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Question

Replacing Internal HD

Sep 12, 2011 4:47AM PDT

I have a MBP 15" (2007) with a
nearly-full internal HD. The plan is to replace the drive with a 500Gb
unit. Since this is something that I haven't done before, I have a
couple of quick questions:

(1) Which internal HDs would you recommend for this machine?

(2) Can you recommend a online tutorial for replacing the drive?

Thank you kindly for your help. I appreciate it.

Kit

Discussion is locked

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Answer
Item 2 first.
Sep 12, 2011 4:57AM PDT

I use google to find sites and then pick the one that I understand. I think this is best.

If this is a SATA drive I prefer the new 99 buck Seagate HYBRID drive. Not much money and quite the performer.
Bob

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Replacing Internal HD
Sep 12, 2011 8:25AM PDT

Thanks, Bob. Although the Seagate hybrid might be the same unit (I haven't done my homework yet), I have heard a lot of positive things about the Seagate Momentus XT as well.

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I bought that one!
Sep 12, 2011 8:29AM PDT

It worked so well, I bought another.
Bob

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Answer
On #2
Sep 12, 2011 11:33AM PDT

On #2, the older non-unibody MBPs are kind of a PITA to work on for something like the HDD. There's a trick to getting the top case off without bending the bottom case up, but it's kind of a trade secret for me. I've yet to see a guide that tells people to do it that way. I would recommend having someone else do it, so if they bend up the case, you can complain and make them replace it.

Also, replacing the HDD on a Mac can be an exercise in frustration. Sometimes a drive may work for 99 other people, just not you. Ran into a situation like this at work not too long ago. Guy goes out, buys a third party drive, installs it himself, and the OS crashes all the time, just kind of a general nightmare. I test the unit pretty thoroughly, and can't find anything wrong. Indeed the guy even admits it runs without issue with the stock drive.

For better or worse, Apple designs their units with a very high degree of precision, and so if you go beyond the CTO options that were offered for your unit when it was actively being sold, the results will be unpredictable. It may work perfectly, it may not work at all, or anything in between those two extremes. So just keep that in mind, and plan accordingly.

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Replacing the Internal HD
Sep 12, 2011 12:24PM PDT

Jimmy: I appreciate your comments. However, to suggest that the separation of the top & bottom cases of the MBP can be a PITA and then (1) allude to a "trade secret" to make the job easier & then (2) refuse to acknowledge it is a bit disconcerting.

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I didn't say easier
Sep 12, 2011 11:15PM PDT

I didn't say easier, I said it prevents your bottom case from getting all bent up. I suppose my method is slightly easier, but not by any significant margin. Either way, getting the top case off is the easy part, assuming you have the necessary screwdrivers to do it. It's dealing with the flex cable that connects the HDD, IR, and SIL to the logic board that's kind of tricky. Those flex cables will tear pretty easily if you're not careful. I've also seen people who don't know what they're doing go and try and take out a bunch of extra components around the HDD thinking they were necessary to get the HDD out.

Unless your unit has already taken its fair share of lumps over the years, and so cosmetics really aren't an issue, is it worth $70-100 to keep it looking nice? If you try and do it, without having ever done this before, I can pretty much guarantee you'll bend the bottom case in at least one spot, probably two or three. If you pay someone else to do it, and THEY bend the thing up, you can demand they replace it because the unit wasn't like that when you brought it in.

And over my hundreds of repairs I've learned quite a few tricks. Some of which I'll share, others I'll keep to myself. The one involving the top case is one I choose not to share. I don't share it because you have to know which models it can be used on and which it can't. On some models, using this method can damage a fragile plastic piece that requires a new logic board if broken. Even on the models where that's not a concern, you can still easily damage some other cables that will require a new top case if you're not careful. So, I keep this particular one to myself, lest it attract the cowboy type who acts now and might get around to considering the consequences two weeks from now.