2009 MacBook Pro Hard drive upgrade

Hi All,

I am looking to upgrade the harddrive in my macbook pro (2009 model) it currently has a 250gig hard drive in, but I would do a lot of software development (windows and mac) and also a lot of digital movie editing, so this size just isnt enough for me.

I want to future proof myself until my next upgrade, so I would like to go for a 1TB drive. I have seen this drive:WD Scorpio Blue 1 TB SATA Hard Drives ( WD10TEVT ) and from what I can tell, it will be compatible with my machine (it is a 15inch model).

However at the bottom of the page, it says: *750 GB and 1 TB models are 12.5 mm high and may not be compatible with all notebook systems. Consult system specifications for maximum allowable drive height before attempting to install.

So now I am unsure if it will actually fit my machine.
Any advice would be great.

Also would upgrading my drive invalidate my warentee? If so who could I get to fit the drive?

Don't hold me to it...But I don't THINK it will hurt your warranty IF you change it out with apple. But PLEASE someone who know's for sure correct me on this if I'm wrong.

Are you looking for a regular hard drive or a Solid State Drive?

page 37 of your users manual addresses this.

Dysfunction said:

page 37 of your users manual addresses this.

Click to expand...

I dont have my user manual to hand at the moment, its actually on a different continent to me at the moment, so I was just wondering what it addresses? The size issue or the warentee issue.

Kind Regards

TheGreatApple said:

Don't hold me to it...But I don't THINK it will hurt your warranty IF you change it out with apple. But PLEASE someone who know's for sure correct me on this if I'm wrong.

Are you looking for a regular hard drive or a Solid State Drive?

Click to expand...

I was looking for a regular drive.
I am a software developer, thus I often tend to isolate myself from hardware issues (don't want to step on other peoples toes); so what would be the advantage of going for a solid state drive?

Why would you want an SSD to begin with when you need storage space. Which is something SSD don't provide, not to mention it cost a lot more.

Get an external drive as they are super cheap if you are worried about voiding your warranty.

I replaced the default drive that came with my 13" Macbook Pro. If you do it yourself you have more choices but you also void the support contract. I kept my old drive in case I need to contact support. It's a simple replacement if you are comfortable removing a few screws and the manual explains how to do it.

My biggest complaint about the drive you mentioned are the specs beyond the 1 terabyte. Only 5200 RPM and 8 MB cache. The reviews are mixed on that drive. I considered it and in the end 7200 RPM was a requirement of mine.

I eventually decided on Western Digital, a 320 gig 7200 RPM SATA drive. It was the best choice of size and speed. If you want more space the speed usually drops to 5400 RPM on the smaller 2.5 inch laptop drives. I have a 5 year old Vaio running Gentoo that has a 5400 RPM drive. I still like the computer but the drive is a dog. Boot speeds, program loads and searches will be slower. on a 5400 RPM drive.

I'm pleased with the Western Digital Scorpio. If you need more space I would consider an external and not keep so many files on your internal drive. Just an opinion but I think keeping a fast boot drive on the laptop and an external data drive is more flexible and faster. Keep programs and the operating system on the boot drive and keep data on the external.

Cheers, UK

Actually, the hard drive and memory are MEANT TO BE USER REPLACEABLE. You won't void your warranty. The battery on the other hand, is NOT meant to be user replaceable (although it's easy to do) and WILL void the warranty if found out. I've heard this from various sources, including people at the 5th Avenue Mac Store in Manhattan. Plus check this thread, post number 5:

Unibody MacBook Pro - Replacing HD/Memory Voids Warranty!? - AppleInsider

Sorry I can't answer the question about whether or not that drive will fit though.

materialised said:

I dont have my user manual to hand at the moment, its actually on a different continent to me at the moment, so I was just wondering what it addresses? The size issue or the warentee issue.

Kind Regards

Click to expand...

It's available online, and actually addresses all of your queries, since it not only addresses warranty, but system specifications. Of course, that's harder than simply asking someone else to go look up the same information.

Actually, the hard drive and memory are MEANT TO BE USER REPLACEABLE. You won't void your warranty.

Click to expand...

Interesting, that is not what the representative said to me at the Apple Store. He said memory replacement was fine but hard drive replacement was a different issue. I personally thought that was kind of odd given the manual explains how to do it. Good to know the truth. Maybe the Apple techs get commissions on every hard drive they replace.