Reddit reviews [OLD MODEL] Crucial m4 256GB 2.5-Inch (9.5mm) SATA 6Gb/s Solid State Drive CT256M4SSD2

Don't pay to clean it up. If you have the OS X disc, you can perform a clean install yourself. Boot into the disc, wipe the HDD with Disk Utility, and then reinstall OS. Just make sure you back up your necessary files.

Max out your RAM, but if you really want to see a performance increase you're going to need to upgrade to a SSD. Check if your specific model is compatible with SATA-2, and if it is, consider picking up one of these.

I have a late-2008 MBP (first unibody to come out), I maxed my RAM at 8GB and my HDD failed once. Apple replaced it with another HDD and within a year I noticed the same symptoms from the previous fail. I bought that 256GB SSD and my computer's running better now than fresh off the factory in 2008.

As for physically cleaning, buy the tools necessary to open the shell and get yourself a bottle of compressed air. Go slowly. You'll save yourself a nice amount of cash

iFixit is your friend. Search around and find a guide that shows you how to open it up completely.

The Desk/Workspace:

• GeekDesk Max (78.75")
  
• APC BE750G Battery-Backup UPS (mounted under desk on the far right side with 5" metal brackets)
  
• IKEA Signum cable organizer (mounted under the far edge)
  
• 10 port USB hub (mounted near cable organizer)
  
• IKEA's Aeron knockoff, Markus
  
• Sublime Imprint Anti-Fatigue Nantucket Series Comfort Mat
  
• JVC HARX900 Headphones
  
• Keyboard: Microsoft Natural 4000
  
• Mouse: Microsoft Trackball Explorer, the world's most comfortable trackball - in use for 8+ years and counting
  
• Monitors:
  
  • Center: Dell Ultrasharp 24" (IPS display)
    
  • Left: Samsung 24" Syncmaster
    
  • Right: Gateway FHD2401 24"
    
• Monitor Arms:
  
  • Right: Ergotron LX Dual Side-by-Side
    
  • Left: Ergotron LX Desk Mount (single)
    
• Monitor connectivity:
  
  • Center: Direct DVI (PC)/DisplayPort (Mac)
    
  • Kensington USB-DVI Multi-Display Adapter (DisplayLink)
    
  • Plugable UGA-2K-A USB-DVI (DisplayLink)
    
    PC:
    
    
• Case: LIAN-LI PC-7F ATX Mid Tower Case
  
• PSU: Kingwin LZP-550 80+ Platinum 550W PSU
  
• MB: MSI P67A-GD65(B3)
  
• CPU: Intel Core i7-2600K
  
• RAM: 16GB Crucial Ballistix PC3-16000
  
• HDD: Crucial 256GB M4 SSD
  
• GPU: EVGA GTX 460 Superclocked EE
  
  Mac: 15" MacBook Pro, Core i7 2.5 GHz, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD
  
  Usage:
  
  I don't have a KVM, but I simulate having one. All my peripherals - keyboard, mouse, webcam, left & right monitors, are plugged into the USB hub. In PC mode, the USB hub is plugged into the back of the Dell monitor, which is in turn plugged into the PC. In Mac mode, the USB hub is plugged directly into the MacBook Pro. I keep both a DVI cable (for the PC) and a DisplayPort cable (for the Mac) plugged into the Dell monitor, and I use the monitor controls to switch inputs when going between platforms.
  
  I know there are software solutions for sharing keyboard/mouse between computers, but I'm generally working on one computer or the other - I'm rarely, if ever, working on both.
  
  I use the MacBook Pro for daily work (Java/web development, Photoshop/Illustrator), and the PC for hobby work (C#/.NET) and gaming.
  
  The MBP is thin enough that I can slide it under the keyboard to get a total of 4 screens. I generally use the MBP screen for Skype & Campfire windows.
  
