10-22-2010, 04:38 AM

hi

i´m planning on upgrading my harddrive in my late 2009 17 inch MacBook Pro.
I already have a 500 GB drive but still hungry for more (especially using Bootcamp) and sick of depending on external harddrives since they ruin the mobility of the MBP.
i would like to go for a 1 TB drive but there is this 9.5 mm boundary. I also found indication for compatibility of 12 mm drives with the MBP. See here:

"Yes, the new laptops require the 9.5 mm drives except for the 17" model that can accommodate the 12 mm high drives."
from Apple Discussion Forum

"1 TB Western Digital Scorpio Blue 5200RPM SATA *12.5mm* HD with Advanced Format Technology - Fits all Apple MacBook/MacBook Pro 'Unibody' Models (13/15/17"), MacBook Pro 'pre-unibody' 17", and PC Laptops which support 12.5mm SATA Drives. New with 3yr WD Warranty."
from MacSales

"There are a couple of 12.5mm thick ones that currently will only fit a 17" Macbook Pro, but the 9.5mm thickness is much more common."
from MacRumors Forum

"Both the new (late 2008) MacBook and MacBook Pro unibody can fit 12.5mm HDD. I have tested it in both notebooks.
Regards, Andrej H. Servisny technik Apple"
from xlr8yourmac.com

"I have just installed a 1TB Toshiba 12.5mm drive in my new MacBook Pro 13".
It fits perfectly, the MBP is clearly designed to accomodate a 12.5mm drive."
from ifixit.com

My question is: has anybody actually built in a 12 or 12.5 mm harddrive into a MacBook Pro and if yes - what experiences can be shared?

Thanks,
friessner

10-22-2010, 01:35 PM

Welcome to the Mac Forums.

As you can easily see from all the quotes you included regarding using a 12.5 mm hard drive in the MB and MBP line of machines, that there is clearly a difference of opinion regarding doing so.

It's your machine and your choice. All you're going to get here is the same responses that you quoted above. My advice is this: When in doubt, go with the manufacturer's recommendation. What size drives does Apple ship their machines with.....?

10-22-2010, 03:10 PM

Hi chscag,

Yes, you´re probably right. It´s the greed for more disk space that dazzles me in regular intervals ;-)
I´ll probably go for the Seagate Momentus 750 GB which should comply with the specs

thanks,
friessner