27" iMac SSD Install.. what SSD?

[jeid]

I've decided that it's time I installed an SSD in my 27" iMac. I think the speed enhancement would be significant enough and having two hard drives in my iMac would be good as it would mean no longer having to use my external drive as my audio drive. It'd be for backups only.

I've watched this video several times and I'm confident that I could do this.



My only question is, which drive to get? I'm using a 2010 iMac, so I'm restricted to SATA II. Any geeks got any info? I'm looking for something around the 128GB mark.

 

[Empathy]

Samsung 840 Pro series and Intel 335 series are excellent products and far exceed most other options for performance per dollar (see here) Avoid anything made by Corsair like the plague.

EDIT: Just had a look on some local sites and OCZ Vector's are going quite cheap nowadays, you want one of those if you can get it for a similar price to an 840 Pro / 335.

 

[jeid]

Liking what I'm reading about the Samsung 840 Pro. I notice they are SATA III, is it backwards compatible with SATA II?

 

[ForHerDeadEyes]

Liking what I'm reading about the Samsung 840 Pro. I notice they are SATA III, is it backwards compatible with SATA II?

Yes, all SATA is backwards compitable..

EDIT: And also, I have the Samsung 840 Pro, Crucial M4, and A-DATA SP900.. all are 128GB..
Haven't had a problem with either of them, though everyone says that Samsung, Crucial, and Intel are the most reliable..

 

[MatrixClaw]

Samsung 840 Pro is the best SSD on the market right now, though on SATA II, I'd just stick with an HDD.

 

[ForHerDeadEyes]

I'm running the Crucial and A-Data on SATA-III
The Samsung is on my internet-pc and it's SATA-II, it's definatly not as fast, but it is way better than a hardrive in terms of speed, heat, noise, and power consumption..

 

[ForHerDeadEyes]

Fuck me.. I decided to watch that instruction video and now I've got PTSD..
If I was you, I'd route a sata-cable to the outside and stick the SSD on the back, or something, of the iMac..
Try the SSD before installing it.. if it's broken, after going through all that, I'd go fucking berserk..

 

[jeid]

I'm a technician for an office equipment company, this looks simple. But I'll be testing/formatting before install, obvz!

 

[JeffTD]

I did this exact thing with the OWC bracket and a Samsung 840 120GB SSD about 2 months ago - absolutely loving how snappy my machine is. Had to pony up for a 250GB to put in my MBP after it, never going back to a non-SSD system drive.

 

[jeid]

You run the same iMac as me I think Jeff, so that's endorsement enough! Cheers

 

[JeffTD]

Late 2009 i7! Huge improvement, absolutely love it.

 

[jeid]

I've got the mid 2010 i7 2.93Ghz. I waited until they released the new line

 

[onqel]

I have a samsung 840 pro in my 2012 mac mini, it got lightning fast after i changed to ssd.. I can't compare against any of the other brands, but I would recommend this drive On a speed test I went from 90MB/s to 480MB/s IIRC

 

[Danihell]

another 840 pro in macbook pro 17 2011...

 

[jeid]

Good to know guys. Seems like a good price as well. I like Samsung stuff too, seems reliable. Plus, it'll only be holding my DAW, plug-ins and other programs, so I should be all good in case of a data loss.