  EDIT:
  
  T-Rex Themed Art for those interested, clockwise from the left:
  
  
• Drinking With the Dinosaurs from Unusual Cards! on Etsy
  
• But you won't exist until the late cretacious period from Tiffany Ard on Etsy
  
• T Rex by Ryan Berkley on Etsy
  
• Useful Appendages by Miranda Brandon on Etsy
  
• Mr T. Rex by Jon Stich on Etsy
  
  

I did the same but didn't notice that much of a difference. Now upgrade to an SSD like I did and be amazed.

It sold out on buy.com but amazon has lowered their price to match.

http://www.amazon.com/Crucial-2-5-Inch-Solid-State-CT256M4SSD2/dp/B004W2JL2A/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1347893452&sr=1-1&keywords=CT256M4SSD2

If $200 is your budget, I would personally go with the RAM package I linked above and then put the remaining in a 128GB SSD. If you've hardly touched 100GB on your computer now, then you may as well go for something that will really benefit you. The only additional benefit you get from a new HDD is storage space. You could wipe your current drive clean and be more or less just as fast compared with a new HDD. I push the 256GB just because I write a lot of data so using under 100GB is foreign to me, definitely ignore that in your case. As for upgrading to a MBP, that's more of a long term decision I think. If you ever did go Mac again, you sound like exactly the person the Air was made for anyway. Stay tuned and I'll edit this with a few HDD you may be interested in.


EDIT
Ok, this should be perfect for you if you're dead set on HDD. I saw above that you linked a drive which was 750GB for $100. While that is a great price, it's not worth it if you aren't going to use the space. The package I linked will include all of the tools you need as well as an external casing so that you can still use your old drive. You can also try this setup which comes with 90GB more space for $12 more dollars. I've never used these brands of drives so I can't comment on that, though I'm sure (since they're listed on macsales) they are just fine. Here is a full list of other options. And, as always, a 128GB Crucial M4 can be found for $130 here.


Anything else?

I just did this the other day with my 2009 Mac Mini. It was more needed in my case as the internal hard drive was going bad and was often really slow. I did the disk speed test before and after, and with the SSD, I was averaging speeds about 19x faster (yep, that's 1900% faster) . My boot time dropped from about 10 minutes to about 20 seconds. To open and play a movie, it now takes about a second where it used to take at least a minute. The installation was a pain, at least with the 2009 Mini, that required lots of prying and plastic-bending, and tiny parts and such. I also did a clean install of 10.6 and migrated the OS rather than cloning the drive, as there was good possibility of corrupt files and such. All-in-all, worth it. Oh, btw, I put the Crucial M4 in the Mac Mini, which I took out of my MacBook Pro, which I replaced with a Crucial M500. The M500 seems to run about 25-50% faster than the M4, it also runs cooler, and I seem to get a bit more battery life out of it. Only had it for a few days, but I really like it.

I've been quite happy with my 256GB Crucial SSD

1. As long as it's in decent condition, you could sell it for $200-350 I'd say, depending on whether or not you upgrade the ram.
   
   
2. No - an SSD would make even Mountain Lion incredibly zippy, even on that computer. The main bottleneck with computers, even one that old, is the HD read/write speed. Upgrading the ram AND an ssd would definitely not be cancelled out by ML.
   
   
3. Honestly, replacing the battery isn't worth it in my opinion. They're pretty expensive (I strongly advise against getting a non-apple one) and you're probably not gonna get more than 4-5 hours with a new one.
   
   
4. Yes - it did for me when I did a clean install, then restored from a time machine backup.
   
   
5. I don't think your computer will take 16GB - use the link I provided above to find out.
   
   
6. About the same as ML
   
   
7. Crucial has some great memory for a good price with an excellent warranty. How big is your HD? I recommend the Crucial M4 ssd, you can get the 256GB model for as low as $170 on Amazon depending on the day. Here's a link, it goes on sale all the time.

Well if you are building your own computer and have the choice for multiple hard drives, I would actually buy a small ~60GB SSD to install the OS on, for incredible boot speeds, and I would also get maybe a 1TB or 2TB HDD, for all your data, but if you only have room for one harddrive, I would definately get an SSD over an HDD, and I would just live with the small space. If you want a recommendation for one, I've had my eyes on this guy -> http://www.amazon.com/Crucial-2-5-Inch-Solid-State-CT256M4SSD2/dp/B004W2JL2A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1346133991&sr=8-1&keywords=SSd+256

ssd size pretty much just depends on your needs. 256gb is a decent amount, and right now is probably the best bang for the buck.

