Choosing an SSD for Mac: what they are and what to look for. Which SSD to choose for a MacBook Which solid-state hard drive is better for a MacBook

TRIM on Mac: Apple OEM drives only

We already know that SSDs write data in 4KB blocks. The process of moving data, deleting obsolete data, and using the freed space for new data uses larger blocks. This process is known as “garbage collection” and is typical for any SSD.

The problem is that SSDs and operating systems don't usually communicate closely. When you delete a file, the OS marks the space occupied by the corresponding data as free, but the drive itself knows nothing about this. After some time, a lot of free space is formed (from the operating system's point of view), which the SSD considers as still occupied by the necessary data. And only when the OS gives a command to write information to a block that is filled with data, the SSD finally figures out that this data is no longer needed. Up to a certain point, such data fragments are scattered throughout the entire volume of the drive (the so-called “garbage collection points”, garbage collection), slowing down the operation of the drive and wearing out free NAND memory cells.

This is where the TRIM team comes into play. When a file is deleted, the operating system sends a TRIM command to the SSD, marking such sectors as free. In this situation, the drive “knows” that it does not need to perform “garbage collection” on these sectors.

Of course, TRIM support must be present at several different levels. The drive, controller, and operating system must be compatible. Fortunately, the process of creating an ecosystem to support the implementation of the TRIM command began quite a long time ago. Windows 7, Windows Server 2008, Linux, OpenSolaris, FreeBSD and OS X all have TRIM support.

But just because the combination of hardware and software supports TRIM does not mean that the command will always work. In the case of the latest versions of Windows, we are lucky because we are dealing with open operating systems that provide wide compatibility. But Apple is not so friendly. It allows you to use TRIM only on your OEM drives, while the feature is disabled if you install a third-party SSD after purchasing a Mac.

The ways to get around this artificial limitation are not secret. In this review, we will show our readers one of these methods, after which we will conduct several tests to verify its effectiveness.

Test SSD: Samsung 840 Pro

Unlike the MacBook Air, which requires a proprietary SSD form factor (such as OWC's Aura Pro 6G + Envoy), the MacBook Pro offers greater flexibility: you can use a 2.5-inch SSD. This makes it possible to use any drives that support different controller technologies and firmware versions. Samsung 840 Pro is a good example for today's test. It's one of the fastest SSDs we've ever tested, and as a result, it's what we use in all of our test bench configurations. However, the 840 Pro does not support SandForce/LSI's DuraWrite technology, does not benefit from data compression in speed, and its controller uses its own "garbage collection" technology. In the case of the Aura Pro drive for MacBook Air, the manufacturer says that enabling TRIM is not required: the drive is based on a SandForce/LSI controller, and DuraWrite technology eliminates the need to use TRIM at the hardware level. In fact, everything is not entirely true, since DuraWrite and TRIM are rather complementary technologies that complement each other. Either way, using the Samsung 840 Pro on a MacBook Pro gives us more reason to enable the TRIM command.

Although Samsung recently introduced new 840 EVO, which should soon replace the “regular” SSD 840, the older model 840 Pro is still the flagship in the line. Let us remind you that this drive is based on its own S4LN021X01-8030 NZWD1 controller and uses the SATA 6 Gb/s interface for data transfer. In models 840 and 840 EVO A 3-bit NAND cell (Tri Level Sell - TLS technology) is used, which affects reliability and performance. But Pro-series drives are based on the well-known MLC memory, produced on the basis of 21 nm technology.

Specifications Samsung 840 Pro

Manufacturer Samsung
Model 840 Pro
Serial number MZ-7PD256
Form factor 2.5" (7 mm)
Capacity 256 GB
Price $240
Controller Samsung MDX
NAND memory type 21nm MLC Toggle-mode
Sequential read/write speed 540 / 520 MB/s
Random read/write performance (4 KB, queue depth = 32), IOPS 100,000 / 90,000
Volume of reserved space (over-provisioning) 0,07
Cache 512 MB
Interface SATA Gbit/s
Add-ons Samsung Magician software
Guarantee Five years

TRIM Enabler, test system and software

Again, Apple supports TRIM through OS X, but only when you use one of the OEM drives that come with your computer. As soon as you replace a particular drive, TRIM is disabled. We've heard horror stories about enabling TRIM using third-party utilities, and it is for this reason that we decided to check the results from our own experience.

