high capacity hdd for WD passport usb2

[seitsme]

hi there,
my old WD passport hdd (sata) stopped operating after long time...
my wd passport red colour plastic enclosure, contains a wd 3200 bmvs-11F9S0 hdd,
which i see is 5400rpm speed. SATA. Capacity 320GB. Its 2.5" AT 9.5mm - i guess these are dimensions
or type of hdd - the mini one, slim type...

I decided to keep the enclosure and replace it, as i swap some hdds from time to time and this is convenient.

Question. i find the same model cheap on web, but can i change the hdd with ie 1TB model
so it can fit in the enclosure and will this operate using USB2 (i think is usb 2)
and will run independent of power supply - the enclosure has no external power input.

Also not sure what kind of chip controller this model has and its compatibility requirements.

i use a macbook 13" late 2009 with latest High sierra on it.
I prefer 7200 rmp hard drives though.

Any advise and models would be appreciated - or other solution.

 

[Weaselboy]

From what I have read, those WD drives use a proprietary connection and not a standard SATA connection, so you cannot reuse the case. As cheap as drives are, I would just buy another USB3 2.5" inch drive.

 

[seitsme]

i have opened the plastic enclosure and there is a small pcd with sata connetors in it. for the 250GB capacity.
i removed it and pluged in a hitachi 250GB which i formated ok, recognised immediately and works as well.

but... can i do the same with ie 2 TB mini hdds for laptos or their sector arrangement or connectors are different and wont work with the WD circuitry.

 

[Weaselboy]

i have opened the plastic enclosure and there is a small pcd with sata connetors in it. for the 250GB capacity.
i removed it and pluged in a hitachi 250GB which i formated ok, recognised immediately and works as well.

but... can i do the same with ie 2 TB mini hdds for laptos or their sector arrangement or connectors are different and wont work with the WD circuitry.

If you were able to swap in the Hitachi you had, then is sounds like it does use a standard SATA connection, so the other drive should work also.

 

[seitsme]

yeah but the question is... how big hdd can i put inside this enclosure...

 

[DeltaMac]

The only problem that you MIGHT have is the physical height (thickness) of the drive itself. Large 2.5 SATA drives used to be as much as 15mm, and most portable enclosures wouldn't take that.
BUT, you can usually see the size when you purchase a new drive, and some would have no problem, even 2TB capacity.
Here's a WD black (7200RPM) 1TB, and only 9.5mm thick. It will fit in your case.

But - you CAN find portable storage under $100 for 4TB capacity, and not mess around with the old enclosure at all.

 

[seitsme]

thanks for the advise deltamac ! i will go for a 3TB extra as i have had the mac not starting up yesterday, and i am glad i managed to do an install from my second bootable hdd and worked again... now i restore back contents...