Early 2011 MBP HDD Upgrade

Hello all,

I have eaten through my 500GB stock fitted HDD pretty quickly, and am looking to upgrade it to a TB. I do have a few quick questions though, which i have tried to find on Google, not haven't been able to find anything solid.
First off, will any SATA 2/3 2.5" HDD be compatible with my particular MBP?
Secondly I am in the Forensic Computing and IT Security field and as such run various Virtual Machines (never more than one at a time though) so I was wondering would I notice a difference between 3GBps and 6GBps?
Finallllyyyyy, if I was to restore from a Time Machine backup would there be any issues in regards to migrating from a 500GB, to a TB?

Any advice would be appreciated!
Thanks

Chris

First off, will any SATA 2/3 2.5" HDD be compatible with my particular MBP?

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As long as the drive depth or height does not exceed 9.5 MM it should be compatible. Several manufacturers are producing drives that meet those specs: Western Digital, Hitachi, and Seagate. Other World Computing has the Western Digital drive in stock. LINK You might also wish to check with Amazon and NewEgg.

Secondly I am in the Forensic Computing and IT Security field and as such run various Virtual Machines (never more than one at a time though) so I was wondering would I notice a difference between 3GBps and 6GBps?

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Probably not but faster is always better.

Finallllyyyyy, if I was to restore from a Time Machine backup would there be any issues in regards to migrating from a 500GB, to a TB?

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There shouldn't be. I also recommend using a cloning program for better results. (The clone will be bootable, TM backups or restores are not bootable.)
For that I recommend Carbon Copy Cloner.

Fantasic! Thanks alot chscag!
Alleviated the issues I was having. Ill probabily get one in the next coming months.
Just out of intrest do you have a preference to a particular manufacturer? I know I have a couple of external HDD's that are Seagate and dont have a problem with them, other people I speak to do? I guess everyone just has there own views
Thanks

Chris

Anyone of the three I mentioned above should be OK. I've been using WD drives now for some time without any problems but that's just a personal choice. The only thing I would remind you of is the depth or height of the drive - many drives are advertised for notebooks but are actually too thick to properly fit and maintain cooling in a MacBook Pro. Make sure the drive is no thicker than 9.5 MM. Have fun.