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Are you getting one for your old Mac?

  • Yes! I need more HDD storage and dont mind the speed

    Votes: 5 8.6%
  • Yes! I need more HDD storage with my SSD setup. Seperate or Fusion's for me!

    Votes: 24 41.4%
  • No! I rather go full SSD

    Votes: 28 48.3%
  • No! May just buy a new Mac with SSD or Fusion Drive

    Votes: 1 1.7%

  • Total voters
    58

Hexley

Suspended
Original poster
Jun 10, 2009
1,641
504
This feels like a last gasp for HDDs seeming SSDs have improved reliability and come down in price for $/GB. I recently ordered a couple of 256GB Sandisk Ultra Plus SSDs for $130 + shipping. $0.53/GB aint that bad. Nevermind it isn't the fastest drive around so long as it is faster than any standard HDD.

It was announced Nov 6, 2013 and as of Jan 17, 2014 has yet to ship from Amazon or NewEgg.

Current 1.5TB & 2TB 2.5-inch from WD HDD tend to surpass 12.5mm in thickness making them wholly unsuitable for any Macbook Pro to accommodate.

The often floated price for the 2TB is $129. To my eyes this is great value but no one online is selling em.

For your convenience here are the model numbers of the differing capacities. These were found from the PDF that can be seen here.

1.5TB
ST1500LM006 ST1500LM007 ST1500LM010

2TB
ST2000LM003 ST2000LM004 ST2000LM006

I look forward to making the 2TB Seagate HDD + 256GB Sandisk SSD into a Fusion Drive. :D

For those curious the 2TB is less than $0.07/GB.
 
Last edited:

g4cube

macrumors 6502a
Apr 22, 2003
760
13
Probably short supply initially.

Seems LaCie is able to ship 2TB in their Rugged and Porsche Mobile, both bus-powered. Also available from some of their resellers in addition to their own online shop.

The USB 3.0 2TB Porsche Mobile seems pretty slick for $199; even lower at some of their resellers.

If desperate, you could always buy the external and extract the drive. Then use the casing for an SSD.
 

Hexley

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Original poster
Jun 10, 2009
1,641
504
g4cube some sites say the drives do not have SATA connectors. :eek:
 

Hexley

Suspended
Original poster
Jun 10, 2009
1,641
504
g4 what I meant was the 2TB HDDs found in external drives are claimed by other to not have SATA connectors.

So even if you extract the M9T from their enclosures you cannot just plug them in directly.

I hope to see these drives earlier than June.
 

g4cube

macrumors 6502a
Apr 22, 2003
760
13
g4 what I meant was the 2TB HDDs found in external drives are claimed by other to not have SATA connectors.

So even if you extract the M9T from their enclosures you cannot just plug them in directly.

I hope to see these drives earlier than June.

Strange indeed!. I had heard that in the past, some portable HDD drive mechanisms had embedded USB connection. Certainly not wanting that...

In the 2TB LaCie Porsche Mobile and 2TB Rugged, both have conventional 2.5" 9.5mm SATA drives.
 

Hexley

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Original poster
Jun 10, 2009
1,641
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I was also reading on installing the 2TB Seagate/Samsung M9T into a Playstation 4 and it appears drives sourced from an external HDD USB 3 SKU are incompatible.

Best to wait for the internal HDD SKU and have professionals review whether they work or not.
 

thetman

macrumors member
Dec 30, 2003
45
2
Strange indeed!. I had heard that in the past, some portable HDD drive mechanisms had embedded USB connection. Certainly not wanting that...

In the 2TB LaCie Porsche Mobile and 2TB Rugged, both have conventional 2.5" 9.5mm SATA drives.

I have opened a couple of Western Digital portable hard drives before that were failing hoping that it was the enclosure only to find that the usb controller was built into the drive. saves some space I would guess.
 

tallpaul

macrumors member
Jun 11, 2009
81
0
I just bought this external drive

http://www.argos.ie/static/Product/partNumber/1622511/Trail/searchtext>SEAGATE.htm


opened it up to find the Samsung M9T 2Tb, was all set to put it into my Optibay in place of the OEW 320Gb HD so I'd have the Samsung 830 256GB and Samsung M9T 2TB in my three year old MBP 13 but I stripped a screw!

Once sorted I'll post results

I've already ordered two more for my 2012 Mac mini so I'll have 4TB as Home media centre.

Super quiet drive while I was cloning it and it is 9.5mm high
 

Hexley

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Original poster
Jun 10, 2009
1,641
504
I just bought this external drive

http://www.argos.ie/static/Product/partNumber/1622511/Trail/searchtext>SEAGATE.htm


opened it up to find the Samsung M9T 2Tb, was all set to put it into my Optibay in place of the OEW 320Gb HD so I'd have the Samsung 830 256GB and Samsung M9T 2TB in my three year old MBP 13 but I stripped a screw!

Once sorted I'll post results

I've already ordered two more for my 2012 Mac mini so I'll have 4TB as Home media centre.

Super quiet drive while I was cloning it and it is 9.5mm high
This?

1017873.jpg


Kindly check the Mfr # over at http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1017873-REG/seagate_stdr2000101_backup_plus_2tb_portable.html

I hope the bare drive sells for less than $129.
 

