Replacement HDD for MacBook

My guru says the EFI has problems picking up the drive, also, on the older MB's the drive wont operate at the 7200 RPM level, something to do with bus speed ratings on the logic board.
 
NameOfBeast said:
External --- this was a problem with specific enclosures that couldn't handle, I think, anything over 500GB.

Thanks for confirming --- must know before I commit to getting a 500GB drive. Hope it is possible, since I'll else soon have to move my Itunes library off onto an external drive.
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Externally u should be able to plug in whatever u feel like...
 
tau1z said:
i asked pretty much one of the best tech's in the country about internal hdd size in the macbooks, he reckons 500 gig internal wont work.
i would be inclined to trust him on this
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If this guy is so good, ask him for a technical explanation. I'd like to know why exactly this is the case. I know of guys running 500GB drives in their MBPs and on the Apple forums I haven't yet found any reports of a 500GB drive not working.
 
nope, apparently it goes into sleep mode.
seems like 320 gig is as good as it gets...although i do know u can take out the sueprdrive and stick in another hard drive...

if ur interested like i said, use mactracker, it usually is quite solid as to what u can use/upgrade etc...
 
koffiejunkie said:
If this guy is so good, ask him for a technical explanation. I'd like to know why exactly this is the case. I know of guys running 500GB drives in their MBPs and on the Apple forums I haven't yet found any reports of a 500GB drive not working.
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maybe he is jsut following apple guidelines? Since the official supported size is 320 gig? i have first hand seen that the guidelines do not hold true, especially with the xserve models and their size limits?

If ur keen to stick in a 500 gig 7200 rpm drive inside ur mbp and try it out then it would certainly clear it up? Unfortunately i am no longer in the industry and dont have the resources to experiment with it. So all i can rely on is the certified techs who work on it?

(edit) are they sticking 7200 rpm drives in the mbp on the forums etc?
 
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tau1z said:
If ur keen to stick in a 500 gig 7200 rpm drive inside ur mbp and try it out then it would certainly clear it up?
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I'll put my money where my mouth is. End of Feb, probably.

tau1z said:
(edit) are they sticking 7200 rpm drives in the mbp on the forums etc?
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Not sure. Would it make a difference? The 500gb 7200rpm has lower power consumption than the 320GB 7200rpm, according to the Seagate docs.
 
koffiejunkie said:
I'll put my money where my mouth is. End of Feb, probably.



Not sure. Would it make a difference? The 500gb 7200rpm has lower power consumption than the 320GB 7200rpm, according to the Seagate docs.
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i would be interested to see if it works TBH, like i said i would love to give it a bash, but lack the resources at the moment...
Apparently the speed does make a difference, as to why, i am yet to find a satisfactory technical answer..
 
NameOfBeast said:
So it seems to work in a MBP, have yet to see a confirmation for a MB.
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Searching Apple's forums, I found a few mentions of it working in the MBP, but no statements either way on MacBook - I guess it's early days, availability is limited.
 
Is upgrading of the HDD for the new 17'' MBP easy? That was a warranty-voiding operation for the old model, right?
 
NameOfBeast said:
Is upgrading of the HDD for the new 17'' MBP easy? That was a warranty-voiding operation for the old model, right?
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I guess so. Since the battery is not removeable, I don't know how you'll get access to the hard drive. But I'm sure if you buy the drive and take it to a service centre they can fit it for you.
 
koffiejunkie said:
Looks like you would still have to remove the battery. The hard drive is plugged in on the left, and the other side of the drive is too close to the battery to slide out.
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OK, some brave soul has disassembled a new unibody 17'' MBP; there is good news for hard-drive upgrades:
First off, the hard drive doesn't look too terrible to replace for the somewhat savvy user. The process only requires the removal of about a dozen screws of various lengths—all of which, amazingly enough, seem to be Phillips heads. After that, a careful disconnect of the SATA cable and a pull of the infamous plastic tab is required, and the drive is free. You can then replace the smaller slower drive with your choice of gigantic 7200rpm drive or speedy SSD drive without the Apple tax. If you have worked on older iBooks or PowerBooks, this probably won't be any more challenging.
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http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2009/02/17-macbook-pro-disassembly-reveals-ginormous-battery.ars

Much more detail (Geek porn):
http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/First-Look/MacBook-Pro-17-Inch-Unibody/618/1

bclBCAqpd4MJoBRX.standard
 
koffiejunkie said:
tau1z said:
If ur keen to stick in a 500 gig 7200 rpm drive inside ur mbp and try it out then it would certainly clear it up?
Click to expand...
I'll put my money where my mouth is. End of Feb, probably.

I'm going to have to go back on my word on this one - don't have the Macbook any more :( I do still have the 500GB 7200rpm Seagate on order though. And the price has come down a bit.

NameOfBeast said:
OK, some brave soul has disassembled a new unibody 17'' MBP; there is good news for hard-drive upgrades
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Nice! It's especially nice to hear all the screws are philips.
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NameOfBeast said:
You have something against TORX? Besides the ability to *really* over-tighten things? :D
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Nope, I prefer Torx, actually. I just can find a magnetised screwdriver. Getting screws out of tight spots without that can be tricky.

NameOfBeast said:
So I got a 5400RPM 500GB which is working very nicely in my MB (and seems very zippy). Happy as a clam I am.
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I have one of those sitting on the shelf - will be my external backup drive when the new mac arrives and I get my hands on the 500GB 7200rpm drive.
 
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