Macbook Pro SSD Upgrade Guide – Kingston SSDNow V+100 64GB Review

1. Introduction2. The Kingston V+100 64GB SSD3. Installing the SSD4. SSD vs. HDD Performance Comparison5. Closing Thoughts6. View All Pages

At KitGuru we spend a lot of time testing the latest and greatest components on the market for PC enthusiasts across the globe.  But today we have set aside some time for Mac users, namely those who want to make the most out of their machine.  Anyone who has looked into buying a new Macbook recently will know that Apple demand hundreds of pounds to install a solid state drive into your system, making it a less than desirable option.  But if you perform the upgrade yourself, you can save a significant amount of money.

Kingston have kindly supplied us with one of their SSDNow V+ 64GB solid state drives for this article which provides a good balance between price and performance.  We would say that 64GB is the minimum size you should consider when upgrading a laptop as anything smaller will likely prove too small in the long run.  Before you start the upgrade, you must make sure you have the required tools as listed below.

Tools Required for Upgrade:

• Phillips #00 Screwdriver
• T6 Torx Screwdriver

Kingston SSDNow V+ 64GB

Features

• Innovative — uses MLC NAND flash memory components.
• Silent — runs silent and cool with no moving mechanical parts
• Shock-Proof — no moving mechanical parts so the SSD handles rougher conditions
• Supports S.M.A.R.T functions
• Guaranteed — three-year warranty, live 24/7 tech support

Specifications

• Form factor — 2.5″
• Interface — SATA 1.5Gb/s and 3.0Gb/s
• Capacities¹ — 64 GB, 96 GB, 128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB
• Dimensions — 69.85 x 100 x 9.5 mm
• Weight — 128 – 151 grams
• Storage temperatures — -40 ~ 85°C
• Operating temperatures — 0 ~ 70°C
• Vibration operating — 2.7G
• Vibration non-operating — 20G
• Sequential Read Throughput ² — 230 MB/s
• Sequential Write Throughput ² — 180 MB/s
• Power specs — Active – 3.4W (TYP), Idle – 0.05W
• MTBF — 1,000,000 Hrs

Kingston supply their SSDNow V+ range in attractively designed black and green packaging that consists of an outer box and an inner plastic packet.  The reverse of the box details the products features and specifications in a number of languages. The packaging should provide more than enough protection to prevent damage in transit.

They bundle a vast array of accessories which should ensure the installation process is as hassle free as possible for PC users.  For those who plan to simply upgrade their PC, Kingston provide an 2.5″ external drive caddy and a copy of Acronis True Image HD which will let you create an exact replica of your current PC's hard drive on the SSD.  They also provide SATA power and data cables and a 3.5″ mounting bracket.

The drive itself has a metal casing which should make it very resilient to damage.  It will also help the drive dissipate heat effectively which should improve longevity.  If the drive does fail of it's own accord, though, Kingston provide a 3-year warranty with all of their SSDs which will cover you.

Kingston has chosen to use the Toshiba T6UG1XBG controller for the V+100 series which is actually the same as the one used in Apple's latest Macbook Air.  Consequently, the Kingston V+100 series drives boast the same performance figures as Apple's, 230 MB/s read and 180 MB/s write.

For Windows users it's worth noting that the Kingston V+100 Series supports TRIM.  But OS X doesn't support TRIM yet so those upgrading their Mac needn't worry.  For those who want a larger drive than the 64 GB model tested, Kingston produce the V+100 drives in numerous capacities from 64 GB to 512 GB, including 96 GB.  We would say that the 96 GB version is the pick of the range as it offers a good deal more storage space than the 64 GB version and only costs around £130 inc. VAT.

As we mentioned in the introduction to this article, there are two essential tools required for upgrading your Macbook Pro with an SSD.  These are a Phillips #00 Screwdriver and a Torx T6 Screwdriver.  We would also recommend that you locate the Mac OS X install DVDs that are supplied with your Macbook Pro before you start as they are needed to install OS X on the blank SSD when installed.  Once you've obtained all these items, you can start the installation procedure.  We used a Macbook Pro 13 Model A1278 (2009) for this guide.  

Please note that KitGuru doesn't take any responsibility for users damaging their system while using this guide.  Replacing the hard drive may invalidate the warranty on your machine.

