Oct 22, 2020 MacBook Pro Hard Drive Replacement: A Step-By-Step Guide Step 1: Prepare Your New Hard Drive. Connect your new hard drive to your computer and launch Disk Utility. Step 2: Power Off Your MacBook Pro. Now, you’re ready to get started replacing your hard drive. Turn off your MacBook. Instructions: Upgrade the hard drive in the cheese-grater Mac Pro. Add an SSD (via hard drive bays) to a pre 2013 Mac Pro. Difficulty: Medium. What you'll need: Screwdriver, 2.5in hard drive sled. Apple still sells a 13' MBP with upgradeable HDD and RAM. I wasn't able to find its product page on Apple's website, but if you go to the 'Compare Mac Notebooks' feature, it's listed there. 500GB 2.5' Sata Hard Drive Disk Hdd for Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch 15-inch Glossy 15-inch 17 inch MA896LL/A MB166LL/A MB470LL/A MB985LL/A MB986LL/A MC226LL/A MC374LL/A 4.2 out of 5 stars 28 $33.99.
Buying a new computer in a down economy might not make sense but there are plenty of ways to upgrade and get more horsepower out of your existing machine. The most obvious upgrade is to add more memory. The next is to upgrade to a larger, higher RPM drive with faster read/write times.
As many Mac laptop users know, Apple doesn’t offer post-sale hard disk upgrades. The hard disk you specify at the time of purchase is the hard drive Apple expects you to live with for life, short of buying a new laptop. This said, there are plenty of third party Mac hardware sites that offer compatible laptop drives and Do-It-Yourself upgrade kits.
Out of disk space, frustrated with the slow read/write times of my existing 5400RPM drive, and with assurances from reading multiple guides that hard disk replacement was a breeze, I decided to give it a go. (Note: upgrading internal Apple laptop components will void your Apple warranty and Applecare agreements.) Here is the process.
1. Locate a replacement guide for your machine. iFixit.com has a number of great laptop and iPod DIY articles. I used this one specific to my MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo. (Thanks to fiveinchpixie on Twitter for the iFixit.com resource.)
Macbook Pro Hard Drive Replacement
2. Find a replacement drive. For the hard drive, I used the Mac hardware finder at Other World Computing and found this compatible Hitachi Travelstar 320GB 7200RPM drive for $89.99 after mail-in rebate. Sweet!
3. Make sure you have the correct tools. Based on the iFixit.com guide, the only required tool I didn’t have was a T6 Trox screwdriver. I ended up ordering this Newer Technology tool kit which has the T6 Trox and also comes with two nylon pry tools (a.k.a. “spudgers”). Another bonus is that all of the tools have magnetic tool tips which made holding on to the tiny laptop screws a breeze.
4. Backup the drive you are replacing. There are a number of options here depending how you wish to populate the new hard drive.
Some hard disk upgrade kits from Other World Computing come with USB enclosures and software which allow you to copy over the contents of the existing drive before making the switch. Note: this is probably the simplest solution if you do not consider yourself very tech savvy or do not have an existing backup strategy.
A second option is Time Machine. In this case, replace the drive, boot from the OS X install CD, format the new drive (can provide instructions if anyone needs them), then restore from your last Time Machine backup.
The method I used was to copy my existing drive using SuperDuper to an external Firewire 800 drive which is bootable, installed the new drive, then booted from the external drive. I used Disk Utility (/Applications/Utilities/Disk Utility) to format the new hard disk, then used SuperDuper to copy the data back over.
5. Replace the drive and restore from your backup. Follow the iFixit.com guide for your machine, format and copy your data over. The hardware replacement was super easy and took me about 20 minutes total. It then took about 2 hours to let SuperDuper copy the data back to the new drive.
That’s it! Enjoy your upgraded laptop.
I now have roughly three times the amount of disk space I had before and the 7200RPM drive is lightening fast compared to the old 5400RPM OEM Apple drive. It’s like having a new computer! Not bad for a $89.99 investment.
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This entry was written by Brian McNitt, posted on at 9:47 pm, filed under General Computing and tagged apple, computer, DIY, hard drive, how-to, macbook, macbook pro, mcnitt, project, repair, upgrade. Bookmark the permalink. Follow any comments here with the RSS feed for this post. Post a comment or leave a trackback: Trackback URL.
Swapping out your old hard drive for a modern SSD is surprisingly affordable and results in 5X better performance: a reputable 500GB MacBook SSD can be had for around $150, while 1TB options are available for around $300 — both considerably cheaper than a new MacBook. It’s also surprisingly easy, even if you don’t know your way around the insides of a Mac.
