07-12-2011, 11:30 AM

Hello, guys!

I wan't an upgrade for my media 2010 macbook pro 15" unibody, 320gb hdd and 4gb ram, to 750gb hdd and 8gb ram. Will this slow or speed up something on my mbp?

Look, what i've got on my mind here: Seagate 750 GB 16MB ST9750420AS | På lager | Billig and Komplett.dk - Corsair DDR3 SO-DIMM 1066MHz 8GB Mac - these sites is on danish, but well - look at the picture and the description. I'm from Denmark.

Also; what equipment do I need for this operation? I'll do it all by myself. Torx 6 screwdriver and philips 00 screwdriver - where can I buy this to be sent to Denmark? :-)

Thanks!

07-12-2011, 11:57 AM

Try using the forum search feature. There are multiple threads out there that may answer these questions.

Originally Posted by Frederik

Hello, guys!

I wan't an upgrade for my media 2010 macbook pro 15" unibody, 320gb hdd and 4gb ram, to 750gb hdd and 8gb ram. Will this slow or speed up something on my mbp?

I can't imagine why it would slow anything down. Expect a speed increase, but I wouldn't expect it to blow you away. Keeping your computer cleaned up (I use OnyX) will do as much to keep your computer running fast as will hardware upgrades. At least that was my experience.

Originally Posted by Frederik

Look, what i've got on my mind here: Seagate 750 GB 16MB ST9750420AS | På lager | Billig and Komplett.dk - Corsair DDR3 SO-DIMM 1066MHz 8GB Mac - these sites is on danish, but well - look at the picture and the description. I'm from Denmark.

I haven't clicked on the link, but just make sure the hard drive is 9mm in width. Currently the largest capacity HD that fits that dimension is 750 GB. I upgraded my 2006 MBP with a 640 GB Samsung Spinpoint. It's working fine. Perhaps other posters can offer input on the other brands.

Originally Posted by Frederik

Also; what equipment do I need for this operation? I'll do it all by myself. Torx 6 screwdriver and philips 00 screwdriver - where can I buy this to be sent to Denmark? :-)

Thanks!

Those are the only tools you'll really need. I don't have a unibody, so I'm sure the disassembly is different, but I had a total of over 20 screws. To keep them organized, I got some scotch tape and taped them down to a sheet of printer paper and labeled them so I would be sure to put them in the same place when I reassembled.

I've never ordered from any other country...but I would check Amazon for a precision tool kit.

Needle nose pliers did come in handy for me.

07-12-2011, 01:23 PM

Originally Posted by AUZambo

Try using the forum search feature. There are multiple threads out there that may answer these questions.


I can't imagine why it would slow anything down. Expect a speed increase, but I wouldn't expect it to blow you away. Keeping your computer cleaned up (I use OnyX) will do as much to keep your computer running fast as will hardware upgrades. At least that was my experience.


I haven't clicked on the link, but just make sure the hard drive is 9mm in width. Currently the largest capacity HD that fits that dimension is 750 GB. I upgraded my 2006 MBP with a 640 GB Samsung Spinpoint. It's working fine. Perhaps other posters can offer input on the other brands.



Those are the only tools you'll really need. I don't have a unibody, so I'm sure the disassembly is different, but I had a total of over 20 screws. To keep them organized, I got some scotch tape and taped them down to a sheet of printer paper and labeled them so I would be sure to put them in the same place when I reassembled.

I've never ordered from any other country...but I would check Amazon for a precision tool kit.

Needle nose pliers did come in handy for me.

The hdd is 9.5mm in width - will that fit?

07-12-2011, 01:30 PM

Originally Posted by Frederik

The hdd is 9.5mm in width - will that fit?

Whoops...yeah that's right. I forgot the ".5" part.

07-12-2011, 06:42 PM

The computer in question, for me, is a 17" MBP running Leopard. I was in the middle of watching a movie when the HDD failed, and now I'm in the process of replacing it. I was actually thinking we might go ahead and upgrade the RAM while we're at it, and thought I'd stop by here for some answers.

It seems to me that, other than size restrictions, there are no other weird quirks I need to know about with upgrading the HDD (i.e. this brand isn't compatible, etc.). Anything I should be made aware of before purchasing one? (I know the 9.5mm thickness limitation, and obviously it has to be a laptop HDD, but is there anything else?)

Second, any limitations associated with RAM? Any limitations on amounts, like anything that the motherboard can't handle? Just FYI, I switched to Linux a few years ago (I know, I know... THE SHAME! THE BLASPHEMY!), but I'm working on my GF's MBP. I use a Dell Inspiron 1501, and I know that the "listed" limitations for the motherboard is 2GB of RAM, but that it can ACTUALLY handle 4GB without mods... Anything like that with this 'puter?

Thanks for the help!

07-13-2011, 08:32 AM

Hey again

I've found some really nice things on OWC - I think, I'll buy it all from there - except the torx and philips screwdrivers. For 210 usd I can get a Seagate Momentus XT SSD/HD Hybrid and 8gigs of ram from OWC - isn't that good, is it better than the other things, i've found?

07-13-2011, 11:42 AM

hey Frederik. I haven't heard any GREAT reviews about the momentus XT. Typically people who install a clean version of OSX don't have issues but it seems to be 50/50.

I myself put in a Seagate 7200RPM 750gb drive, the Seagate Momentus and love it. I do notice that it is a tad bit louder than the stock 320gb drive, but nothing really noticeable.

07-13-2011, 04:03 PM

Originally Posted by landshrk

It seems to me that, other than size restrictions, there are no other weird quirks I need to know about with upgrading the HDD (i.e. this brand isn't compatible, etc.). Anything I should be made aware of before purchasing one? (I know the 9.5mm thickness limitation, and obviously it has to be a laptop HDD, but is there anything else?)

Second, any limitations associated with RAM? Any limitations on amounts, like anything that the motherboard can't handle? Just FYI, I switched to Linux a few years ago (I know, I know... THE SHAME! THE BLASPHEMY!), but I'm working on my GF's MBP. I use a Dell Inspiron 1501, and I know that the "listed" limitations for the motherboard is 2GB of RAM, but that it can ACTUALLY handle 4GB without mods... Anything like that with this 'puter?

Thanks for the help!

I can't think of any other restrictions. You'll have to format the new HDD for Mac OS. I can't remember exactly how to do it, but a simple google search will answer that for you.

There is a limitation on RAM, but it varies depending on the year and model of your computer. Go to Mactracker - Get Info on any Mac and download their software. It'll tell you everything you need to know about your computer in terms of what it can handle.

07-13-2011, 04:13 PM

Originally Posted by AUZambo

I can't think of any other restrictions. You'll have to format the new HDD for Mac OS. I can't remember exactly how to do it, but a simple google search will answer that for you.

There is a limitation on RAM, but it varies depending on the year and model of your computer. Go to Mactracker - Get Info on any Mac and download their software. It'll tell you everything you need to know about your computer in terms of what it can handle.

Put in the new HDD, also put in the Mac OS X installer-disc. Start the installation, choose language and then go to Disk utility before the install (in the Finder, up). Find the new HDD and format it as Mac OS - extended (journaled). There you go!