Macbook pro upgrades

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Malikman

[H]ard|Gawd
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Sep 1, 2004
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I know it's possible to upgrade the ram in a macbook pro... i've done it... but is the hard drive accessible... i only hav ea 80 gig hard drive and was thinking of upgrading it or getting a external drive.... So is it possible to upgrade my ahrd drive in my mac or is it not "as easy as the ram upgrade" (meaning it's not feasable).
 
The hard drive in the MBP is, unfortunately not a user upgradeable part (i.e.- if you screw something up while installing, kiss your warranty goodbye). That being said, it really isn't *that* difficult, if you have more dexterity than a 2 legged horse.

Here are some good direction with pictures:

http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1697,2119529,00.asp
 
Well i have built my own computer before but i have never fully worked with laptops and i wasn't sure hiow macbook worked with macbook pro hard drives... thanks for the link i'm gonna check it out now.


EDIT: Hmmm it sounds easy enough not sur ei want to go through that much of a hassle though considering my macbook pro is still under warranty and all.... maybe once it's out of warranty ill do it.
 
If you do decide to try it yourself, the biggest thing is to make sure you keep track of where all the screws go. As you'll see in that howto, there are a bunch of screws. I'd suggest using some zip-top baggies, and mark them "Exterior Screws", "Step 2, interior screws" etc.. so that you know where to put them upon re-assembling.

You can also use a little trick I use when I work on my car. Take pictures of each step, and how everything was before you disassembled.. that way you can get everything back into place correctly. Just be smart about it, and you'll be fine.
 
yea it seems like a very simple procedure (if you will haha). I would be more worried about making sure the cords get put in place exactly right so the macbok closes not the screws.
 
I recently switched out my brand-new 15" LED display (I'll leave out the part where I admit cracking the screen against my iphone's earbuds :mad:). Having been all around the insides, I'd say that the HDD is a pretty simple switch-out, with the hardest part being getting the damned casing open.
 
I've done quite a few HD swaps in MacBook Pros. It is really pretty easy. I think it's 20 screws to get the case open, the HD out and remove the mounting screws from the HD.

If you're careful, you won't void your warranty. There are only a couple of wires that you'll have to move.

Here is another guide.

http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Mac/MacBook-Pro/Hard-Drive/85/5/

MarkLT1 said:
(i.e.- if you screw something up while installing, kiss your warranty goodbye).
Click to expand...

This is also true if you screw up and break something while installing a user upgradeable part on most computers.
 
Malikman said:
i thought opening the case itself will void my warranty??
Click to expand...

I recently spoke to an apple tech about this (I was checking out the iPod touch...) after a deabte about this very issue here on the forum. He said, "If you destroy something, we won't cover it. If the part you change out, or add to the system is the cause of failure, we'll charge you for our time and replace it at your discretion. If you add something, and that swap is not the cause of failure, we generally won't hassle you."

So, FWIW, I'm going with his opinion ;)
 
Arcygenical said:
I recently spoke to an apple tech about this (I was checking out the iPod touch...) after a deabte about this very issue here on the forum. He said, "If you destroy something, we won't cover it. If the part you change out, or add to the system is the cause of failure, we'll charge you for our time and replace it at your discretion. If you add something, and that swap is not the cause of failure, we generally won't hassle you."

So, FWIW, I'm going with his opinion ;)
Click to expand...

So really, you're just rolling the dice with your warranty if you open up the case...
 
So how do i find out what type of hard drive is in my macbook pro so i can go buy one that will work?? Are there hard drive standards for laptops (i don't know much about laptop hard drives and if there is different kinds)
 
thanks for eveyrone's helps guys.... i got a 160gb western dig and 2 gigs ram and im' going to upgrade my cmo p from 80 gig hd and 1 gig ram to that... sell the odl stuff to make some money mback... i'm excited :)
 
Update: I got the hard drive and everythign seems to be working awesome with my new 160gb... i'm getting 2 gigs of ram soon and i'm excited for that :)

Thanks for everybody's help on uprgading the hard drive!
 
bahula03 said:
So really, you're just rolling the dice with your warranty if you open up the case...
Click to expand...

Which is the case when you're doing ANY kind of install on a computer, correct? If you fry something while you're upgrading the RAM, technically you voided your warranty.

If you're careful and follow the walkthroughs available online, you're not going to break anything. You'll only run into problems if the non-Apple part you installed breaks and you take it into a service center for warranty repair. They'll simply tell you that the part is not covered under the Apple warranty. It does not void your warranty on the computer.
 
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