- Macbook pro 2011 hard drive upgrade install#
- Macbook pro 2011 hard drive upgrade upgrade#
- Macbook pro 2011 hard drive upgrade mac#
The hardware replacement was super easy and took me about 20 minutes total. Replace the drive and restore from your backup.įollow the guide for your machine, format and copy your data over. I used Disk Utility (/Applications/Utilities/Disk Utility) to format the new hard disk, then used SuperDuper to copy the data back over.ĥ. The method I used was to copy my existing drive using SuperDuper to an external Firewire 800 drive which is bootable, installed the new drive, then booted from the external drive.
Macbook pro 2011 hard drive upgrade install#
In this case, replace the drive, boot from the OS X install CD, format the new drive (can provide instructions if anyone needs them), then restore from your last Time Machine backup. Note: this is probably the simplest solution if you do not consider yourself very tech savvy or do not have an existing backup strategy.Ī second option is Time Machine.
Macbook pro 2011 hard drive upgrade upgrade#
Some hard disk upgrade kits from Other World Computing come with USB enclosures and software which allow you to copy over the contents of the existing drive before making the switch. There are a number of options here depending how you wish to populate the new hard drive. Another bonus is that all of the tools have magnetic tool tips which made holding on to the tiny laptop screws a breeze. I ended up ordering this Newer Technology tool kit which has the T6 Trox and also comes with two nylon pry tools (a.k.a. Sweet!īased on the guide, the only required tool I didn’t have was a T6 Trox screwdriver.
Macbook pro 2011 hard drive upgrade mac#
(Thanks to fiveinchpixie on Twitter for the resource.)įor the hard drive, I used the Mac hardware finder at Other World Computing and found this compatible Hitachi Travelstar 320GB 7200RPM drive for $89.99 after mail-in rebate. I used this one specific to my MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo. has a number of great laptop and iPod DIY articles. Locate a replacement guide for your machine. (Note: upgrading internal Apple laptop components will void your Apple warranty and Applecare agreements.) Here is the process.ġ. Out of disk space, frustrated with the slow read/write times of my existing 5400RPM drive, and with assurances from reading multiple guides that hard disk replacement was a breeze, I decided to give it a go. This said, there are plenty of third party Mac hardware sites that offer compatible laptop drives and Do-It-Yourself upgrade kits. The hard disk you specify at the time of purchase is the hard drive Apple expects you to live with for life, short of buying a new laptop.
The next is to upgrade to a larger, higher RPM drive with faster read/write times.Īs many Mac laptop users know, Apple doesn’t offer post-sale hard disk upgrades. The most obvious upgrade is to add more memory. Buying a new computer in a down economy might not make sense but there are plenty of ways to upgrade and get more horsepower out of your existing machine.