07-21-2009, 04:12 PM

Hi, The question i have is, will any 2.5" hard drive work in my macbook pro? or does it have to be apple?

thanks
Steve

07-21-2009, 04:19 PM

Apple doesn't make HDs. Mine came with a Fujitsu (I believe) and I have since replaced it with a WD drive.

07-21-2009, 04:30 PM

Originally Posted by vansmith

Apple doesn't make HDs. Mine came with a Fujitsu (I believe) and I have since replaced it with a WD drive.

So can i actually buy any 2.5" hard drive and stick it in it then also what spindle speed you got and what rate transfer rate you got?

07-21-2009, 05:02 PM

Originally Posted by bigsteve2008

So can i actually buy any 2.5" hard drive and stick it in it then also what spindle speed you got and what rate transfer rate you got?

Not just any 2.5" hard drive. It must be SATA. As far as transfer speed or rotation rate goes, you can replace the drive with a standard 5400 RPM or 7200 RPM model.

OWC has one of the best selections of drives to choose from.

Regards.

07-21-2009, 05:33 PM

Whats the RPM speed of the drive that is in the an aluminum macbook?

So then my 13" MB would be 5400
gotcha

07-21-2009, 06:37 PM

Originally Posted by LogicBox

Whats the RPM speed of the drive that is in the an aluminum macbook?

Depends on what you buy. Apple offers 5400 RPM on all laptops and 7200 RPM and an upgrade option on 15 and 17 inch models.

07-22-2009, 12:13 AM

which brand is the best in your opinion?

im surfing OWC and they have hitachi seagate WD toshiba and samsung. am looking at the 2.5'' 7200rpm ones. budget will be 70-100

and the SSD ones are exxxxxxxxxxxxppppeennnnnnnnssiiiiiivvvvvveeeeee

07-22-2009, 12:31 AM

Don't go SSD - too expensive for what you get. As for brand, my recommendation would be Seagate or WD. If the drives you are thinking of are the same price, see which has the better warranty.

07-22-2009, 03:27 AM

im so thinking of switching to a 7200rpm. sounds so much faster. anw. my apple warranty will be void if i change HD right?

and instead of 'cloning' hard disk, can i just 'rip' off the old HD and put in the new one, and just load everything from time machine?

07-22-2009, 09:41 AM

Originally Posted by nictan

im so thinking of switching to a 7200rpm. sounds so much faster. anw. my apple warranty will be void if i change HD right?

and instead of 'cloning' hard disk, can i just 'rip' off the old HD and put in the new one, and just load everything from time machine?

Thats a good question right there...

So then something like this would work right?
Newegg.com - Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD5000BEVT 500GB 5400 RPM 8MB Cache 2.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s Internal Notebook Hard Drive - Laptop Hard Drives

I mean i know its 5400RPM but I only saw the 7200rpm go up to 320gb

07-22-2009, 12:38 PM

Originally Posted by nictan

im so thinking of switching to a 7200rpm. sounds so much faster. anw. my apple warranty will be void if i change HD right?

The 7200 RPM drives will be somewhat faster, however, it depends on the access speed of the drive and its buffer. Some 5400 RPM drives are actually faster than 7200 RPM models. You need to investigate all drive parameters before purchasing - especially if you're looking for speed. As for voiding the warranty - you will not void your warranty unless you damage something while changing the drive.

Originally Posted by nictan

and instead of 'cloning' hard disk, can i just 'rip' off the old HD and put in the new one, and just load everything from time machine?

Time Machine can be used but the disadvantage in using it is that you can not create a bootable backup with it. To create a bootable backup you need either "SuperDuper" or "Carbon Copy Cloner".

Regards.

07-22-2009, 01:26 PM

Originally Posted by nictan

im so thinking of switching to a 7200rpm. sounds so much faster. anw. my apple warranty will be void if i change HD right?

and instead of 'cloning' hard disk, can i just 'rip' off the old HD and put in the new one, and just load everything from time machine?

When you install the new harddrive you can have the computer restore the new harddrive from the Time Machine backup. It will copy all your files back onto the new harddrive to the pre-swap image.

07-23-2009, 08:34 AM

Originally Posted by chscag

The 7200 RPM drives will be somewhat faster, however, it depends on the access speed of the drive and its buffer. Some 5400 RPM drives are actually faster than 7200 RPM models. You need to investigate all drive parameters before purchasing - especially if you're looking for speed. As for voiding the warranty - you will not void your warranty unless you damage something while changing the drive.



Time Machine can be used but the disadvantage in using it is that you can not create a bootable backup with it. To create a bootable backup you need either "SuperDuper" or "Carbon Copy Cloner".

Regards.

man you mean there are drive parameters and stuff?? i know nothing about those.

sorry. what do you mean by a bootable backup??

07-23-2009, 09:58 AM

A bootable backup is a comprehensive backup whereby you clone your hard drive onto another so, should your HD die (or one of many other reasons), you can actually boot from this backup.