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What's the best solid state harddrive to get for a Macbook Pro?
And the cheapest way to get and install said drive (without voiding my warranty)? Is this even possible?
As soon as you break the seal on a screw on your MacBook Pro, you're technically voiding your warranty. It would need to be installed at the factory in order to be under warranty.
I'd recommend getting a SATA III (6GB/s) drive, even if your MacBook Pro does't support it -- it's backwards compatible with SATA II, so you shouldn't have any problems with it.
This past week, I picked up the Corsair 180GB Force 3, which retails for 229 at Fry's, but had a $40 rebate. Installation was painless, though to have the exact tools to install it, you'll need a Torx driver head to unscrew the "pegs" used to lock the HD in to the body. I used locking needlenose pliers, which worked swimmingly.
I'd recommend getting a SATA III (6GB/s) drive, even if your MacBook Pro does't support it -- it's backwards compatible with SATA II, so you shouldn't have any problems with it.
This past week, I picked up the Corsair 180GB Force 3, which retails for 229 at Fry's, but had a $40 rebate. Installation was painless, though to have the exact tools to install it, you'll need a Torx driver head to unscrew the "pegs" used to lock the HD in to the body. I used locking needlenose pliers, which worked swimmingly.
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Just make sure the drive is sata III (6GB/) and has a SandForce controller with the latest firmware. Brand does not matter so much, but I typically go with OCZ.
Ignore bad reviews based on BSOD issues, they have been resolved in the latest firmware.
Ignore bad reviews based on BSOD issues, they have been resolved in the latest firmware.
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I just installed this in my macbook pro 13" 2010:
Intel 320 Series SSDSA2CW160G3B5 2.5" 160GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) which I got from Newegg for great price. Though I'm still struggeling to get my rebate, so tecically Im still out 284$ instead of 154$ after rebate...
Yes, it's a little quicker to boot and start programs but I found that I only get 2,5 h of battery life when I used to have 4. I was expecting it to have more battery life after the upgrade.
I'm just saying beware of the drawbacks. My old HDD was breaking down so I'll probably not switch back. But I wouldn't have gone with this SSD had I known about the battery life
Intel 320 Series SSDSA2CW160G3B5 2.5" 160GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) which I got from Newegg for great price. Though I'm still struggeling to get my rebate, so tecically Im still out 284$ instead of 154$ after rebate...
Yes, it's a little quicker to boot and start programs but I found that I only get 2,5 h of battery life when I used to have 4. I was expecting it to have more battery life after the upgrade.
I'm just saying beware of the drawbacks. My old HDD was breaking down so I'll probably not switch back. But I wouldn't have gone with this SSD had I known about the battery life
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This may not be entirely valid for your situation, but I've always kept the stock hard drive from my MacBook Pro in a desk drawer (with it's vanilla install I used for one day before switching out to larger/faster spinning drive) and just popped it back in if I had to take my machine to the Apple Store for warranty service.
It's nice to have a "definitely working" drive/install to troubleshoot problems that may come up, too.
Technically, you are voiding your warranty by opening the thing to begin with, but I can't speak to having problems with 3-5 trips with my last machine I treated similarly.
It's nice to have a "definitely working" drive/install to troubleshoot problems that may come up, too.
Technically, you are voiding your warranty by opening the thing to begin with, but I can't speak to having problems with 3-5 trips with my last machine I treated similarly.
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