Will this Hard Drive work on my 13" Macbook?

Joined
Mar 29, 2011
Messages
14
Reaction score
0
Points
1
I am trying to change my 80GB HD drive into a bigger one, preferably above 100GB. I also want it to be fast (so I think I need a high RPM?). Here are some specs on my 2007 13" Macbook:

ATA Bus:

MATSHITADVD-R UJ-857:

Model: MATSHITADVD-R UJ-857
Revision: HBEA
Serial Number:
Detachable Drive: No
Protocol: ATAPI
Unit Number: 0
Socket Type: Internal
Low Power Polling: Yes
Power Off: Yes




Intel ICH7-M AHCI:

Vendor: Intel
Product: ICH7-M AHCI
Link Speed: 1.5 Gigabit
Negotiated Link Speed: 1.5 Gigabit
Description: AHCI Version 1.10 Supported

TOSHIBA MK8032GSX:

Capacity: 80.03 GB (80,026,361,856 bytes)
Model: TOSHIBA MK8032GSX
Revision: AS116B
Serial Number: 877KT330T
Native Command Queuing: Yes
Queue Depth: 32
Removable Media: No
Detachable Drive: No
BSD Name: disk0
Medium Type: Rotational
Partition Map Type: GPT (GUID Partition Table)
S.M.A.R.T. status: Verified
Volumes:
Capacity: 209.7 MB (209,715,200 bytes)
Writable: Yes
BSD Name: disk0s1
OSX:
Capacity: 79.68 GB (79,682,387,968 bytes)
Available: 56.81 GB (56,812,789,760 bytes)
Writable: Yes
File System: Journaled HFS+
BSD Name: disk0s2
Mount Point: /


Will any of these HD's work with my Macbook? If not, what is compatible with my machine?

Amazon.com: Western Digital 320 GB Scorpio Black SATA 7200 RPM 16 MB Cache Bulk/OEM Notebook Hard Drive WD3200BEKT: Electronics

Western Digital WD1600AAJS Caviar Blue Hard Drive - 160GB, 7200RPM, 8MB, SATA-300 (OEM) at TigerDirect.com

Amazon.com: Western Digital 250 GB Scorpio Black SATA 7200 RPM 16 MB Cache Bulk/OEM Notebook Hard Drive WD2500BEKT: Electronics

Newegg.com - Western Digital Scorpio Black WD1600BEKT 160GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache 2.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s Internal Notebook Hard Drive -Bare Drive (really want this one)
 

chscag

Well-known member
Staff member
Admin
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Messages
65,248
Reaction score
1,833
Points
113
Location
Keller, Texas
Your Mac's Specs
2017 27" iMac, 10.5" iPad Pro, iPhone 8, iPhone 11, iPhone 12 Mini, Numerous iPods, Monterey
All of the drives you mentioned will work. Your MacBook takes a SATA 2.5" (width) drive x 9.5 MM in thickness. Either 5400 or 7200 RPM drives are OK to use.
 
OP
B
Joined
Mar 29, 2011
Messages
14
Reaction score
0
Points
1
How does the installation process work? Like I know how to physically put it in, but do I use Time Machine to backup my data and then just install Snow Leopard on the new HD? And then just use Time Machine to bring back my users and files? I don't understand how all that works.
 

robduckyworth


Retired Staff
Joined
Jan 4, 2011
Messages
2,971
Reaction score
109
Points
63
Location
Reading, UK
Your Mac's Specs
15" MBP, 2.5GHz i7, 750GB, 6770M 1GB, iPad 3, iPhone 4, custom PC
Your MacBook takes a SATA 2.5" (width) drive x 9.5 MM in thickness. Either 5400 or 7200 RPM drives are OK to use.

bravesrule- yes, as long as all these apply.
 
OP
B
Joined
Mar 29, 2011
Messages
14
Reaction score
0
Points
1
bravesrule- yes, as long as all these apply.

The only question I have now is, do I use Time Machine to back up everything from my old hard drive onto my external hard drive so when I start up the new hard drive I can start up using Time Machine from my external and boot my old users and files?
 

robduckyworth


Retired Staff
Joined
Jan 4, 2011
Messages
2,971
Reaction score
109
Points
63
Location
Reading, UK
Your Mac's Specs
15" MBP, 2.5GHz i7, 750GB, 6770M 1GB, iPad 3, iPhone 4, custom PC
you can use SuperDuper

SuperDuper!

to clone your drive, then when you put the new one in, its like you never changed it, but its increased inside.
 
OP
B
Joined
Mar 29, 2011
Messages
14
Reaction score
0
Points
1
you can use SuperDuper

SuperDuper!

to clone your drive, then when you put the new one in, its like you never changed it, but its increased inside.

