HDD swap in mbp(anyone here actually done one?)

[MacDann]

I have a 100G 7200 rpm Hitachi HD and an AirPort 802.11n card from the Mac Pro upgrade kit about to go in my 15" MBP, as soon as I can put some time aside to do it.

Based on people I have spoken to as well as research on these mods, neither one is a major undertaking, nor will the hard drive cause heating problems.

Having disassembled a number of Apple notebooks, the MBP actually appears to be far less difficult, due to the use of screws rather than the many "snap fit" arrangements in earlier models that were easy to break, especially of you were in and out of the machine a lot. They also did a good job of lengthening and routing the track pad ribbon, which was easy to tear when removing top covers in earlier machines (don't ask me how I know this!)

I am just looking forward to having a fast machine, both with the upgraded hard drive and the 802.11n AP card. . . I don't forsee this being a major undertaking.

MD

 

[Faye]

It's straight forward. In the MBP, the keyboard and trackpad use the same connection to the logic board. It connects with a pop-on socket and so you'd have to try really hard to break it.

Just lay all the screws you take out in a line and don't bend the top as you're taking it off. The front of the case really grips the top.

Then when you're putting it together, work backward through your line of screws and make sure you press everything together firmly before screwing the top back on.. keep it pressed in as you're screwing the sides in...

 

[Temujin]

So how does Apple perform maintenance on them then. I highly doubt Apple would design a product that they would have to damage to work on.

They damage em as well. Might be a minor problem for some, but others like me REALLY don't like an imperfect looking MBP.

 

[MacDann]

It's straight forward. In the MBP, the keyboard and trackpad use the same connection to the logic board. It connects with a pop-on socket and so you'd have to try really hard to break it.

That's the only place I was a little concerned - I tore up the trackpad ribbon on a clamshell iBook once, and it really bugged me that I did it, especially when I had to find a new top bezel to replace the damaged one.

Just lay all the screws you take out in a line and don't bend the top as you're taking it off. The front of the case really grips the top.

Then when you're putting it together, work backward through your line of screws and make sure you press everything together firmly before screwing the top back on.. keep it pressed in as you're screwing the sides in...

Thanks for the pointers! It's the little tricks that are hard to pick up from the online videos and tutorials that make these jobs a lot easier than they appear to be. . .

MD

 

[Faye]

Thanks for the pointers! It's the little tricks that are hard to pick up from the online videos and tutorials that make these jobs a lot easier than they appear to be. . .

I feel like an old hand now I've only had the base open twice, and the screen bezel once.


Faye

 

[MacDann]

Well, I finished my 100G 7200 rpm hard drive and AirPort 802.11n upgrade.

I'm waiting for Drive Genius to clone my drive back, so the final results won't be known for a few hours, but here are my observations for now:

1.) The leading edge of the top cover is nothing short of a bear to get back in place. Removing it wasn't bad, but despite doing my best without causing damage, I still have the very slightest gap between the edge trim in front of the hard drive and above the optical drive slot. Some of the clips I got to close by simply applying pressure, but these two areas just don't seem to want to engage. It's hardly noticeable, and I suspect the average person wouldn't see it, but I can. . . grrrr.

Any suggestions, Faye?

2.) No problems with the disassembly/reassembly other than what is noted above. Total time was about 30 minutes from beginning to end.

3.) I found it interesting that nearly every fastener had thread locking compound on it. (LocTite)

4.) Reattaching the antenna leads to the new AP card was a little tough, as the connectors are very, very small, and must go on at exactly 90 degrees to the card.

5.) Also, the cables for the antenna were taped down and routed very close to the left side speaker. When I tugged on them to remove/install the AP card I pulled them forward slightly and caused one to cross over the other. While this might not have been a big deal, it did create some interference between the cover and the case due to the wires overlapping each other. I had to remove the tape that held them down and make sure they were routed parallel to each other and not crossing over.

6.) Take note that the hard drive uses rubber isolators for mounting. There is a bracket on the right side of the drive that has to be removed from the MBP case to remove the drive. The left side is secured by the mounts indexing in sockets or holes on the inside of the case. This means the drive has to be removed by lifting the right side up first, allowing you to move it to the right slightly, thereby disengaging the mounts on the left side. Not a big deal, but something to pay attention to.

Having disassembled a number of other Mac notebooks in the past, I would rate this job as a 5 or 6 on a scale of 10. It wasn't difficult, but you do need to be mindful of what you are doing and take your time.

As mentioned in a previous post, I was concerned about the keyboard/trackpad ribbon cable, due to an incident in the past with a clamshell iBook. This ribbon has plenty of slack and can be removed easily. In fact, while I was struggling with the clips on the top cover, I lifted it up far enough that the ribbon cable popped off the connector, much like the MagSafe power connectors do. . .

MD

 

[MacDann]

Final follow-up to HD & AirPort swap:

Drive Genius successfully cloned my drive image back to the new drive, and everything works fine.

Observations:

1.) The machine is definitely faster when it comes to hard drive intensive operations. While I don't have anything concrete to show for the difference in performance, I could tell a difference when running disk intensive apps compared to the way they ran with the original (5400 rpm) drive. Startup is faster as well, with the blue progress bar never making it all the way to the right before the screen refreshes.

2.) I don't know if it was me, or truly a difference, but the left side handrest area where the hard drive is located did feel a bit warm after using the machine for a while. I haven't put this machine into full time use yet in anticipation of the upgrades, so this may be normal and I just never got it throttled up enough in the past to notice.

3.) Wireless works great with my AirPort 802.11n base station. One thing I did notice was that iStat reports my signal strength to be one bar, yet the OSX AirPort meter shows a full set of bars (100%). Probably an issue with iStat, as it is noticeably faster accessing the network as well.

All in all, for the cost ($USD 150) and time expended, I think it was worth it. I'll probably get an external drive case for the drive and retask it for other things. I may open the machine back up and see if I can resolve the niggling little gaps on the front edge - those are going to bug me!

Thanks to Faye for the helpful tips!

MD

 

[bartelby]

The top case is held firmly in place by a set of tabs. If you take it off, the bottom case bends outward slightly. At least the old PowerBooks did.

I replaced the HD in my PowerBook and there's no warping evident.

 

[lancestraz]

Would this hard drive work in a MBP C2D?

It uses ATA-8, SATA (3.0Gb/s) vs. the MBPs ATA-7 SATA (1.5 Gb/s)
Is this stuff backwards compatible?
I know I wouldn't be able to take advantage of the faster connection speed, but it's the only 2.5" 7,200 RPM HDD that isn't less than 100 GB (I need more space!).

If anyone knows of a 2.5" 7,200 RPM 160GB HDD that uses ATA-7, SATA (1.5 Gb/s) that would be great, since it will probable be cheaper.

 

[Collin973]

Maybe this will be helpful:

I had to replace the superdrive in a 12" powerbook. It wasn't terribly difficult to take a part and I was extremely careful. I organized the screws in an ice cube tray, which works really well by the way when you write down on a piece of paper what's in each tray and where it goes. When I put it back together, the outside of the case didn't go back together perfectly. I was disappointed. I tried really hard to be careful, but it just wasn't perfect again. Everything worked just fine and it looked decent, but not "new."

Also, taking pictures as you take it apart with help with assembly.