Upgrading Macbook Hard Drive - n00b assistance required please

PaulTMA · Jul 27, 2011

Hi there,

I want to upgrade the Hard Disk on my White Macbook, bought in September 2008. I have read up about the process, including cloning my existing hard drive via Superduper to the new drive in a caddy and reinstalling.

My main concern is purchasing a 500 GB disk + caddy that are 100% compatible with my Macbook. This is all new to me, and I was reading about how the speed of different hard disks can vary. I assume that I'd be best off with one that is the same speed as the existing one I have, just with the extra capacity. A friend has suggested certain eBay stores, one for disk and one for the caddy. What I would like help with here would be to be guidance on me buying what is definitely the right thing. How do I know what the closest match is?

Apologise if this is in the wrong sub-forum. I can provide more info if required. Any assistance is much appreciated.

Model Name: MacBook
Model Identifier: MacBook4,1
Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed: 2.4 GHz
Number Of Processors: 1
Total Number Of Cores: 2
L2 Cache: 3 MB
Memory: 2 GB
Bus Speed: 800 MHz
Boot ROM Version: MB41.00C1.B00
SMC Version (system): 1.31f1
Serial Number (system): W8814QFE0P1
Hardware UUID: E2A1D49D-C4FF-5827-8BA8-F7EE50814412
Sudden Motion Sensor:
State: Enabled

Intel ICH8-M AHCI:

Vendor: Intel
Product: ICH8-M AHCI
Speed: 1.5 Gigabit
Description: AHCI Version 1.10 Supported

FUJITSU MHY2160BH:

Capacity: 149.05 GB
Model: FUJITSU MHY2160BH
Revision: 0081000D
Serial Number: K43AT832GY71
Native Command Queuing: Yes
Queue Depth: 32
Removable Media: No
Detachable Drive: No
BSD Name: disk0
Mac OS 9 Drivers: No
Partition Map Type: GPT (GUID Partition Table)
S.M.A.R.T. status: Verified
Volumes:
Macintosh HD:
Capacity: 148.73 GB
Available: 6.38 GB
Writable: Yes
File System: Journaled HFS+
BSD Name: disk0s2
Mount Point: /

msharp · Jul 27, 2011

I belive you will need a SATA hard drive that is formated to journaled HFS+
make sure you have the proper screw drivers. It took me 3 different trips to Home Depot and Loews to get the right one (very very small head)

Check out newegg.com

They also have a learning center

Also take a look on YouTube for how to videos

Bob_Stan · Jul 27, 2011

OWC has some great videos on replacing drives and stuff. I have had nothing but good experiences with OWC, but the videos are great even if you are not using their products.

xxmacbethxx · Jul 27, 2011

all the info you should need should be here! just have to figure out exactly wich one yours is basically any drive should work as long it meets the requirments.
make sure it is the right cable type (sata ata etc.) and is the right dimensions 2.5x*x*

dont take my word because im not certian for your series but its probably sata drive 2.5x9.5

and i just got a TB and sata/usb connection kit from newegg for $90 and it all worked great!

Aluminium Unibody MacBook (late 2008 to mid 2009):
Apple - User Guide (page 38) (http://manuals.info.apple.com/en_US/MacBook_13inch_Aluminum_Late2008.pdf)
iFixit - Installing Hard Drive Replacement (MacBook Unibody Model A1278 Hard Drive Replacement - iFixit)

or

White/Black MacBook (2006 to 2009):
Apple - Hard Drive Replacement Instructions (http://manuals.info.apple.com/en_US/MacBook_13inch_HardDrive_DIY.pdf)
iFixit - Installing Hard Drive Replacement (MacBook Core 2 Duo Hard Drive Replacement - iFixit)

PaulTMA · Jul 28, 2011

OK, so am I right in think it is one of THESE I should be buying?

Hard-Drives-For-You items - Get great deals on Hard Drive, Laptop items on eBay Stores!

I'm guessing my current drive runs at 5400 so I guess I will be sticking to that.

My model is the "Core 2 Duo" white macbook, bought days before the new macs were introduced in Sept or Oct 2008, with a 160 GB drive installed.

Please let me know if I'm now on the right path.

Thanks.

xxmacbethxx · Jul 28, 2011

looks good to me!

shahrezsyed · Jul 31, 2011

Go for owc. They've got really good deals on hard drive changing kits which have all the tools, the hard drive (or SSD) and a hard drive case to make your old hard drive an external hard drive for backup.
Performance Upgrades; FireWire USB SATA Storage; Memory, more at OWC