500gb Hard Drive replacement

I bought a Fujitsu 500gb SATA internal hard drive from Ebay to fit into my Macbook.

It wasn't listed as being specifically for a Macbook, the spec was SATA which was good enough for me.

The 1st thing I noticed was the Fujitsu drive was thicker than the one already in the Mac (160gb).

Probably due to the extra platters inside it & I manged to get it to fit, but its a very tight squeeze to get it in.

I'm curious to know if all 500gb SATA 2.5" drives are that tight a fit for the Macbook ?

I noticed that the computers fans were running on & off for a while more so than if I had left the 160gb one in, I know the replacement hard drive is bigger & will need cooling down more.

The Macbook didn't reject it & on checking 'about this mac' its being recognized by the laptop.

I just wondered if anyone else has a similar sized hard drive (500gb) in their Macbook & if so which one did you buy & why ?

That is has anyone bought a SATA hard drive that isn't specified as being specific only to a Macbook ?

Or should you just buy Macbook specific hardware ?

I look forward to any posotive responses.

Thanks. ;D

As long as it's a SATA HDD it should be fine. You need to keep in mind that HDDs that fit in most notebooks are 2.5" and are 9.5mm in height.

MACBOOK 500gb Hard Drive Replacement Which One ?

Thats what I thought too, thats why I chose to buy it.

It just seemed a very tight fit & I was wondering how any air could get to it, as the one I removed had a bit of clearance due to it being a smaller capacity.

But I suppose the internal fans keep everything cool.

There seems to be a lot of adverts say for example on Ebay for hard drives specifically for the Macbook family only & from reading this I thought it had to be a special size to fit.

Thanks for replying.

It needs to be 9.5mm height. This is the typical size for notebook drives. There have been at least a couple 2.5" drives come out in the past few months that are 11 and 12mm in height. Have to watch out for these.

Did not go look up that specific Fujitsu. Don't know that we have any regulars here that would recommend them.

MacBook - 500gb Hard Drive replacement

So your saying if the drive is any more than 9.5mm deep then don't use it in a Macbook ?

500 Gb SATA 2.5 Hard Disk Drive Apple Mac Book/Pro/Mini on eBay (end time 27-Aug-09 17:18:33 BST)

500Gb 2.5" SATA Hard Disk Drive Apple Mac Book/Pro/Mini on eBay (end time 08-Sep-09 06:00:17 BST)

As you can see from these two example ads on Ebay - both offering the same device covering the same models of Apple products, but both are different thicknesses - one is 9.5mm & the other is 12mm & both suitable for a Macbook.

So it seems both sizes are ideal from what I'm reading !

I wouldn't believe everything you read from an ebay seller.

I would not purchase the 12.5mm drive at all unless I had confirmation from other users that it would indeed fit in my particular model notebook. Don't care what a seller has to say. They're trying to sell their wares.

MacBook - 500gb Hard Drive replacement

Absolutely, I couldn't agree more.

I bought this drive from someone from Ebay, purely because it was a SATA 2.5"
internal hard drive.

The specifications are as follows :

Fujitsu 2.5" SATA 11mm - 12mm

model number - MHZ2500BT G2 (FKL - MHZ2500BTG1<B>)
serial number - K706T88265KK
part number - CAO6900 - B250
rating - +5v / 0.55A

See pic

This drive is a really tight fit to get into the macbook & can see why it would have to be a 9.5mm one normally.

However this one does work when installed, I am just interested to know the long term affects to the laptop if any ?

tsam19 said:

This drive is a really tight fit to get into the macbook & can see why it would have to be a 9.5mm one normally.

However this one does work when installed, I am just interested to know the long term affects to the laptop if any ?

Click to expand...

Just to be sure you're not doing something that might cause problems later...I would do a little extra research to see:

- if it's possible to purchase a 500gig hard drive with a 9.5mm height for a MacBook
- go to the Apple Store, and ask them if the 500 gig hard drive they sell for the MacBook is 9.5mm or an 11-12mm height drive.

If the one Apple sells is 9.5mm...that may be a warning sign. But then while you are at the store, you could ask them if there would be a problem using an 11-12mm drive.

On the other hand, if the 500 gig drive the Apple Store sells is 11-12mm...then you shouldn't have any worries.

From the way you describe it...that the 11-12mm drive is a tight fit...this could lead to unnecessary pressure on other components...and/or lead to heat related or cooling issues later on (if you really should be using a 9.5mm drive).

