Filed under: Macworld, Apple, Macbook Pro
Tips on replacing a MacBook Pro's hard drive
Friday I found myself doing what anyone who was soon to be flying across the country to cover Macworld would be doing : replacing the hard drive in my MacBook Pro. A smart idea? Well, considering that my old drive was making some not so good noises I thought it better to replace the darned thing before it failed during the Expo.I headed over to Other World Computing and ordered this drive. OWC is great because they offer up many of the same parts that Apple uses in their machines (in fact the drive I bought turned out to be the exact model drive that was already in my MacBook Pro, though the new one has twice as much space). And no, I am not getting paid by OWC in any way, shape, or form. I just have had several excellent experiences with them.
One thing to keep in mind is that the hard drive isn't classified as 'user replaceable' in the MacBook Pro, unlike the MacBook (replacing a hard drive in a MacBook is very, very easy). That didn't stop me because I've swapped out countless drives. I followed iFixIt's great guide to disassembling my MacBook Pro, but one word of caution: be sure you have a T6 Torx Screwdriver before you start. I have access a large number of computer tools, so I didn't think that would be a problem. However, after sifting through 4 different toolkits with no success (most tool kits have a T8 Torx as the smallest screwdriver), I thought I was in trouble. I finally found one in a very large, very expensive set of tools, but the screwdriver itself isn't pricey. Make sure you know that you have one before starting this process because there are 6 Torx screws that need to be removed (2 holding the keyboard to the base of the machine, and 4 holding the hard disk in place), and it is much much easier with the right tool.
Overall, this is something I would recommend that only people who are comfortable cracking open a laptop should do. There are lots of little screws and wires one has to move out of the way to replace the drive and a certain level of comfort with a computer's innards is required.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Ted Sebastian said 8:54AM on 1-30-2008
Hello, I recently opened my 15in macbook pro to replace the keyboard. I did run into some difficulties getting the phillips screws to grip, especially under the keyboard. I put it back together and the keyboard works fine, but now I have to be plugged into the wall to turn it on, and my battery has the black X icon in the power icon. I can get the battery recognized by reseting the power management unit, but it only works until the battery is fully charged, it seems. Areas where I may have made a mistake are: I broke part of the lock for the keyboard ribbon (the keyboard still seems to function perfectly), I may not have all the screws in correctly and I misplaced one of the smaller phillips screws (I didn't realized there were 4-5 different types at the time), and finally, I screwed in the longer phillips screws into the back of the laptop (2 of them) before realizing they were for the bottom. Any help will be appreciated, as I love to learn and figure problems with computers out.
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max.milion said 10:58AM on 2-03-2008
I've done a video of the whole HDD upgrade operation http://www.vimeo.com/660044 enjoy.
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techmonkey said 9:37AM on 2-26-2008
Great blog post.
QUESTION:
Many people say that this voids your AppleCare warranty. If you have to send it in for repair, couldnt you just put the old drive back in? How would AppleCare know you opened it up? Does it have stickers that say "Warranty Void If Removed" ?
I bought my MBP in June of last year, still debating on whether I should buy AppleCare or not.
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locopado said 2:14AM on 3-26-2008
MacBook Pro - hard disk upgrade path unsupported by apple
Im wondering if there exists any limits on upgrading the hard disk/hard drive for a mac book pro. I mean limits or maximum hard drive capacities or specs? according to apple tech support (see my chat convo below), there is NO hard drive upgrade path for the mac book pro, and doing so will not only void your warranty but could 'burn out your processor'. Is this possible? I see the apple store certainly sells options from 200GB-300GB but duly noted their 300GB drive is at 4200rpm. Anyway, i have the last gen 2.2Ghz mac book pro, 120GB harddrive which just isnt enough.
* You are chatting with Yolanda, an Apple Expert
Hi, my name is Yolanda. Welcome to Apple!
Yolanda: How may I help you today?
You: im looking into upgrading the hard drive on my macbook pro
You: what does the service cost?
You: do i have to buy the hard drive from apple?
You: can my local apple store do the upgrade while retaining the warranty?
Yolanda: Great question!
Yolanda: At this time, we do not recommend internal hard drive upgrades.
Yolanda: We would offer you an opportunity to add external storage space with an external hard drive.
You: huh??? you mean apple doesnt support the upgrade? what if 120GB just isnt enough?
You: i have external storage and wouldnt need to contact apple about that
You: this is the mac book pro... which i assume is short for professional... youre telling me that apple hasnt planned for the upgrade path on this?
Yolanda: External hard drives are plug and play, the warranty would not be voided.
Yolanda: The Mac Pro is the only system that can have the hard drive internally upgraded.
You: you mean its the only system for which apple supports an internal upgrade?
You: because its clear that the mac book pro has been upgraded by others
Yolanda: Its the only model that allows for an internal upgrade and the only model that we actually sell the hard drives separately for.
You: its hard to imagine that apples high end laptop doesnt have an upgrade path...
You: thats really disappointing
You: youve heard this before?
You: i mean the folks who most need the mac book pro are also the folks who need to carry alot of heavyweight apps around
Yolanda: Understandable.
You: can you communicate the disappointment? are you able to do that?
You: i mean its rediculous really
You: since the upgrade is certainly possible and from the many pages on it, its not even that hard... i just didnt want to void my warranty.
Yolanda: If you have a local Apple Store near, you have an opportunity to stop by and review any other options within the technical services.
Yolanda: The Time Machine program is a great alternative to manage moving unused data from the main hard drive to the external.
You: So as i asked before, can you communicate the disappointment? or are you simply not allowed to do such a thing? ie no channel?
