No moving parts. Silent operation. Less heat. Lower energy use. Those are the BORING benefits of an SSD solid-state disk drive in your Apple Macintosh computer.

The latest generation of SSD drives are changing the world of tech for one simple reason; THEY ARE FAST! SSDs can read and write data, startup OSX, launch applications, save files 2x 3x 4x as fast as your average spinning-platter hard drive. 2009 really is a year where advancements in solid-state drive controllers, memory chips and price-drops all came together to take performance to new levels, and SSD drive costs to new lows.

Mac owners can enjoy the benefits of running OSX on an SSD drive by either replacing the stock hard drive with an SSD - or custom ordering a new MacBook, Air, or MacBook Pro with an SSD at the Apple Store Online as a build-to-order option.

For DIY Do-It-Yourselfers, SSD upgrade drives for Mac OSX are an easy swap - or a painstaking take-apart depending on your model of Macintosh. Many websites such as iFixit.com have instructions and videos to help detail the step-by-step dissassembly of various Mac models to help you - whether it involves a few screws like a Mac Pro tower - or nearly a hundred like some older MacBook Pro models do.

Lastly, most SSD drives are manufactured in the small 2.5" notebook size form factor for drop-in replacement in a Mac mini or MacBook. But for some models like the G5 iMac or Pro towers, readily available 2.5" to 3.5" SATA drive adapter enclosures allow you to plop a small SSD into an enclosure that will mount in a standard full-size 3.5" drive bay.

Solid-state hard drives aren't 'The Future' of computer storage any longer. There here today - and OS X runs so smoothly you might find simply replacing your hard drive with an SSD might feel like getting a whole new Mac.