Do I really need to upgrade my Mac hard drive?
Fitting a solid state drive in your MacBook Pro is a quick and simple way to boost performance but an upgrade might not always be needed.
If you only really use your Mac to browse the web and do some word processing, your current hard drive is probably fine. If your system feels a bit sluggish, try running CleanMyMac X first to clean away any resource-hogging junk. That might be the only fix you need (this way junk that is clogging up your system, such as old files, images, apps, duplicates and iPhone backups will be cleared away).
If, however, you’re noticing any of the following issues, an SSD upgrade will most certainly help:
Slow startup
Sluggish performance in resource-intensive apps such as Adobe Photoshop
System crashes
Permission denied errors to files that were previously fine
What to consider when choosing a MacBook Pro SSD
To reap the benefits of an SSD, you need a drive that’s up to the task. Here’s what to consider:
Read/write speed — SSDs are rated on their reading and writing speed. The higher the speed, the better the performance. Something in the range of 500MB/s and above is good, although actual speed will be about a third less than what’s advertised.
Memory — MLC (multi-level cell) and SLC (single-level cell) are the two options available. The former is cheaper and capable of holding more information but the latter is more reliable.
3d drawing tool software. Capacity — Get as much space as you can afford. The greater the capacity of an SSD, the more it will benefit Mac performance.
Reliability — Read the reviews. See what the experts and other users say about SSD performance and reliability. You’ll typically find that brand name SSDs rank the highest. Samsung, SanDisk, Crucial, KingSpec, and Transcend are standout brands.
How to fit a new MacBook Pro SSD
Okay, let’s get down to business. SSD aside, here’s what you’ll need to fit your new hard drive:
SATA-to-USB cable
Small Phillips screwdriver
Torx T6 screwdriver
Step 1: Format the SSD
To perform a MacBook Pro SSD upgrade you’re first going to need to clone your existing hard drive so that the new one runs like clockwork when it’s installed.
Before you do this, you should use CleanMyMac X to perform a Smart Cleanup. This will clear your system of any junk files so that they’re not transferred over unnecessarily. You can download CleanMyMac X for free, here.
Cloning the hard drive can be done with a tool such as SuperDuper! or Carbon Copy Cleaner, or with Apple’s own Disk Utility program. Here’s how to do it with the latter:
Connect the SSD to your Mac using the SATA-to-USB cable.
Go to Applications > Utilities and open the Disk Utility.
Click on the SSD icon, followed by the Partition tab and select 'Partition 1' from the Partition Layout.
Click on Options and select GUID Partition Table in the next window.
Click on the First Aid tab, followed by Verify Disk Permissions.
Click Verify Disk, followed by Repair Disk.
Shutdown your MacBook and restart it, holding the Option key as you do. Choose the option to boot to Recovery Disk.
Click on Reinstall Mac OS X and choose the SSD as the destination.
Copy your files over from the installed hard drive to the SSD. When asked to restore files from another disk, choose the currently installed hard drive.
Step 2: Remove the hard drive
Now it’s time to get hands-on.
Make sure your MacBook is shut down.
Locate and remove the 10 screws using the Phillips screwdriver. Put the screws in a small bowl so that you don’t lose any.
Remove the cover and touch a metal part to release the static electricity.
Locate the hard drive and remove the plastic bracket securing it. This is held in place with two screws.
Gently remove the hard drive and disconnect the SATA ribbon. Do this by wiggling the connector. Don’t yank on the ribbon.
Remove the four Torx screws attached to the hard drive and screw the posts into the SSD.
Apple Store Upgrade Hard Drive Macbook Pro 2010
Step 3: Fit the SSD
Apple Store Upgrade Hard Drive Macbook Pro A1502
Carefully attach the SATA ribbon to the SSD and lower it in place.
Fix the holding bracket back in place.
Replace the MacBook cover and screw in the ten tiny screws.
Switch on your MacBook Pro, go to System Preferences > Startup Disk and make sure the SSD is selected.
Restart your computer.
See, we told you it was easy!
Enjoy a faster, smoother MacBook Pro
A new SSD drive for your Mac will make an instant impact. Apps will launch faster, files will save quicker, and multitasking will be a much smoother experience. Use CleanMyMac X to regularly remove junk files from your system and you’ll enjoy slick performance for many a year to come.
Apple Store Upgrade Hard Drive Macbook Pro 2016
CleanMyMac X finds and removes junk files from your MacBook Pro to free up space and keep your system running to its full potential. Make it the first app you install on your new SSD!