB goes for $41.50 at Amazon Canada. The lowest cost 2.5" Dogfish 240 GB goes for $48. You can get a Silicon Power 256 GB for $37 though.
The comparison gets worse at 480-500 GB. The SanDisk Ultra 3D 500 GB is $60. The lowest cost 2.5" Dogfish 480 GB is $73. The Silicon Power 512 GB is $60.
All prices are in Canadian dollars. BTW, I usually don't shop at Newegg.ca anymore, because their shipping usually kills the deal, and their return policies are not the greatest.
P.S. When I got my 2014 Mac mini in November, I paid $53 for a 500 GB Western Digital SN550 NVMe drive, which is much faster than all of those above SATA drives. Again, that's Canadian dollars.
Because at the time I got my mSATA 3 for my 17" PB I'd already been burned by a Samsung drive. It worked for all of a few minutes. So I was looking for anything NOT Samsung.
I had no idea Lexar sold SSDs, it didn't come up at the time in my eBay search (and I wasn't looking at Amazon) but Zheino did. Once I got it and it worked and continued to work I just stuck with the brand.
Had it been Lexar in that moment I'd be promoting it now - but it didn't come up then.
The original poster has enough input to make an informed buying decision.
Aside from the 2019 and 2020 mentions of past purchases, I cited retail prices for products available and posted today, 3 January 2022.
Owing to more reasons than what’s topical for this discussion, I no longer buy products from Amazon. When purchasing domestically, I generally buy from Newegg or from Canada Computers, along with a couple of smaller Canadian retailers from time to time.
I’m glad you find Amazon useful for your own buying needs.
From Amazon, the SanDisk 500GB is sold out (regular price, $80); current lowest price for an in-stock source, via Amazon: $125.
From Amazon, the DogFish 500GB is $80. (From Newegg, it’s $80 and shipped, free, from Dogfish’s Canadian warehouse.)
From Amazon, the SP 512GB (no 500GB is offered) is, indeed, $63.
From Amazon, a Lexar 480GB (no 500GB or 512 is offered), is $77.
Neat.
Great. Find us an interface which can run NVMe m.2 media on any SATA I, II, or III bus. The late 2008 15-inch MacBook Pro, cited by the original post, runs with a pair of SATA II buses (or else it’s SATA II for the hard drive, and SATA I for the optical drive). NVMe is not going to be supported.
A 2014 Mac mini is not within the purview of the Early Intel Macs forum. Not even my 2013 iMac is within that scope.
Are we done?
Well… for a MBP, putting the NVMe drive into a PCIe adapter and plugging that contraption into an ExpressCard to PCIe adapter might “just work” but you’d be limited to a single lane, i.e. slower than SATA III. I can’t test this ‘cause my 2007 MBP can’t run High Sierra which is necessary for third-party NVMe drives. I’ll shut up now
Well, that explains it. You don’t want to buy from Amazon.
That’s fine but it means foregoing a lot of deals.
Best Buy has the SanDisk in stock for $65. It was in stock at Amazon though when I checked earlier today. I guess they went fast.
Not sure if you exclude Best Buy as well.
That was just an example as to why prices from a few years ago are completely meaningless. This drive cost over twice as much 1.5 years ago.
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Well… for a MBP, putting the NVMe drive into a PCIe adapter and plugging that contraption into an ExpressCard to PCIe adapter might “just work” but you’d be limited to a single lane, i.e. slower than SATA III. I can’t test this ‘cause my 2007 MBP can’t run High Sierra which is necessary for third-party NVMe drives. I’ll shut up now
Hmmm. The ExpressCard port is an angle I hadn’t considered, but I was more thinking how the unibody series don’t employ a conventional PCIe socket (where a PCIe-to-m.2-NVMe adapter could be inserted in lieu of where the wifi card in an aluminium MBP/MB is located, but this option is absent on the unibody models).
You’re right. I don’t.
I mind a long view — which means I strive to factor in several of the deferred, future costs which emerge when buying items from Amazon or Best Buy. It’s a discussion for another thread and on another forum.
In any case, you will pay $125 for that cited SanDisk on Amazon when you click to buy it this day — not $60.
I do, and I also have other substantive reasons beyond the above with Amazon for why I do not buy products from Best Buy. Another thread, another forum.
Again, as @eyoungren and I re-iterated today, the cited products we bought in 2019 and 2020, for the price, features, warranty, and demonstrated reliability of those products, were the best we found on tap at that time — particularly for these older Macs which, capacity excepted, will never saturate the limits of any modern SSD. In the years since those purchases, we ourselves have field-tested these products in our own ways. Neither of us has any complaints.
And by and large, those products in 2022, still being sold, continue to be excellent values for the money when using them in vintage Macs like the original post’s A1296.