A few 13 " MacBook Pro SSD questions

Does using an SSD in the 13 inch MacBook Pro effect battery life and heat either positively or negatively?

Is this a good choice for an SSD? I'm fine with the capacity, or is there a better choice?

Amazon.com: Intel X25M 120 GB Solid State Drive with Internal SATA and Power Cables MLC Flash Technology, 2.5-Inch Form Factor SSDSA2MH120G2K5: Electronics

And what size screw driver is required to remove the bottom plate of the 13 inch MacBook Pro?

 

A couple of years ago, SSD's did have a power deficit as compared with HDD counterparts. However, lately that has changed a bit. Power ratings are somewhat comparable, with variation from model to model. This is when measuring idle and active.
Is it worth upgrading your notebook to an SSD drive? - Power consumption testing - HDD vs. SSD :: TweakTown USA Edition

However the SSDs make use of an advantage regarding energy consumption. Through their higher speed, most tasks (particularly reading) are clearly finished more quickly and can thereby remain in idle mode longer. Thus the SSD system is more economical over time from the same assignment of tasks. As such, with the same assignment of tasks, the heat generation should also be less.

 

SSDs beat conventional HDDs in all areas you'd care to measure except for price and capacity. If you're willing to pay a big premium for an SSD, go for it. But I would recommend looking at hybrid drives that use small SSDs to augment the performance of the conventional disk. The Seagate Momentus XT is probably your best bet right now.

 

If you're set on SSD, which is a good idea, take a look at the OCZ Vertex 2, as well as the Patriot Inferno series. Both good SSDs. If capacity is an issue, follow Bog's advice and take a look at XT Hybrid drives.

 

Thanks for the responses. I was considering the Seagate Momentus XT 500GB (I had asked about it in another thread) but some folks say that that drive can add vibration through the palmrest and detrimentally effect battery runtime. Since I'm ok with 120GB I figured I would possibly go fully SSD considering it does not have those issues.

 

I believe that only the Apple installed ssd supports TRIM as there is currently no TRIM support for other drives in OSX.

 

SandForce controllers TRIM on-the-fly - so the Operating System does not do anything, hence does not require TRIM support.

I would recommend OCZ Vertex 2 or Mercury Extreme drives. Both have Sandforce controllers.

Ive had my Vertex 2 for around 8-9 months. Used extensively. No slowdown whatsoever.

YouTube - MacBook Pro 240GB Vertex 2 SSD Unbox, Upgrade & Testing - Part 1

YouTube - MacBook Pro 240GB Vertex 2 SSD - Part 2 - Performance Increase!