We also recommend mirroring your internal drive to the new SSD with OSX software such as Carbon Copy Cloner

Step 1 – Power down your machine and ensure that the Mag Safe power connector is disconnected from your machine.  Turn the machine over so the hinged edge is furthest away from you.

Step 2 – Using the Phillips #00 Screwdriver, remove the ten screws around the edge of the bottom cover of the machine.  You'll notice that the three rightmost of the four screws along the hinged edge are significantly longer than the others.  It is essential that you note where these are removed from for when you come to replace the cover.

Step 3 (optional) – Unplug the battery connector which is located on the logic board, just above the battery, to the right of the blue RAM module.  This must be done with care as these connectors are quite delicate.  This step isn't vital but will reduce the chance of damage to your system.

Step 4 – Locate the black plastic bracket that secures the hard drive in place and remove the two screws using the Phillips #00 Screwdriver.  The hard drive can then be carefully removed by lifting the plastic flap on the top – make sure that you disconnect the hard drive cable before removing the drive completely.

Step 5 – Using the Torx T6 Screwdriver, remove the two screw plugs on each side of the hard drive.  If you don't have a Torx T6 screwdriver, a small Allan key will suffice.  These can then be attached to the replacement Kingston drive.

Step 6 – Connect the SSD up to the hard drive cable and insert it back into the system.  The black plastic bracket can then be reinstalled, securing the SSD in place.

Step 7 – Reconnect the battery connector (if you removed it in the first place) and then replace the machine's bottom panel.  Make sure that you replace the screws in the right locations as mentioned earlier.

Step 8 – Reconnect the power adapter, turn the machine on and insert the Mac OS X Install DVD – you may need to restart the system to ensure that the DVD is recognised.  Follow the on screen instructions to reinstall OS X on the machine if you didn't mirror the drive with software such as Carbon Copy Cloner beforehand.

We decided to conduct some basic tests to illustrate the performance differences between the standard hard drive and the Kingston V+100 64 GB solid state drive.  We used a Macbook Pro 13 Model A1278 (2009) for these tests which features a 2.26GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2GB 1066MHz RAM and a 160GB 5400rpm hard drive.

X Bench is a comprehensive benchmarking program developed for Mac OS X that contains within it a hard drive benchmarking tool.  We will be using this to show the performance difference between the standard hard drive and the Kingston solid state drive.  We used X Bench Version 1.3 in this test.

The scores achieved by the Kingston SSD are extremely impressive, in some cases over 600% better than those achieved by the stock mechanical drive.

Synthetic benchmarks are all well and good but most users will be wondering how upgrading to a solid state drive will improve their day to day computing experience on their Macbook.

In our real world tests we saw impressive performance improvements all round, especially in OS X boot time which was reduced by 40 seconds.  The whole OS X user experienced seemed much more snappy with the Kingston SSD than with the original mechanical hard drive.

At KitGuru we use our Macbooks on a regular basis for writing up news and reviews in the office and on the go.  We noticed a huge improvement in the OS X experience after installing the solid state drive which we believe justifies the cost.  Load times were improved across the board, especially the boot time which was reduced from a minute to a mere 18 seconds.  We also saw great improvements in performance in the synthetic tests.

Some people may be worried about invalidating their warranty.  We have had personal experience of Apple support and you shouldn't run into any issues as long as you reinstall the original hard drive before you take it in.  Be warned though that Apple may not honor your warranty if you cause damage yourself while replacing the hard drive. It sounds logical, but it is worth saying.

Moving on to the Kingston SSDNow V+100 64Gb solid state drive itself, the performance figures we obtained in our tests are impressive.  Combined this with Kingston's 3-year warranty and top notch build quality and you have a recipe for a very impressive SSD.

Unfortunately the price of the 64 GB Kingston drive lets it down a little as it's more expensive than a lot of competing drives at £125 at Ebuyer.  The 96 GB and 128 GB drives in Kingston's V+100 series are priced much more competitively, though, so we feel they are a much better buy.  The extra space they provide may also prove very useful.  The 96 GB model is available for £135 at Ebuyer and the 128 GB model is available for around £155 at Ebuyer.

KitGuru says: A must have upgrade that definitely justifies the cost.

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