Luckily, Apple's restrictions on third-party SSDs aren't too restrictive from a hardware standpoint. There are some manipulations that need to be done to meet Apple's SSD requirements, but the procedure is .

This time, in order not to waste time, we decided to try the utility right away TRIM Enabler. It is as easy as possible to use. In the program, you just need to move the slider from left to right - and you're done. One caveat to keep in mind is that when updating the operating system, you will likely need to repeat this procedure again.

Before using TRIM Enabler, you must enable an option in your system settings that allows you to install software of any origin, not just those available through the App Store or certified developers.

Test system and software

We use a MacBook Pro as our test system. More specifically, we are talking about the most compact model of the eleventh generation, introduced in mid-2012, also known as the 9.2-inch MacBook Pro.

Initially, the laptop was equipped with a 500 GB hard drive, which we removed and placed in an external box with a USB 3.0 interface. Its place in the laptop case was taken by the Samsung 840 Pro SSD drive. The system would boot from the original hard drive.


Apple MacBook Pro
Model MacBook Pro
Model number MacBookPro9,2
CPU Intel Core i5-3210M
Clock frequency 2.5 GHz
Number of Cores 2
L2 cache (per core) 256 KB
Shared L3 cache 3 MB
Memory 4 GB
System hard drive Seagate ST500LM012 (500 GB; 5400 rpm)

Test software

We'll put the Samsung 840 Pro through two rounds of benchmark tests. First, we will perform a complete wipe of the drive - for this task we use the secure erase procedure, which instructs the controller to clear all blocks on the disk. Then we bring the drive to the state in which it was at the time of sale, that is, in this state it had the highest possible performance. We'll then run the first round of tests, which involves running AJA System Test and DiskTester twice without using TRIM. This provides a clear comparison of the performance of a fresh drive out of the box and a drive that has been used for quite a long time under standard everyday load.

In the second round of testing, we will repeat the secure erase procedure again, and then run the set of benchmarks twice again with the TRIM command enabled. Thus, in total we get four results:

  • TRIM disabled, first test run (out of the box state).
  • TRIM disabled, second test run (drive after active use).
  • TRIM is enabled, first test run (out of the box state).
  • TRIM is enabled, second test run (drive after active use).

Here is a detailed report on the test progress:

  • Installing TRIM Enabler and restarting the MacBook Pro is only for the second round.
  • Fully fill the drive with data using DiskTester three times to simulate a used SSD.
  • Fully filling the SSD drive with video files.
  • Break 30 minutes.
  • Running the AJA System Test benchmark (test file size 16 GB).
  • Running the DiskTester benchmark (block sizes 4 KB and 8 KB).

It so happened that two weeks after my Macbook Air 13" ran out of Apple Care, the SSD died. I didn’t want to go to the official representative, or to the wrong laboratories. In the first case, the price of the test was not at all adequate; in the second, I and I couldn’t get the laboratory to pay for the repair if it turned out that only the SSD was really broken. The problem was aggravated by the fact that I was not 100% sure that it was an SSD, and not a motherboard, for example, so I did not order a surrogate from well-known ones. very brands, for example, OWC. Another difficulty was that Apple deliberately makes its devices as difficult as possible to repair, even just to unscrew the cover you had to ask a friend for a set of screwdrivers, so it’s not surprising that you couldn’t just take the first SSD you came across and check it. .

Fortunately, this tricky nut also had its own threaded bolt, namely, an adapter for using standard SSD drives with a Macbook. I came across it quite by accident and I think that few people know about this possibility of replacing a disk, so I decided to talk about my experience here. The experience is that I ordered an adapter for $4 from aliexpress, on the second attempt I found a 128Gb Samsung SSD lying around at a friend’s place, which worked like a native one. I didn’t particularly measure performance, but visually opening and installing programs as if they were native. No glitches were noticed either. Trim mode was enabled manually, according to the instructions in this article. As a result, the repair cost much less than if I had bought a compatible surrogate disk or, moreover, an original one.