Hexley

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Original poster
Jun 10, 2009
1,641
504
That's the one, easy enough to pry open without ruining the metal case.

I popped an old 250GB 2.5 back in an used it as spare drive for movies, works fine.

Now, that is interesting. I will look into that Thanks!

BTW could you post close up photos of your disassembled Seagate enclosure? I am thinking of sticking either my 750GB or 1TB WD Blue into it.
 

tallpaul

macrumors member
Jun 11, 2009
81
0
Now, that is interesting. I will look into that Thanks!

BTW could you post close up photos of your disassembled Seagate enclosure? I am thinking of sticking either my 750GB or 1TB WD Blue into it.

I have them on mu phone, I'll post asap, it's easy enough to get the enclosure open and them sealed back with old drive.
 

Mike Boreham

macrumors 68040
Aug 10, 2006
3,722
1,732
UK
I just bought this external drive

http://www.argos.ie/static/Product/partNumber/1622511/Trail/searchtext>SEAGATE.htm


opened it up to find the Samsung M9T 2Tb, was all set to put it into my Optibay in place of the OEW 320Gb HD so I'd have the Samsung 830 256GB and Samsung M9T 2TB in my three year old MBP 13 but I stripped a screw!

Once sorted I'll post results

I got two of the same and thinking about putting in Optibay. However the M9T is a 6G device and many MBPs are not happy with 6G in the optical....looking forward to hearing if yours working there
 

tallpaul

macrumors member
Jun 11, 2009
81
0
results attached
 

Attachments

  • Screen Shot 2014-02-04 at 22.28.42.png
    Screen Shot 2014-02-04 at 22.28.42.png
    288.4 KB · Views: 654

Hexley

Suspended
Original poster
Jun 10, 2009
1,641
504
the results are listed on the right hand side of the picture I attached

You know what, I never bothered reading the lower half of the screen grab of any Disk Speed Test. :D

BTW why didn't you make a Fusion Drive?
 

tallpaul

macrumors member
Jun 11, 2009
81
0
You know what, I never bothered reading the lower half of the screen grab of any Disk Speed Test. :D

BTW why didn't you make a Fusion Drive?


Do those results seem good?

It's been in for two days and is performing well, quieter than the OEW 320GB HD to the point where I can't hear it all!

An IT friend of mine send me links to scripts for setting up my own fusion etc, I wouldn't really have the skill to do it at the mo and I'm perfectly happy having OSX and all apps on 256SSD and all media on the 2TB

----------

I got two of the same and thinking about putting in Optibay. However the M9T is a 6G device and many MBPs are not happy with 6G in the optical....looking forward to hearing if yours working there

Working perfectly so far, super quiet and no latency when opening iTunes or iPhotos files.

Tonight I'm putting two Samsung 2TB M9ts into my 2011 Mac Mini just got the kit to put second in off ifxit this morning.
 

Mike Boreham

macrumors 68040
Aug 10, 2006
3,722
1,732
UK
Working perfectly so far, super quiet and no latency when opening iTunes or iPhotos files.

That's good. Maybe 6G HDDs work better in the optical bay of 2011 MBPs than 6G SSDs.

Which model MBP have you got? 13 inch generally more tolerant than 15 and 17, and 2012 models better too. Apologies if I have missed this info earlier in the thread.

Thanks.

BTW Creating Homebrew Fusion Drive is quite easy and works well, but I have gone back to separate drives after six months of Fusion. Partitioning restrictions and managing the huge size of the FD (backup restore etc).
 

tallpaul

macrumors member
Jun 11, 2009
81
0
That's good. Maybe 6G HDDs work better in the optical bay of 2011 MBPs than 6G SSDs.

Which model MBP have you got? 13 inch generally more tolerant than 15 and 17, and 2012 models better too. Apologies if I have missed this info earlier in the thread.

Thanks.

BTW Creating Homebrew Fusion Drive is quite easy and works well, but I have gone back to separate drives after six months of Fusion. Partitioning restrictions and managing the huge size of the FD (backup restore etc).

I have an Early 2011 MBP 13 2.3ghz i5,with 8Gb ram, 256 Samsung 830 SSD and now the Samsung M9T 2TB in the MCE optibay.

Brand new battery off ifixit installed this mooring so this laptop should last a good while yet!
 

Mac Engineer

macrumors newbie
Feb 6, 2014
2
0
I have an Early 2011 MBP 13 2.3ghz i5,with 8Gb ram, 256 Samsung 830 SSD and now the Samsung M9T 2TB in the MCE optibay.

Brand new battery off ifixit installed this mooring so this laptop should last a good while yet!


* Where did you purchase this drive?

*What is the Model number of the external drive?

Is it confirmed that its an M9T 2TB 9.5 mm Drive inside the enclosure?

Someone on Facebook confirmed that the M9T only has a USB capable drive inside the enclosure> there was no Sata connector?

This drive is selling as a USB drive?

----------

*OK I went and did a search and found the drive on Newegg.

Someone confirmed in a review of the drive that> when they disassembled the drive there's an M9T 2TB 9.5mm drive inside with Sata connector!

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822178435
 
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