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Any special compatibility concerns when replacing the HDD on a MBP with an SSD? I am running Parallels with XP Pro and Ubuntu and have been disk bound for some time. Not too concerned about size, 100GB is probably enough. Hoping to get the absolute fastest IO I can with reliability being a close second. Below are specs in case they are needed.

Hardware Overview:

  Model Name:   MacBook Pro
  Model Identifier: MacBookPro5,4
  Processor Name:   Intel Core 2 Duo
  Processor Speed:  2.53 GHz
  Number Of Processors: 1
  Total Number Of Cores:    2
  L2 Cache: 3 MB
  Memory:   4 GB
  Bus Speed:    1.07 GHz
  Boot ROM Version: MBP53.00AC.B03
  SMC Version (system): 1.49f2

Help me oh wise ones. Thanks ahead of time!

CarpeNoctem
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1 Answers1

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I don't think there is compatibility concerns, SSDs are pretty safe nowadays. Your model has SATAII, therefore the best SSD you can get is the Mercury Extreme Pro 3G from OWC (macsales.com). You can get a 115 Gb for roughly 200$, and your experience with your MB Pro will improve considerably.

I would not choose a smaller capacity though, as all SSDs with a capacity below 110/120 Gb are much slower, no idea why. And OWC's are the absolute best around, with a 3-year warranty.

Not only that, SSDs require a firmware upgrade from time to time, and OWC is the only company with a native Mac OS X updater. Much better experience in my opinion.

Enjoy the speed! :-)

Fred
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