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Mac Pro - Installing 1-2 TB Hard Drive?

S

SUPERSTARFITNES

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Aug 25, 2014
6
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I have a (Early 2009 Edition) MacPro that has 5 - 1TB /3.5in Bay slots inside it. I currently have 3 filled w/ Western Digital Caviar Black 1 TB Bulk/OEM Hard Drive 3.5 Inch, 32 MB Cache, 7200 RPM SATA II - WD1001FALS. All have the 'Apple Logo' which is my first question - does it matter if you buy them with the Apple Logo or not? My guess is it's the same product? The 'Apple' versions are harder to find and much more costly I've found.

QUESTION #2 Wondering if I can install a Western Digital WD2001FASS 2 TB Caviar Black SATA 3 GB/s 7200 RPM 64 MB Cache Bulk/OEM Desktop Hard Drive in the other slots? It is listed as a option to purchase where the 1TB version above is listed. Not sure if my system is built to handle the newer version?



http://www.amazon.com/Western-Digital-Caviar-Black-WD1001FALS/dp/B001C271MA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1409004543&sr=8-1&keywords=wd1001fals
 
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There's no need to buy Apple-branded disks. No reason at all.

Your system can take 1, 2, or 3 TB drives, and probably 4 TB as well. I have 4 TB drives in a 2010 (5,1) Mac Pro -- no problem at all.

Choose capacity and manufacturer and you'll be good.

There's a lot to choose from. I'd say that right now, 3 TB drives are the sweet spot. Be sure it's 7200 rpm, though.
 
monokakata said:
There's no need to buy Apple-branded disks. No reason at all.

Your system can take 1, 2, or 3 TB drives, and probably 4 TB as well. I have 4 TB drives in a 2010 (5,1) Mac Pro -- no problem at all.

Choose capacity and manufacturer and you'll be good.

There's a lot to choose from. I'd say that right now, 3 TB drives are the sweet spot. Be sure it's 7200 rpm, though.
Click to expand...

Can you recommend a website/link to purchase them at a reasonable price? Greatly appreciated! First time on this forum. Thank You for the advice/info.
 
First off, if your Mac Pro has 5, 3.5" Bays and sleds, you have a rare Mac indeed. All Mac Pros have 4 3.5" Bays and Sleds. There is also two optical drive bays up front that will also support 3.5" HDDs if you feel so inclined.

Any 3.5" bare HDD will work just fine in any of the 3.5" Bays. Each drive that you add will need to be formatted however. You are correct, buying apple branded drives a a BIG waste of money.

Lou
 
flowrider said:
First off, if your Mac Pro has 5, 3.5" Bays and sleds, you have a rare Mac indeed. All Mac Pros have 4 3.5" Bays and Sleds. There is also two optical drive bays up front that will also support 3.5" HDDs if you feel so inclined.

Any 3.5" bare HDD will work just fine in any of the 3.5" Bays. Each drive that you add will need to be formatted however. You are correct, buying apple branded drives a a BIG waste of money.

Lou
Click to expand...

'4 bays', my bad. Thanks Lou.
 
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flowrider said:
The WD Caviar Black the OP wants is far cheaper at Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Western-Digit...TF8&qid=1409004543&sr=8-1&keywords=wd1001fals

Than at Newegg:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ..._Caviar_Black_1_TB-_-9SIA5MR1Y16076-_-Product

Same for the 2TB Version:

http://www.amazon.com/Western-Digit...0+RPM+64+MB+Cache+Bulk/OEM+Desktop+Hard+Drive

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...+WD2001FASS+2+TB+Caviar+Black&N=-1&isNodeId=1

And Yes, Amazon is a good source.

Lou
Click to expand...

Amazon doesn't sell them - you're going through a 3rd party reseller with unknown return and warranty policies. (And the 2TB disks that you quote are different model numbers.)

Do you really want to buy from "serverpartdeals.com" or "aeonmicro.com" instead of Amazon or Newegg?

And check to see if those are discontinued models - a great price for last generation hardware isn't always a great deal.
 
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As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
REFURBISHED, NEW or ???

I ordered a 3TB through Amazon.com, in the description it said 'NEW'. It was sealed in a package but when I opened it, it appears the line/seal along the entire outer edge 'middle' is not straight and has been machined? Not sure if I need to return this or not? I thought going through Amazon.com I'd be good to go with the purchase - I ordered it from 'Galagtics'.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00B2UWTHE/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


flowrider said:
The WD Caviar Black the OP wants is far cheaper at Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Western-Digit...TF8&qid=1409004543&sr=8-1&keywords=wd1001fals

Than at Newegg:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ..._Caviar_Black_1_TB-_-9SIA5MR1Y16076-_-Product

Same for the 2TB Version:

http://www.amazon.com/Western-Digit...0+RPM+64+MB+Cache+Bulk/OEM+Desktop+Hard+Drive

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...+WD2001FASS+2+TB+Caviar+Black&N=-1&isNodeId=1

And Yes, Amazon is a good source.

Lou
Click to expand...
 

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4Tb HDD OK !

I have the same 2009 Mac Pro and I have 1tb SSD, 2tb HDD, 3tb HHD and even a 4Tb HHD. Think they are Western Digital Green or similar 7200rpm.

All work fine and dandy once you've formatted them with Utilities. I never use Apple branded hard drives - i just buy 'em from Amazon and they work great.

Don't forget to back up ! You'll kick yourself if you lose that amount of data ! :)
 
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