Upgrading HD in Macbook

i have a macbook purchased in june of 2007. i am wanting to upgrade my HD to something larger. it is currently 160 gb. i've seen 500gb HDs out there and was wondering if they are compatible with my laptop. the reason i ask is because on the apple site, the highest they allow me to upgrade a brand new macbook or macbook pro is to 320 gb.

i currently have an external HD that i use for music projects and my itunes folder. but i'm tired of carrying it around with me. also, it's beginning to die it seems so i'd like to not have to worry about that, too. i'd much rather be able to keep everything on the computer itself as opposed to relying on my external.

i only have about 15 gb left on my HD (due to programs and large music recording sessions) and my external is 120 gb with only about 20 gb left. so i'd like to have a large enough HD to hold all of that. thank you for your help.

Samsung 500GB laptop drive - $149.99

Swapping it out is ridiculously easy as well, just follow Apple's instructions:

Macbook Hard Drive Replacement Instructions (PDF)

thank you

thank you kindly for your response.

i have actually heard that it's quite easy to swap the drives, so thank you for confirming that for me.

in regards to the 500gb drive, does it indeed work in my macbook? that was my main concern, whether the macbook, not macbook pro, can handle a 500gb hard drive. the majority i find that say they are compatible with the 13" macbook are 320 gb and under. thank you again for your help. i greatly appreciate it.

Yes, it's the 9.5mm version, unlike the Hitachi version that is 12mm and only fits in the 17" Macbook Pro.

ah, thank you

i see. well thank you again. i think i'll be going ahead with the swap then. hopefully i can find the same drive at one of the sites who throw in the casing to make my old drive an external. easier to transfer the files for someone like myself.

thanks again. you've been a lot of help.

@IrishDoug83 Slightly off topic but..What external hard drive have you been using? I've been thinking about purchasing one.

im gonna buy a SSD but I have the stock 250gb 5400 RPM drive that came in my MB alum that Im gonna be selling!

bad.heron said:

@IrishDoug83 Slightly off topic but..What external hard drive have you been using? I've been thinking about purchasing one.

Click to expand...

i've been using a Western Digital Passport. however, until i can figure out what's gone wrong with it, i'll hold off on my recommendation...

IrishDoug83 said:

i've been using a Western Digital Passport. however, until i can figure out what's gone wrong with it, i'll hold off on my recommendation...

Click to expand...

I've been contemplating getting a Western Digital My Book
My Book Studio Edition 1 TB Hard Drives ( WDH1Q10000 )

Let us know how the troubleshooting goes

will do. here's the situation on my WD passport...

http://www.mac-forums.com/forums/other-hardware-peripherals/127217-western-digital-passport-failing.html

I had a look on the Apple support site for instructions to swap the hard drive in an early 2006 MBP 15 inch but couldn't find anything. 120GB drive just too small for me now.

Anyone have a guide as to how to do this?

error code -8, too many bad sectors. hopefully i can find software that can recover the files i guess...

quicksilver said:

I had a look on the Apple support site for instructions to swap the hard drive in an early 2006 MBP 15 inch but couldn't find anything. 120GB drive just too small for me now.

Anyone have a guide as to how to do this?

Click to expand...

You can't swap the hard drive on that Macbook Pro without voiding the warranty. Let's say your warranty expired or that you don't care, even then it's a total pain because you have to disassemble the entire bottom to get to the hard drive. If you don't have the fortitude to take apart your Mac, then I would suggest taking it to the Apple Store and having one of the Geniuses upgrade the drive for you (you can purchase your own drive and bring it to them I believe).

I am contemplating exactly the same as the OP - have you tried and did it work?!!

qprfact said:

I am contemplating exactly the same as the OP - have you tried and did it work?!!

Click to expand...

Forget the OP, I did it and it turned out beautifully. I upgraded to a 7200RPM drive and it's been smooth sailing ever since. Took me just a few minutes (darn torx screws are annoying)