Keep in mind that there are adapters for different models of SSDs and Macbooks, prices vary from 4 to 20 dollars. Sometimes a disk doesn’t fit for any apparent reason, so if it doesn’t start with one disk and the adapter is chosen correctly, then try with another disk. Choose very carefully, visually they are all very similar. It is better to write to the seller your specific Macbook model so as not to guess. In my opinion, they sell the same adapters for $4 and $20, the only difference is in the inscriptions on the board. You can buy them on aliexpress, ebay, amazon, and there are sites that specialize in them. A couple of photos of what it looks like are at the end of the article (sorry for the quality, it was taken in haste with a phone). I hope my experience will help someone.

Update, I received this comment some time ago from user Helytdoff:

Good day!
After reading this material habr.com/ru/post/400279, I ordered an adapter, but it didn’t fit :(
Everything is fine with it, only the Chinese made a board thicker than the original SSD for the Mac and it just stupidly doesn’t fit into the slot. It might be worth adding a warning to the article that this could happen.

P.S. I rarely write in Russian, if there are mistakes (and there are), please write to me in a personal message, I will correct them.

P.P.S. Thanks a lot

Now there is a large selection of external hard drives on the market. When choosing, you should consider speed, strength, size and much more. We have collected for you the best HDD and SSD drives for Mac and PC.

Before buying a hard drive, you should understand what you will use it for and what characteristics are more important to you. Let's look at the main ones.

SSDorHDD

SSDs or solid state drives are very popular. They do not have removable parts, unlike HDDs (hard drives) with a rotating plate inside.

SSDs will last longer due to the lack of moving parts, but you'll get less storage unless you're willing to pay a premium.

SSDs are also significantly faster than traditional hard drives.

Ports

It is very important which ports your computer has - Micro USB, USB-C or Thunderbolt 3. Data transfer speed is also important.

The new hard drives include a USB-C port and a USB-C to USB-C or USB-C to USB-A cable included to work with virtually any computer.

Thunderbolt 3 is the newest and fastest technology, but drives with this connector are more expensive than others.

RAID

There are several different types of RAID hard drives, but the most popular is RAID 0.

If there are two disks inside the device, it reads and writes to both at once, almost doubling the speed. RAID 0 drives are fast and efficient.

Now let's move on to the list itself.

If you don’t know how to buy on Amazon from Russia, you can read our instructions:

Western Digital My Passport SSD

The Western Digital My Passport is one of the most popular options, and also one of the most affordable.

The new version has a USB-C connector, and comes with an adapter for older computers.

It's an SSD, so the drive is fast. The only negative is that fingerprints remain on the case.

  • Small size, simple design
  • Fingerprints remain
  • USB-C cord and adapter
  • From 256GB to 1TB, price from $99 to $296

OWC Envoy

OWC is famous for its huge selection of memory options. The company has a unique product – Envoy.

You can buy a ready-made hard drive or a Mac modification kit. They both allow you to expand your Mac's internal storage.

There is no USB-C support yet, but you can always buy a cord separately.

If you buy a modification kit, choose the right model and be confident in your skills.

  • Separately or as a set
  • Aluminium case
  • Lots of different options, including a $279 Pro model.

Samsung T5

We couldn't help but include the Samsung T5 in the list. This hard drive is very small, fast and popular.

It supports USB-C and comes with a USB-A cable.

  • Great design
  • USB-C and USB-A support
  • Fast Samsung V-NAND memory
  • Available in options from 250GB to 2TB for 8800-18000 rubles.

Satechi USB-C Enclosure

You can create your own external hard drive by purchasing a Satechi case. It is metal and very easy to assemble.

The speed depends on the type of drive you're using, but the case supports USB-C anyway.