So do I clone it onto my external hard drive? Then for the first time when I start up my Macbook with the new hard drive installed, I boot from the external hard drive? Am I correct? Because there will be no software or system to boot from since nothing is installed on the hard drive.
 

robduckyworth


Retired Staff
Joined
Jan 4, 2011
Messages
2,971
Reaction score
109
Points
63
Location
Reading, UK
Your Mac's Specs
15" MBP, 2.5GHz i7, 750GB, 6770M 1GB, iPad 3, iPhone 4, custom PC
put your new hard drive in an enclosure, then clone your internal to it, then swap the drives over.

alternatively to this, to restore from time machine, you would put your new drive in, then boot from from the OSX discs, format and install Snow Leopard, then restore from time machine backup by plugging in your external.

cloning is quicker and easier.
 
OP
B
Joined
Mar 29, 2011
Messages
14
Reaction score
0
Points
1
put your new hard drive in an enclosure, then clone your internal to it, then swap the drives over.

What's an enclosure? Sorry I don't know much about computer gadgets. Do I need a firewire enclosure instead of a USB enclosure because it is a Mac? As I have heard that external hard drives don't work with USB's (which I have).
 

robduckyworth


Retired Staff
Joined
Jan 4, 2011
Messages
2,971
Reaction score
109
Points
63
Location
Reading, UK
Your Mac's Specs
15" MBP, 2.5GHz i7, 750GB, 6770M 1GB, iPad 3, iPhone 4, custom PC
OP
B
Joined
Mar 29, 2011
Messages
14
Reaction score
0
Points
1
And then how do I exactly "back up" the data from the old hard drive to the new one that I just installed?
 

robduckyworth


Retired Staff
Joined
Jan 4, 2011
Messages
2,971
Reaction score
109
Points
63
Location
Reading, UK
Your Mac's Specs
15" MBP, 2.5GHz i7, 750GB, 6770M 1GB, iPad 3, iPhone 4, custom PC
okay.

1) put new hard drive in an enclosure.

2) connect enclosure to Macbook.

3) Open SuperDuper.

4) In SuperDuper, clone old hard drive to new one. (this copies all the data on your Mac, to the new one.)

5) Once it is finished, you now have 2 drives, both with identical data on them.

6) take out your old 80GB hard drive from your macbook, and replace it with the new one you just cloned.

7) Boot up your macbook. it will boot up into OSX, and it will be as if nothing has changed. all your old data will be there. the only difference will be that you have more available space.

your old drive will still have all your data on it. this is a back up. you can put it in an enclosure and use it as an external if you wish.
 

robduckyworth


Retired Staff
Joined
Jan 4, 2011
Messages
2,971
Reaction score
109
Points
63
Location
Reading, UK
Your Mac's Specs
15" MBP, 2.5GHz i7, 750GB, 6770M 1GB, iPad 3, iPhone 4, custom PC
The other way to do it involves booting from your OS discs, but you need a Time machine backup.
 
OP
B
Joined
Mar 29, 2011
Messages
14
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Can I install my new hard drive then boot my Snow Leopard install disks and install SL on it, then just use Time Machine to get back my old information from my old hard drive? Or is that more complicated?
 

robduckyworth


Retired Staff
Joined
Jan 4, 2011
Messages
2,971
Reaction score
109
Points
63
Location
Reading, UK
Your Mac's Specs
15" MBP, 2.5GHz i7, 750GB, 6770M 1GB, iPad 3, iPhone 4, custom PC
Can I install my new hard drive then boot my Snow Leopard install disks and install SL on it, then just use Time Machine to get back my old information from my old hard drive? Or is that more complicated?

yes you can do that, i mentioned earlier. but it takes longer.

snow leopard install - around 20 mins, maybe more

restoring backup - depends on size of back up, can take hourrs

cloning drive - Snow Leopard install is unneccassary (you are cloning a drive which already has it installed) so you save a bit of time. still takes a long time to clone.
 
OP
B
Joined
Mar 29, 2011
Messages
14
Reaction score
0
Points
1
I tried cloning to the new hdd but there was no choice for it in SuperDuper! It would only let me create new disk image and then it still wasn't working.
 

robduckyworth


Retired Staff
Joined
Jan 4, 2011
Messages
2,971
Reaction score
109
Points
63
Location
Reading, UK
Your Mac's Specs
15" MBP, 2.5GHz i7, 750GB, 6770M 1GB, iPad 3, iPhone 4, custom PC
is the external hard drive showing up in finder?
 

Shop Amazon


Shop for your Apple, Mac, iPhone and other computer products on Amazon.
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites.
Top