MacBook Pro updating to SSD

hard drivemacbook prossd

I have a 15-inch, Late 2011 macbook pro, i mainly use for programming, and occasionally watch a movie or two.

Its getting a bit sluggish, and i reckon its time to update the HD to a SSD one. So my question here is what SSD should i choose, and is there any things i should have a "heads up" with.

I have the stock 500GB HD installed atm. and after all these years i still have 400GB free, so i guess i could manage with a 200-250GB one.

Best Answer

Recommending specific brands and models can be tricky (and this list will probably be out of date in weeks), but at the moment some of the SSD models that get positive comments from Mac users include:

  • Samsung 840 Pro series
  • Samsung 840 Evo series
  • Crucial M500
  • Sandisk Ultra Plus

As long as the drive doesn't require any additional software to be installed, you can be almost certain that the drive will work fine with OS X. That said, once you've narrowed down one or two models I'd recommend doing a brief search online to see if there are any drawbacks or known problems, just to be on the safe side.

TRIM won't be supported with a third-party SSD, but you can use TRIM Enabler to work around that.

Personally, I have several Samsung 830 and 840 drives and a Crucial M500 and can recommend them all highly (top of the pile would be the 840 Pro).