  • Made from aluminum
  • Easy to assemble
  • Any disk can be used
  • Available in space grey, silver and gold
  • Available on Amazon for $34.99

Seagate Ultra Slim+

Seagate is another popular company. The Ultra Slim+ drive is quite thin, and inside there is a traditional HDD. The design is quite modern and has a nice logo at the bottom.

The model has not yet been updated for USB-C, but as usual you can buy an additional cord. Due to the HDD inside, this disk is accessible in price. The 2TB model can be purchased for just $79.

  • Silver or gold color
  • Affordable price

G|Drive R-Series SSD

G|Drive is considered a more premium brand. This hard drive looks absolutely amazing.

This hard drive is IP67 certified and can withstand 450kg weight and a 3m drop. It is very fast, speed reaches 560Mb/s. This is faster than the 540Mb/s of the Samsung T5.

  • Good protection, incl. and from water
  • Great design
  • 5 year warranty
  • 500GB, 1TB and 2TB options available

Oyen Digital Raid Enclosure

The Oyen Digital drive is similar to the Satechi, but allows you to add additional drives. There are several types of RAID available, but the best one is RAID 0.

Instead of buying a 1TB SSD, you can buy two 500GB ones for much less and put them together. This drive will bring them together, and you will get an excellent hard drive.

The body, although large, is durable. It is made of aluminum and is easy to assemble.

  • An affordable option for creating a fast SSD
  • Good quality
  • Space for two SSDs (or HDDs)
  • USB-C support
  • Available on Amazon for $99

Crucial SSD

If you are going to buy just an external case, then you will need disks for it. You may already have them.

If not, you can buy a Crucial SSD, it's reliable and fast, but not too expensive.

  • Collect your drives
  • Affordable price and high speed
  • Can be purchased from 256GB to 2TB

Glyph Raid Atom SSD

Glyph has the fastest portable SSD. There are two V-NAND memory blocks inside, which means the speed is really high.

This drive can reach speeds of 770MB/s, which is much faster than others.

The case is quite reliable, the aluminum is covered with an anti-slip lining. There is USB-C support. If speed is your top priority, choose Glyph.

  • Speed ​​770Mb/s
  • Anti-slip protection
  • USB-C

LaCie Porsche Design

LaCie produces premium wheels with a simple design. This drive is thin, beautiful, and supports USB-C. He does a great job. This drive will look great next to any Mac.

  • Porsche Design available in gold, copper-gold and silver
  • Chrome corners
  • USB-C
  • 1TB for 5290 rub.

CalDigit Tuff

CalDigit's Tuff is one of the most durable drives on the list. The kit includes a case in which you can carry additional discs.

The aluminum drive is covered in a neon green casing that should protect it from drops. The ports are protected from dust and water. The disc can be immersed for 30 minutes in water to a depth of 1 m.

There are SSD and HDD versions, all with USB-C support.

  • Lasting
  • Case
  • Water, dust and drop protection
  • The 2TB version is available on Amazon for $179

LaCie Rugged

Over the years, this company's discs have changed. The version with USB-C has a detachable cord, which is very convenient. If it ever stops working, you won't have to change everything.

The drives are available in SSD and HDD variants and with different amounts of memory.

  • Protection against falls and rain
  • USB-C
  • Unique design
  • Available with 2 TB RUB 13,110.

LaCie 2Big Thunderbolt 3

In the basic configuration of the McaBook Pro, Apple installs 5400 rpm hard drives. And their performance with modern Mac OS X operating systems (10.6-10.8) leaves much to be desired. And it’s not for nothing that Apple is gradually but confidently moving to installing SSD drives in all laptops.

We think it's time to make your favorite MacBook even better. You just need to install an SSD drive in it. And so that you are not confused by the limited capacity of the ssd, you can install a second hard drive in place of the DVD drive.

