I have seen there is a firmware that fixes this issue with the other Sandisk SSD drives. I was hoping that this being a newly released drive this issues would be resolved but I guess it is still broken!
Please release a firmware that fixes this issue!
Here is the link to the issue I am referencing.
The issue with the Extreme SSD is that sandfoce controllers do not negotiated the SATA link speed correctly. Instead of SATA 3Gb it only negotiates to SATA 1.5Gb. The ultra+ SSD uses a marvell based controller and is not known to have this issue.
Can you post a screen shot of your system info > serial ATA screen? If SATA negotiated link speed is SATA 3.0Gb this issue would not be related to the Extreme SSD issue.
Will do. Ill post tonight.
I can say that the symptoms are exactly what others have described…
Hangs freezes beachball of doom every time there is a HDD access…
It clearly shows 3gb/s.
Im not sure what the root cause is but it shouldn’t take 4+hours to install a fresh Mountain lion copy from a SanDisk USB key.
I can install to the old 5400rpm spindle drive in under 30 min!!!
I can also move the Ultra Plus do a Dell D620 laptop and install Windows 8 in about 15 min so I know the drive is fine.
It seems like some compatibility issue with the Macbook Pro/Nvidia MCP79…
Do you still have this problem? I’m considering buying the same SSD but if there are problems with Macbooks… Please let me know!
I’m having the same issue with my 2009 Macbook Pro with Nvidia chipset. Cloned my old drive to the new SSD, installed, and the Macbook is unusable. Beachballs after every click.
I pull the SSD out and connected to my PC with Sandisk SSD Toolkit. The firmware is up to date. Is there a fix for this?
I believe there is an issue when using these new SSD’s with older Macs.
I have just resently purchased a SanDisk Ultra Plus 256 GB for my 2009 15 macbook pro (dual nvidia graphics varient) and I too have been having wierd issues. Randomly an app will freeze and then when I click away, onto something else, that will freeze, eventually leaving everything except the mouse frozen. I don’t know what going on, everything on system information checks out fine (link speed 3.0 gbps and TRIM enabled) and this is all on a clean install of Mac OS X 10.8. SanDisk’s website clearlly states it can work on systems, both mac and pc, with older sata 2 connectors so that leaves me a bit confused. :confounded:
Did you click on the link in the post just above yours and read it?
I am still having problems with this drive.
Im sorry the above link is absolute BS.
"Fact of the matter is you are using an old host by today’s standards and unfortunately you may not be able to use the new technology drives in it. " < THIS IS NOT AN ACCEPTABLE ANSWER!
A SATA drive is SUPPOSED to be BACKWARDS compatable! IF it can not operate at SATA1 speed then do not market it as supporting SATA1!!!
Please release a Firmware that locks this drive to SATA1 speeds! PLEASE!
I also have this kind of trouble on a SandyBridge macmini. Randomly boot is very slow and the finder does not rise. Sandisk Ultraplus are not good SSD for Mac. Firmware update not possible on a Mac. Questionable reliability and operation not good. In addition, the French support is in the Czech Republic!. Return times very long and expensive delivery costs.
Short, he must take another brand if you do not want problems
my too cents ;)
I also have this kind of trouble on a SandyBridge macmini. Randomly boot is very slow and the finder does not rise.
Sandisk Ultraplus are not good SSD for Mac. Firmware update not possible on a Mac.
Questionable reliability and operation not good. In addition, the French support is in the Czech Republic!. Return times very long and expensive delivery costs.
Short, he must take another brand if you do not want problems.
my too cents.
@big_m4c wrote:
I have just resently purchased a SanDisk Ultra Plus 256 GB for my 2009 15 macbook pro (dual nvidia graphics varient) and I too have been having wierd issues. Randomly an app will freeze and then when I click away, onto something else, that will freeze, eventually leaving everything except the mouse frozen. I don’t know what going on, everything on system information checks out fine (link speed 3.0 gbps and TRIM enabled) and this is all on a clean install of Mac OS X 10.8. SanDisk’s website clearlly states it can work on systems, both mac and pc, with older sata 2 connectors so that leaves me a bit confused. :confounded:
Yes you can do a FW update on MAC. There are posts stickied at the top of this board with the FW ISO. Burn that to a CD and update the FW. Also this issue only occurs on MacMini and Laptops with nvidia MCP79 chipset and the issue happens on SSD with other manufacturers as well.
No it does not work with a core I5 MacMini.
I have reported to the support that was confirmed.
But maybe he got you there is a new boot linux?
Besides, this is confirmed by someone else here:
and here with bootcamp:
http://forums.sandisk.com/t5/SanDisk-Ultra-Plus-SSD/Firmware-Update-with-BootCamp/td-p/296855
And for buying an SSD from another brand I have no problem updating. Directly on the Mac (with linux USB key. Firmware download directly off via ethernet or wifi).
Hi Dr Lucky,
I feel I have to clarify this point so that other people in a similar situation don’t have to spend a whole day like I did, trying to find the solution as Google doesn’t tell you easily what the answer is. I too thought I had a faulty SanDisk to start with, but of course in hindsight the SSD was perfect - it was the Macbook Pro firmware!!!
So, I encountered similar problems as described in the other posts, with the SanDisk Ultra Plus 256GB with a Macbook pro mid 2009 (Nvidia chipset).
The problem in this case was that the Marvell controller WAS negotiating to the 3GB speed, however this particular Macbook pro had a buggy firmware update aka the infamous EFI 1.7 (which was supposed to work correctly at 3GB/s, but doesn’t work with quite a few non-Apple, third party drives), so here, the SanDisk SSD disk operation was VERY slow. This 1.7 firmware does not work correctly with a lot of disks, not just SSDs but normal hard drives too, apparently.
The fix is to slow the machine to SSD communications down to 1.5GB/s by downgrading the EFI firmware to 1.6 (the forums make it sound scary as the download image is from an untrusted site), but I followed the links (had nothing much to lose at this stage) and it was a straightforward Follow the Instructions scenario. As soon as the update finished and rebooted, the Ultra Plus worked perfectly!
The only downside is that it is only running at 1.5GB SATA, but it’s still a lot faster than the old 5400 RPM HDD.
So for any others in the same boat, if you’ve got issues with this SSD, it’s most likely the MBP firmware, not the SSD, BUT only for this (old) vintage MBP model.
I couldn’t find the link you mentioned in an earlier post Dr Lucky, so reposting it here:
https://discussions.apple.com/message/21375660#21375660
You can also google the following line to find some relevant sites:
Downgrade EFI firmware to 1.6
I’ll just re-iterate the others’ warnings - running this update on the wrong machine could Brick your MBP as it’s upgrading firmware of the machine at a very low level. You take the risk but you might be rewarded with a good result too, like I was.
My 2009 MBP feels like a new speedy machine after this SSD was installed, even thought it’s running at 1/4 the maximum possible 6GB negotiated bus speed.
Good luck peoples!
Update: the Sandisk Ultra Plus can also work at the 2009 Macbook Pro’s full 3Gb/s SATA speed, if you place the drive in an optibay caddy and use the shorter cable that the original optical superdrive had.
Of course this means that you’ll have to remove the original superdrive and possibly put it in an external slimline case, which is what I did.
So now I’m running at the maximum speed the MBP can handle, plus I have a portable DVD burner that can be used on other computers. Neat!
If you want to check prices, search for optibay on ebay.
The machine feels even faster now.
| Legal | Terms of Use | Privacy Statement | Forum Terms of Service |
|
| © Western Digital Corporation or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Western Digital Technologies, Inc. is the seller of record and licensee in the Americas of SanDisk® products. |