SSDs are a wonderful development for computer users.
After pressing the ON button, putting the laptop down and taking off my fleece the machine was at the login screen. Silly really: what's a few extra seconds. And yet it's really nice not to wait.
I've noticed a HUGE difference with a SSD. I've had my Macbook air with a SSD for 3.5 years and it's still humming along nicely. Our Mac mini, with a standard drive, was slow out of the box. I realize that there might be other problems going on there (and that reminds me—I need to call Apple Care before it runs out). But it has made enough difference for me that I really don't want to go back to ordinary drives. I'm about to buy a new Macbook and I'm willing to put up with less storage for the sake of a SSD.
Marc, if you can continue to use the MM then don't buy another Macbook, but instead buy a SSD and pop that in. It's very easy really, and it will restore the snappiness that it no longer has for everything except the most processor-intensive processes. 128GB is enough, although 250GB is better, and you can also mount your old DD in a caddy to access the data on there (or archive it as backup).
I'm in 2 minds about having a small SSD instead of a larger HDD in a Macbook: all things being equal you can cheaply replace/upgrade the HDD with an SSD in the Macbook, but there is no upgrade path on Macbooks with SSDs (though it will be an all-round higher spec machine). And given the choice, I'd go for a refurb at a higher spec than a virgin at lower spec, simply because there's no upgrades possible.
I have been mildly tempted by the idea of a Mac mini from time to time, but really have no use for such a thing.
I've noticed a HUGE difference with a SSD. I've had my Macbook air with a SSD for 3.5 years and it's still humming along nicely. Our Mac mini, with a standard drive, was slow out of the box. I realize that there might be other problems going on there (and that reminds me—I need to call Apple Care before it runs out). But it has made enough difference for me that I really don't want to go back to ordinary drives. I'm about to buy a new Macbook and I'm willing to put up with less storage for the sake of a SSD.
ReplyDeleteMarc, if you can continue to use the MM then don't buy another Macbook, but instead buy a SSD and pop that in. It's very easy really, and it will restore the snappiness that it no longer has for everything except the most processor-intensive processes. 128GB is enough, although 250GB is better, and you can also mount your old DD in a caddy to access the data on there (or archive it as backup).
ReplyDeleteGood idea about the MM. It's for our family use and I don't plan to get rid of it.
ReplyDeleteThe MacBook is for work.
I'm in 2 minds about having a small SSD instead of a larger HDD in a Macbook: all things being equal you can cheaply replace/upgrade the HDD with an SSD in the Macbook, but there is no upgrade path on Macbooks with SSDs (though it will be an all-round higher spec machine). And given the choice, I'd go for a refurb at a higher spec than a virgin at lower spec, simply because there's no upgrades possible.
ReplyDeleteI have been mildly tempted by the idea of a Mac mini from time to time, but really have no use for such a thing.