What laptop models is this solution suitable for? — Yes, to almost all MacBooks and MacBook Pros except MacBook Pro Retina

SSD 120Gb SSD 240Gb SSD 500Gb SSD 1Tb SSD 2Tb
9,000 rub. 12,000 rub. 20,000 rub. 55,000 rub. RUB 94,600

In laptops, a combination of read/write speeds from/to the hard drive at a disk spindle speed of 5400 rpm. does not even reach 50 Mb/sec. A 7200 rpm disk will revive your MacBook almost twice: the read/write speed can fluctuate between 80...105 MB/sec.
It is worth noting that there are also hybrid hard drives from Seagate on the market, which feature a 7200 rpm hard drive with a 16 MB data cache and an 8 GB SSD drive. With such a “combined” drive, the read/write speed can increase by another 5-7% compared to a conventional 7200 rpm drive.

The read/write performance of SSD drives varies from manufacturer to manufacturer and from model to model. In addition, prices for SSD drives have not yet reached a level comparable to conventional hard drives. The price is gradually falling, and even top-end ssds with a capacity of 500 and 960GB are approaching $1 per 1GB of storage.

Since Mac OS X is a very compact operating system, and the total disk space included with most of the necessary programs usually does not exceed 30-50GB, you can safely look at an ssd with a capacity of 120GB or more.
Although, in our opinion, it is already worth considering an ssd with a capacity of 180GB or more.

Precisely because the capacity of an ssd, combined with its price, limits most users to choosing to use an ssd, we suggest you consider the option of high speed ssd and good capacity hdd installed in place of the DVD drive.

To upgrade an Apple MacBook Pro 2011-2012, we need 3 screwdrivers: torx 6, torx 8 and a Philips 00 or 000 Phillips screwdriver.

Remember! Before disassembling any device, you should remove any residual static electricity from yourself.

On the bottom cover, unscrew 10 screws, 3 of which are longer.

This is what the MacBook Pro 13 looks like from the inside

Before changing anything in the laptop configuration, you MUST disconnect the battery from the motherboard. We don’t want to start a repair with you and replace the system board after a short circuit, do we?

We install an SSD drive in place of the standard “slow” hard drive, and we can put the old drive in Optibay in place of the DVD drive. In our case, we installed a new disk with a capacity of 750 GB at 7200 revolutions in Optibay, in order to increase the speed when accessing user data, which we plan to store on the hdd.

Unscrew the two screws on the plate that holds the hard drive.

We transfer 4 screws (torx 8) around the perimeter of the “old” hard drive to the SSD drive.

We install the ssd in place of the system disk and secure it with a bracket and two screws.

We install the hard drive into the Optibay and be sure to screw it on the back side with two screws.

Remove the optical drive.

We need to disconnect 5 cables.
We do this very carefully.

Disable

  • hard drive cable
  • optical drive cable
  • WiFi cable
  • camera cable
  • speaker cable

Unscrew the speaker and disconnect the antennas from the Wi-Fi module and put the speaker aside.

DVD superdrive. Unscrew the three screws and pull it out.

We rearrange the data cable and mounting bracket from the DVD drive to optibay, observing the installation direction of the bracket.

We install optibay with a hard drive in place of the DVD drive.

We reinstall the plastic speaker bar and connect the antennas to the Wi-Fi module.

We connect the cables and cables to the system board in reverse order. And connect the battery.

Close and screw the bottom cover.
We install the system from an external boot drive or through the Mac OS X recovery system via the Internet (using the Cmd + R combination when booting the computer).

Now, the owner has at his disposal a very fast Apple MacBook Pro from 2011: the system itself and all programs launch several times faster than with a standard hdd. The system responds instantly. With a significant number of applications open, there are no freezing or freezing of the “spinning colored candy.” Programs that use work data caching work with large files without any delays. And when processing very large amounts of information, the execution time was reduced (according to the laptop owner) by 2-3 times.
It is worth noting once again that the hard drive is limited by the physical ability to read/write to spinning metal plates. Therefore, its “throughput” does not exceed 115 Megabytes/sec. (best case scenario). There are no mechanical elements in the ssd, so the read/write speed on the ssd can reach 550 megabytes/sec. There is an option to theoretically increase this value to 1.2 Gigabytes/sec., but for this you need to use an external hardware RAID array that is NOT a system drive connected at best via a Thunderbolt bus of 10 Gigabit/sec (or 1.25 Gigabytes/sec .) and exchanging data with another similar RAID array via the same Thunderbolt bus.
If you own an Apple Mac Pro, you can install four or more SSD drives and make a large RAID array (but keep in mind that it will not be hardware, but software, unless you use a special RAID controller). And even in this case, you can achieve theoretical data transfer rates of up to 750 Megabytes/sec (which corresponds to a data transfer speed of 6 Gigabit/sec on the sata bus).