- Nick

And no one will know the long term effects as of yet because these drives have not been out long enough.

You get to be the guinea pig and let us know a year or two from now how it's worked out.

MacBook 500gb Hard Drive replacement

All the power ratings & amp usage and spin rate are the same as a 9.5mm one.

I spoke to Apple & all I got from them was they don't sell 500gb 2.5" internal hard drives, but if you bought a machine from them they would PUT in whatever size hard drive you requested !

As for the dimension clarification of a potential 500gb internal hard drive from Apple, their response was to use one with the same dimensions as the one already in !

But couldn't answer if a 11mm - 12.5mm one would work just as well.

You wouldn't get a 12.5mm one in anyway, but the 11mm just fits.

I can only guess as to why a 9.5mm one is used because it isn't a tight squeeze & its easy to get in & out of the place it sits.

A 9.5mm is used because that has been the standardized size for all 2.5" drives until within the last 2-4 months or so.

MacBook - 500gb Hard Drive replacement

Why bother to change the size of them if the 9.5mm works just fine ?

Its going to cause a lot of confusion for anyone wanting to upgrade their hard drives.

That includes me.

tsam19 said:

I spoke to Apple & all I got from them was they don't sell 500gb 2.5" internal hard drives, but if you bought a machine from them they would PUT in whatever size hard drive you requested !

As for the dimension clarification of a potential 500gb internal hard drive from Apple, their response was to use one with the same dimensions as the one already in !

Click to expand...

Thanks for posting the answers you got from Apple. Sounds like some pretty generic & mostly unhelpful responses.

I kind of thought that since you could get a "build to order" 500 gig HD in a MacBook that the Store might also stock them & sell them separately...I guess not.

If your MacBook starts acting "funny" or seems to be running warmer than usual...maybe that new drive should come out.

Good luck,

- Nick

pigoo3 said:

I kind of thought that since you could get a "build to order" 500 gig HD in a MacBook that the Store might also stock them & sell them separately...I guess not.

Click to expand...

Apple Stores don't sell parts and they don't do the upgrades on site if you purchase a BTO computer.

A BTO computer from a store is no different than if you purchased it online.
The order still has to go and and get made, then shipped.
By doing it at the store, you are actually making the process a bit longer.

D3v1L80Y said:

Apple Stores don't sell parts and they don't do the upgrades on site if you purchase a BTO computer.

Click to expand...

I realize that! My point was...Apple does have a 500 gig hard drive option for MacBooks when you purchase a "built to order" computer.

And since I've seen internal hard drives for sale at my local Apple Store...there could be a possibility that they would stock the 500 gig HD size.

Also...since the original poster has already installed their own hard drive...there would not be a need for an "on-site" upgrade.

- Nick

tsam19 said:

Why bother to change the size of them if the 9.5mm works just fine ?

...

Click to expand...

Because everyone is clambering for larger and larger drives. And to oblige, a couple of manufacturers have provded these 500 GB to 1 TB 2.5" drives. But to do it with today's technology, they have had to add more platters which means they won't fit in the standard 9.5mm height.

As they're able to increase the aerial density of the platters, we may yet see a 1 TB in the standard 2.5" size drive.

MacBook - 500gb Hard Drive replacement

Thanks for all the input boys & girls regarding this thread.

I've removed the 11mm - 12.5mm hard drive from my machine - it was extremely tough to get out !

The hard drive space isn't made for a hard drive this thick.

These hard drives do fit at a push, but I have decided & bought a 9.5mm version from Micro Direct.

It makes sense in the long run & its easier to install & uninstall in the space a Macbook has for this component.

So I guess you'll have to find someone else to be the guinea pig ;D

tsam19 said:

I've removed the 11mm - 12.5mm hard drive from my machine - it was extremely tough to get out !

Click to expand...

Probably a tough decision...but maybe the smartest one in the long run!

What are you going to do with the 11-12mm drive?

- Nick

MacBook - 500gb Hard Drive replacement

Its gone back to the person I bought it from !

They might remember to put the model number or the full spec in their ad next time.

So the buyer knows what their buying etc.

tsam19 said:

Its gone back to the person I bought it from !

Click to expand...

I seem to remember that you got this HD from someone on e-Bay. Great deal that they are willing to take it back! Some e-Bay folks are not as "willing"!

- Nick