Which SSD for Mac Pro Boot Drive?

[Greenhoe]

Hi,
I know there has been other threads on this, but couldn't find a recent one with new drives.

I looking to purchase a 120GB SSD for my 2009 Mac Pro as my boot drive and was wondering which one would be my best option, I don't know to much about the differences between them so I figured I would ask before pulling the trigger on one.

The two that I'm looking at are these two and any other suggestions would be great.

Intel X25-M
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820167035

Crucial RealSSD C300
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148348

Thanks

 

[toxic]

the C300 uses newer technology (meaning faster and longer-lasting), so get that.

a common recommendation is for SandForce-based drives, like the OCZ Agility 2 or Vertex 2, G.Skill Phoenix Pro, Corsair Force, or OWC Mercury Elite Pro.

 

[karsten]

i have the 120 intel in my 2009 mp and love it. you can't be the reliability of the intel drives. they may not be as fast on paper as others but they're rock solid reliability-wise which probably matters more once you're talking 100's of MB per second anyways.

 

[tamasvarga67]

I was thinking on the same and ended up ordering the C300.
After reading countless threads I decided not to go with SandForce drives because it seems to be a hit and miss with the controller compatibility. On the other hand there are no complains about Intel and C300. The C300 is 8GB more (128GB vs 120GB) and $40 less than Intel so I choose the C300.

 

[myosh]

I got the OWC Mercury Extreme Pro 120 GB SSD as my boot drive for my aging 2006 Mac Pro and the difference in boot time and performance was stunning. I have since transferred that drive to my new 3.33 hex-core Mac Pro.

 

[xgman]

If you can possibly wait a couple more months, the new Sandforce 2000 ssd's will be shipping. The OCZ Vertex 3 for example. But if you are in a hurry, the current sandforce 1200 drives are still very speedy.

 

[DanielCoffey]

The Vertex 3 drives will be faster than a standard SATA-II Mac Pro can fully utilise without a SATA-III card. The Vertex 2 ones are a good match at the moment though.

 

[xgman]

The Vertex 3 drives will be faster than a standard SATA-II Mac Pro can fully utilise without a SATA-III card. The Vertex 2 ones are a good match at the moment though.

True. I'm thinking of getting a Areca ARC-1320-ii card to allow stat 3 speeds when they come out. But that adds another $300 or so.

 

[CubeHacker]

I would try to stay away from the Sandforce drives. If you check around, there tends to be a very high failure rate with them, either immediately or within a week of use.

I would either recommend one of the C300 series, or Samsung 470 series.

 

[mjuarez]

I got the OWC Mercury Extreme Pro 120 GB SSD as my boot drive for my aging 2006 Mac Pro and the difference in boot time and performance was stunning. I have since transferred that drive to my new 3.33 hex-core Mac Pro.

I'm planning on doing this in the near future, along with a 2Gb RAM upgrade. I also have a MacPro 1,1 from 2006. I'm hoping to see that stunning performance you talk about, without having to buy a new MacPro.