In the next article we will tell you how to make Fusion Drive yourself on an Apple laptop with two or more hard drives installed. And how, in our practical opinion, does Fusion Drive differ from the operation of a conventional SSD+HDD combination.

The article was prepared based on the results of repair work at the MacFix Service Center.

The cost of installing an SSD on a MacBook in our service center

SSD 120Gb SSD 240Gb SSD 500Gb SSD 1Tb SSD 2Tb
9,000 rub. 12,000 rub. 20,000 rub. 55,000 rub. RUB 94,600

Let's figure out whether it is possible to upgrade the MacBook Air at home by increasing its memory.

It is not difficult. But there are several very important points that you need to know. Otherwise you will lose money.

Which MacBook Air models can replace the SSD drive?

IN MacBook Air before 2010 you can replace the drive with a 1.8-inch SSD with a SATA interface. We won’t talk about them today, since the computers are outdated, and the SSD drives themselves of this form factor are publicly available and do not differ in any features critical for the Mac. Just bought it and installed it.

IN MacBook Air models from 2010 year, you can also replace the SSD drive. But there is a rare form of it, hence the need for this article.

Apple in its repertoire. SSD drives in all modern MacBook Airs have a rather specific connector 28pin. Thank you for at least not unsoldering the drive on the motherboard.

Posted by site (@site) Dec 6, 2017 at 11:53 PST

Because of this, replacing an SSD becomes very difficult, leaving the following options:

1. Buy an original SSD drive for your MacBook. You will have to look for such components, and the price for them is frankly not encouraging.

2. Find a similar third-party SSD. Again, it all comes down to price, as they say, the game is not worth the candle.

3. Use a special adapter. A small adapter for $13 on Amazon or $9.5 from AliExpress allows you to install almost any modern M.2 drive instead of a standard one.

A suitable 256 GB SSD will cost 7-10 thousand rubles. For 15-17 thousand rubles. (the difference between MacBook Air models) you can find a 512 GB model.

After the upgrade, you will still have a 128 GB stock drive that can be sold.

Important: it’s not enough to just buy a “flat” SSD

Not every SSD drive is suitable for use with an adapter.

Firstly, The SSD must support the Serial ATA interface and the AHCI (Advanced Host Controller Interface) mechanism. This is usually indicated in the device specifications.

Secondly, the drive must have a connection key M or universal B&M, but not key B.

Third, the length of the SSD board should not exceed 80mm, otherwise it will not fit. If the drive is too short or an adapter board is used, you will most likely not be able to get into the mounting hole and will have to use double-sided tape to secure the drive.

How to replace SSD on MacBook Air

Attention! Replacing computer components yourself will void the warranty. You carry out all actions at your own peril and risk.

To replace you will need a pair of screwdrivers: T5 Torx And P5 Pentalobe.

1. Using P5 Pentalobe, unscrew the 10 screws on the back cover of the laptop.

2. Carefully pry the cover near the display hinge.

3. To disconnect the laptop and prevent accidental startup, it is recommended to disconnect the battery. To do this, you need to find the power connector and pull the plastic tab.

4. Using a T9 Torx screwdriver, remove the screw securing the SSD drive.

5. Install a new drive and repeat the operations in reverse order.

That's not all, you need to configure macOS

After replacing the disk, you can perform a clean installation of macOS or roll a backup copy. In any case, after starting the system, you will need to perform another operation.

When using a third-party SSD with macOS, you must enable the TRIM command. Otherwise, over time, the drive's performance will decrease and write operations will be slower.

Since version OS X 10.11 El Capitan You can activate TRIM on all SSDs using the terminal command:



 

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