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General discussion

SSD's for Apple Laptops

Nov 29, 2010 1:29PM PST

Looking at the upgrade options to a ssd for the apples and can't really find on the internet if ssd's for apple laptops are proprietary or can I just go to NewEgg or TG Direct and buy one and install it myself. Comments/Opinions?

Thanks

Discussion is locked

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The only proprietary unit I know of is in or on the Air.
Nov 29, 2010 1:45PM PST

Sorry but if vendors won't take the time to cover the basics, don't shop there.
Bob

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Thanks
Nov 29, 2010 2:00PM PST

Thanks Bob, Shopping for a graduation gift for my niece and looking at the MBP 15.4" But watched a YouTube video on the comparison (speed) difference of two machines side by side, it was rather impressive, (HDD vs SSD).

I also just got done reading a thread that Jimmy explained a lot of stuff about, but I just needed to know if a desktop ssd and laptop ssd were the same. I have spare ssd's laying around from some builds that I did earlier this year and on the apple website, the option to get an ssd seemed a bit high to me. Thought I could just get a 128 or 256 and install it myself after I buy the laptop, (unless it will become an apply care issue later on).

Gary

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You can
Nov 29, 2010 9:25PM PST

You can always add a SSD yourself if you want, and it's fairly simple to do. It won't void your AppleCare agreement, BUT it will create an exception. Obviously Apple is not going to replace your SSD if it should fail. The most they will do is restore the system to its original factory condition.

Anything goes wrong with the SSD, that's on you to fix.

Aside from the Air, all Apple laptops use your standard 2.5" SATA connections, and all Apple desktop systems (except the Mac Mini which is basically a laptop in a desktop box) use 3.5" SATA drives. All Air's except the most recent model use a 1.8" drive that has a proprietary flex cable connection because there's just no room to spare on the logic board for the Air. But you really don't want to try doing the Air on your own. If you're not careful, you could easily rip one of the flat cables that would be very expensive to replace. At least on the older ones. I haven't had a chance to actually take apart one of the newer models yet.

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Great Info
Nov 29, 2010 11:58PM PST

Thanks, that's what I needed to know to help me make my decision.

This is a really great forum, best I've used/seen so far!