Some quick notes for those who are thinking of grabbing a Samsung 830 (128gb) for their Mac Mini.
Some background: I'm "upgrading" from an OWC Electra SSD 120gb. I say upgrading, because with the installed firmware (320), I was getting random lockups with Windows 7 that are likely traced to the crappy pre-332 Sandforce firmware. As this Mini was the brain for our restaurant's Point of Sale system, this was getting frustrating. I wanted something more reliable, even if I took a performance hit for it. After all, Apple uses Samsung and Toshiba SSDs. Can't be because of cost alone!
Installation: As many have already noted, the 830 is a thin drive. I didn't use the notebook space it came with when I installed it. Because of this, two of the screws that go into the drive itself didn't fit. I'm sure had I removed the drive and put in the spacer, it would have been fine. The antenna grate closes fine with the two side screws, however. But this is something to note.
Usage: Some SuperDuper/Windows Restore magic, plus a hour or so later, and the 830 was up and running. Upon rebooting into Windows 7, I downloaded the Magician SSD software that Samsung provides to update the firmware and give other pertinent information about the drive. It almost automatically notified me that a newer firmware was waiting, downloaded, and I then installed it. One reboot later, the firmware checks out the same as you can download on the Samsung downloads page. Firmware update a success. A STARK contrast to the firmware updating I attempted and failed to do with my Electras and the OWC Windows/"mac" software.
It is also worth noting that the Windows Experience score for my disk subsection went from 7.1 to 7.5, for what it's worth. So at least Windows thinks this drive is faster than the Electra.
I am usually a big fan and advocate of OWC and their SSD line. But Sandforce simply has too many reliability issues such that any increase in speeds, to me, isn't worth the loss in productivity/reliability. I'll reserve judgement completely until a few months time, where I can find out if this mini is more stable with the 830 than the Electra, but so far, so good.
Some background: I'm "upgrading" from an OWC Electra SSD 120gb. I say upgrading, because with the installed firmware (320), I was getting random lockups with Windows 7 that are likely traced to the crappy pre-332 Sandforce firmware. As this Mini was the brain for our restaurant's Point of Sale system, this was getting frustrating. I wanted something more reliable, even if I took a performance hit for it. After all, Apple uses Samsung and Toshiba SSDs. Can't be because of cost alone!
Installation: As many have already noted, the 830 is a thin drive. I didn't use the notebook space it came with when I installed it. Because of this, two of the screws that go into the drive itself didn't fit. I'm sure had I removed the drive and put in the spacer, it would have been fine. The antenna grate closes fine with the two side screws, however. But this is something to note.
Usage: Some SuperDuper/Windows Restore magic, plus a hour or so later, and the 830 was up and running. Upon rebooting into Windows 7, I downloaded the Magician SSD software that Samsung provides to update the firmware and give other pertinent information about the drive. It almost automatically notified me that a newer firmware was waiting, downloaded, and I then installed it. One reboot later, the firmware checks out the same as you can download on the Samsung downloads page. Firmware update a success. A STARK contrast to the firmware updating I attempted and failed to do with my Electras and the OWC Windows/"mac" software.
It is also worth noting that the Windows Experience score for my disk subsection went from 7.1 to 7.5, for what it's worth. So at least Windows thinks this drive is faster than the Electra.
I am usually a big fan and advocate of OWC and their SSD line. But Sandforce simply has too many reliability issues such that any increase in speeds, to me, isn't worth the loss in productivity/reliability. I'll reserve judgement completely until a few months time, where I can find out if this mini is more stable with the 830 than the Electra, but so far, so good.