Yolanda: We have heard and understand your concern.
Yolanda: The warranty would be void if you add additional internal software that go beyond the maximum capacity of the system, possible burning out your processor.
You: hmmm... i dont think thats even possible... you mean hardware?
You: additional internal hardware?
You: so you are saying that a mac book pro is only designed to handle a 120GB hard drive at maximum?
You: thats hard to believe
Yolanda: I am referring to any internal hard ware or changes above the maximum design.
You: its a mac book PRO
Yolanda: That's not what I mean.
Yolanda: What is your product serial number?
You: its clear from the apple website that there are 200, 250, 300GB hard disk options
Yolanda: Are you able to provide me with your product serial number?
You: well, i understand what the policy is, and i realize that apple wont assist me in an upgrade, so i am forced to void my warranty. So I think rather than provide the serial number, it'll be more worthwhile to the user community to blog this information. Thanks for your help, Best
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locopado said 2:17AM on 3-26-2008
In this case I am adding a 320GB 5400rpm drive to a last gen MBP 2.2Ghz that came with a 120GB drive.
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Steve Jobs said 9:15PM on 1-13-2008
what about on my new MacBook Air? =)
- Steve J.
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Ricochet said 9:33PM on 1-13-2008
Haha, yes I was thinking the same thing:
"Wow, you upgraded just in time to potentially realise that you voided the warranty on the MBP you now want to sell to buy a newly designed model released at the very MacWorld you're heading to!"
I have to say though, I'll take one of those new 320GB/500GB 2.5" laptop drives in my new slimline "macbook air" (or should I say "macbook vapour" at the moment) over a 32/64GB SSD anyday. Startup speed be damned, I always just put it to sleep with the odd restart for updates anyway and you can't beat having your whole music collection and still plenty of space to edit some video or watch movies on the move.
Alan said 9:20PM on 1-13-2008
Hey, I noticed that you bought the 200GB Seagate drive. On OWC they have a 320GB Western Digital drive for less money. Is there a major reason to go with seagate over other drives or is Western Digital fine?
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Taxman said 9:26PM on 1-13-2008
I have the 320G WD and so far, so good.
Steve said 9:33PM on 1-13-2008
I have the 320 GB WD too. I installed it in December (MBP C2D) and used it heavily on a trip later that month. So far so good. No funny noises, no issues at all.
Steve
Josh said 9:39PM on 1-13-2008
He bought the 200gb because it's a 7200 rpm drive. The 350 is only 5400 rpm. It's actually noticeably slower if you're a prosumer.
Jack said 12:28AM on 1-14-2008
But in the 320GB 5400 drive, there is more data flying past the heads to begin with, so it would really tend to balance out against a 200GB 7200 drive.
Chuck B. said 9:34PM on 1-13-2008
The user replacement of the drive would void Apple Care yes? Still not sure why Apple drags their feet on many of the user replaceable parts - I understand the public view of "stability" as someone nagging about a slow drive they put in, etc. but still, if the MacBook can do it, surely the MBP can too :)
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ChillyWilly said 9:36PM on 1-13-2008
I bought the 250gb Samsung from Newegg.com and so far, it's worked out great. A bit quieter than the 100gb Seagate that originally came in my MacBook Pro 15" CoreDuo I bought in April 2006.
The iFixit steps are what I used. The whole thing took me 30 mins, from start to finish. I do have years of computer hardware experience, but even with that, it was not a walk in the park.
A LOT of screws.
One note to anyone doing this: Use scotch tape and a piece of copy paper and tape each screw in the same spot it goes on the MacBook Pro. This easily saved me 20 mins in the whole job, because a lot these screws look alike, even though they are different sizes.
I would do this again, but not for a while (I've still got 120gb free on my drive). Maybe by then, I'll upgrade to a Core 2 Duo model with a large drive already installed.
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Keith Sheehan said 9:39PM on 1-13-2008
What is the official word on doing this from Apple? Will replacing the hard drive void any warranty on the computer? If so, can I have a 3rd party Apple Authorized service center put in the drive?
I still have quite a number of months left on my AppleCare and want to know the answers to this before I attempt the upgrade (which desperately want to do).
Thanks!
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Kyle said 1:07AM on 1-14-2008
Yes a 3rd party repair center can upgrade your drive and it will ONLY void the warranty on the drive itself. I am an Apple certified technician.
Danny said 9:41PM on 1-13-2008
I helped a friend replace a SuperDrive in a MBP that took a tumble down the stairs. That was pretty simple using iFixIt too. Great site, thanks for pointing it out. It is really simple to replace both of those components with their instructions, even with nervous fingers and tiny screws.
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Rich Acosta said 9:44PM on 1-13-2008
Your comment:
Yes, it does technically void the warranty, but as long as you don't
do anything careless while the computer is opened up, it is
impossible for them to know the computer has been opened up. If for
any reason you need to take it to Apple for repairs, just put the old
hard drive back in.
I've done this myself (installed new HDD, and then some months later
had to take it to the Apple store for an unrelated issue), and
everything went smoothly.
Use this page here as a guide:
http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Mac/MacBook-Pro-15-Inch-Core-Duo/85/
It's pretty straight-forward.
I took some pictures of mine open as well:
http://picasaweb.google.com/ricapar9x/MacBookProInsides
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Scott McNulty said 9:49PM on 1-13-2008
Josh is right, I went with this drive because it is faster. :)
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julian said 10:15PM on 1-13-2008
Just ordered a WD 250GB Passport and swap the hard drive inside with MacBook Pro internal 80GB drive. Both working well now. Sweet! Kudos to iFixit guides!
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