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SSD Recommendation: 3Gb/s or 6Gb/s

G

gtds

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Apr 14, 2010
2
0
Hi

I'd like to uprade my current machine, a Mac Pro (4-core Xeon 3500 Series) 3rd Gen Early 2009, with an SSD drive as a boot drive to run the OS and Applications from.

I'm divided between the following two.

128GB Crucial v4 SATA 3Gb/s 2.5-inch SSD
128GB Crucial v4 Internal 2.5-inch (9.5mm) Solid State Drive • 230MB/s Read, 175MB/s Write
Part #: CT128V4SSD2

128GB Crucial m4 2.5-inch SATA 6Gb/s
128GB Crucial m4 Internal 2.5-inch (9.5mm) Solid State Drive • 500MB/s Read, 175MB/s Write
Part #: CT128M4SSD2

Am I correct in assuming that I wouldn't benefit from the first model as the link speed between the Mac Pro and the drive is 3Gb/s? Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Which drive do people recommend?

Thanks
gtds
 
gtds said:
Hi

I'd like to uprade my current machine, a Mac Pro (4-core Xeon 3500 Series) 3rd Gen Early 2009, with an SSD drive as a boot drive to run the OS and Applications from.

I'm divided between the following two.

128GB Crucial v4 SATA 3Gb/s 2.5-inch SSD
128GB Crucial v4 Internal 2.5-inch (9.5mm) Solid State Drive • 230MB/s Read, 175MB/s Write
Part #: CT128V4SSD2

128GB Crucial m4 2.5-inch SATA 6Gb/s
128GB Crucial m4 Internal 2.5-inch (9.5mm) Solid State Drive • 500MB/s Read, 175MB/s Write
Part #: CT128M4SSD2

Am I correct in assuming that I wouldn't benefit from the first model as the link speed between the Mac Pro and the drive is 3Gb/s? Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Which drive do people recommend?

Thanks
gtds
Click to expand...


It's the underwear answer - it depends.

If all you buy is the SSD, then a 3Gb will be fine.

If you spring for an internal PCIe 2 controller card in addition to a SSD, then go for the 6Gb.
 
If it is boot make sure you weigh the 4K r/w. The M4 could bury the v4 regardless of link speed. I'll say it till I am blue in the face. New gen is usually always better for boot thanks to garbage collection improvements and 4K. If there is no dif then get the cheapest as you won't saturate sequentials but randoms matter still.
 
6Gbps disks will automatiacly fall back to 3Gbps if your controller does not support the faster link speed. You don't have to choose a drive that is 3Gbps.

Don't bother with the v4, there are other better drives for the same amount of money.

I would go with the Samsung Series 830 based on benchmarks and reliability. Most OEM's go with Samsung based drives and at this point they (Samsung) have a almost Intel like track record.

The M4 is also a good drive, but with the 830 being around the same price point, that's what I would choose.

Edit: Oh and don't forget to enable Trim - http://digitaldj.net/2011/07/21/trim-enabler-for-lion/
 
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Newegg has the 128GB Samsung 830 for $89.99 w/ free shipping (and possibly no tax depending on what state your in).

NewEgg Item#: N82E16820147163
Use promo code: EMCNAJJ58

Also for the Mac Pro you'll need a 2.5" to 3.5" adapter - NewEgg Item#: N82E16817812011
.​
 
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