Get the cheapest option (or the 750gb if you need the space), then simply upgrade the HDD yourself after you get it. I would recommend a 256gb or 512gb Crucial M4 (best value/gb also same as what dell uses I think) SSD, keep the original drive as well for storage in your laptop (save up to 250USD on the 512gb SSD).

You will have to reinstall your OS onto the new SSD (wipe the old drive clean), download relevant drivers from Dell.

Out of curiosity what are the other specs of your purchase (CPU, GPU, RAM)?

The FCCT256 is a unique part number for the Recertified drives, you will want to look up CT128M4SSD1 or CT128M4SSD, CT256M4SSD1 etc... or just search for "Crucial M4 SSD"

Here is the amazon link for the 256 with all the reviews.

http://www.amazon.com/Crucial-256GB-2-5-Inch-9-5mm-CT256M4SSD2/dp/B004W2JL2A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1412389517&sr=8-1&keywords=crucial+m4+ssd

Here are 2 links to the SSD and RAM I was looking at getting, can you guys just confirm that it is compatible and that the price is fair.

[SSD] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004W2JL2A/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER)

RAM

Thanks!

This is also the price on Amazon with free shipping as well. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004W2JL2A/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00

How about this Crucial? It is cheaper and the reviews are solid.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004W2JL2A/ref=gno_cart_title_1

You won't regret the extra space, I have a 256 gb SSD (Crucial https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004W2JL2A/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1) and it works great. The extra space lets me keep WoW and my other main use programs on it without issues. Most everything else is on the secondary drive.

We have a couple friends that chose to go for the smaller size (120) and he never has enough space for all the games he wants on the SSD.

Awesome! I am currently on my say to work so I'll upload them and send them over probably around 8:30ish. For now here is the ad from Amazon for the same drive.

So for example I can get this one for roughly $200? 2.5 inch seems to be the regular sized one right? I guess I'll save up for it, right now the $200 is too much for me and I also like having 500GB of space haha!

So, the extra hundred or so isn't worth it?


Thank you so much for your help!

well the 840 pro is currently the best AFAIK, if you're looking for deals go with the M4, the 840, the m5s, or the Chronos.

Still worth it. I picked up a Crucial M4 256GB SSD. Even though it is designed for SATA-600, my motherboard only supports SATA-300. There is a speed drop for sequential reads, 450 MB/s vs ~250 MB/s.

If you transfer large files you will notice a difference. Edit: compared to an HDD no difference at all

Since you are most likely going to use it to launch windows and a few games there is no difference between sata-300 vs 600 . It will completely blow an HDD out of the water. It will be compatible with your future upgrades as well.

My current time: Starting windows to 4 chrome tabs opened at launch, steam, and various apps. 7 seconds.

It will make your computer feel snapier, and hopefully allow you to delay your upgrade longer to save more money.

Is it worth it? YES

?
http://www.amazon.com/Crucial-2-5-Inch-Solid-State-CT256M4SSD2/dp/B004W2JL2A

Crucial M4 or Samsung 830. Both are the same, so buy whatever is cheaper at the time. Expect to pay about $100 for 128GB and $200 for 256GB.

Once you get it, you can migrate the data with EaseUs or just start fresh(recommended).

Also, this is the ram and SSD I was looking at getting
http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Vengeance-Laptop-Memory-CMSX16GX3M2A1600C10/dp/B0076W9Q5A

http://www.amazon.com/Crucial-256GB-2-5-Inch-9-5mm-CT256M4SSD2/dp/B004W2JL2A

Been rocking this since 2011 or 2012 when I first build my pc daily use. Still holding strong but definetly gonna replace it as main drive once I order new stuff.

https://www.amazon.de/Crucial-CT256M4SSD2-256GB-interne-Festplatte/dp/B004W2JL2A