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Don't buy the MCE Optibay

JronMasteR said:
I bought the OWC Data Doubler because they deliver perfectly matching screws, the right tools and a fitting caddy. And it's tested in every Macbook. Honestly, every Macbook model is slightly different inside in case of design. If you buy some cheap crap with no reputation, you can not be sure that it will fit and work in your specific MacBook. And I don't want to have to force in screws because the holes or screws do not fit properly. I mean it's a pretty expensive notebook we're talking about here.
I feel much better spending 80$ for something that works perfectly than spending 10$ without knowing what I will get.
Just my personal opinion...
Click to expand...

OWC simply rebrand maxupgrades caddy:

http://www.maxupgrades.com/istore/index.cfm?fuseaction=Product.display&product_id=186

ps maxupgrades give you an 9.5mm usb bus powered superdrive enclosure!!!
 
WTF screws. All you need is that freaking adapter and everything else you can stuff out with newspapers if you want it really doesn't make a difference.
I also bought just one simple cheap ebay caddy. If it wouldn't work I can buy 10 for the price of these expensive nonsense with perfect screws.
Always amazing how some people can pay so much for a bunch of cables.

For stuff like this that probably costs about 1 $ to manufacture in China the most expensive thing is and should be the shipping fee.
 
mrwonkers said:
I don't mind paying more than $20 for an optibay as long as its good quality as I rely on my MacBook Pro as my primary work tool. Spend $20 if you like - my data is worth way more than that to me, I bought an OWC data doubler its super good quality and supports Sata 6GB which I'm sure a $20 piece of eBay junk will not.
Your comment of "you're doing it wrong" is the sort of thing my uncle who does everything on the cheap/dodgy would be proud of. Personally I think you're doing it wrong when you try to be a cheap bastard - Your Macs not cheap so why the **** would you use cheapass parts inside it?
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I agree with you and disagree.

I agree that the more expensive one you have does support 6GB. However, depending on your computer / drive this may or may not be a factor. I also definitely agree I don't mind paying more for quality.

I disagree that just because it's $20 means it's junk. It may be 3GB, but otherwise function the same.

I think cheap refers to quality, not price. I have inexpensive components that have outlasted pricey ones.
 
I might as well add my 2 cents. I've owned the Data Doubler, MaxUpgrades, eBay and NewmodeUS units. The eBay version I purchased actually had ALL the holes to retain the unit, it was more than $20 but I felt comfortable after installing it. The NewmodeUS caddy fit really well and was better quality than the eBay version but you we're only able to use one screw to attach it. I spoke to the friendly people at NewmodeUS and they guaranteed me they we're working on a caddy with tabs to specifically fit the MBP. They said sometime this Summer.

The MaxUpgrades/DataDoubler was gorgeous but an enigma. Why is it so expensive and why does it have to be so rigid? On my 2011 MBP 13" this thing did not lay in flat. When you tightened one screw, the other side would come up about an 1/8th inch. They could be tightened down but I was afraid there might be some repercussions from torquing this thing down so it'll fit. I won't do business with OWC because they charge a 15% restocking fee on just about everything. Don't buy the MaxUpgrades caddy just because they include the Superdrive enclosure. The Superdrive enclosure works but it looks and feels cheap.

My advise would be to wait for NewmodeUS to come out with their redesign. The price is fair, their customer service is excellent and the quality is what you'd expect for a MBP part.
 
Some people don't seem to understand it. It is in the end only a simple SATA to mSATA Adapter. Basically some wires with two plugs of a different form at the end. Which means if 6G doesn't work the 10$ ebay adapter is not the problem.
Unless those wires are routed the wrong way or are made of something else than copper, they do everything they need to do and a gold wire wouldn't help much.
The rest is keeping in place the drive which is really easy as there is so little space. The junk that keeps it in place doesn't really matter as long as it doesn't slinger around or if you cannot make it fit in there.
Some guy on MR once showed that he simply bought the mSATA-SATA Adapter for 2$ and with some SATA cable he stuffed everything in there so it stays in place. It worked too.
 
dusk007 said:
Some people don't seem to understand it. It is in the end only a simple SATA to mSATA Adapter. Basically some wires with two plugs of a different form at the end. Which means if 6G doesn't work the 10$ ebay adapter is not the problem.
Unless those wires are routed the wrong way or are made of something else than copper, they do everything they need to do and a gold wire wouldn't help much.
The rest is keeping in place the drive which is really easy as there is so little space. The junk that keeps it in place doesn't really matter as long as it doesn't slinger around or if you cannot make it fit in there.
Some guy on MR once showed that he simply bought the mSATA-SATA Adapter for 2$ and with some SATA cable he stuffed everything in there so it stays in place. It worked too.
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well said.

But as with my HDMI cable example, if people don't know what it is they're buying, they will buy anything. As is said, "a fool and their money shall soon part." The same that holds true for the foolish holds true for the ignorant. Ignorance costs people a lot of money in this world.

This should serve as a low-cost example, people. Learn what you can about the products you plan to buy. Search for testimonies and the best prices you can get. otherwise, you'll only have yourselves to blame for overspending whether we're talking about hard drive caddies, memory, watches, cars, plane tickets, or homes.

This guy https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1159934/

bought an eBay caddy and https://forums.macrumors.com/posts/12658436/

guess who isn't complaining about their performance.

/thread.
 
adrian1480 said:
well said.

But as with my HDMI cable example, if people don't know what it is they're buying, they will buy anything. As is said, "a fool and their money shall soon part." The same that holds true for the foolish holds true for the ignorant. Ignorance costs people a lot of money in this world.

This should serve as a low-cost example, people. Learn what you can about the products you plan to buy. Search for testimonies and the best prices you can get. otherwise, you'll only have yourselves to blame for overspending whether we're talking about hard drive caddies, memory, watches, cars, plane tickets, or homes.

This guy https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1159934/

bought an eBay caddy and https://forums.macrumors.com/posts/12658436/

guess who isn't complaining about their performance.

/thread.
Click to expand...

Except for he explicitly says he hasn't gotten the caddy yet. lol

\thread
 
dusk007 said:
Some people don't seem to understand it. It is in the end only a simple SATA to mSATA Adapter. Basically some wires with two plugs of a different form at the end. Which means if 6G doesn't work the 10$ ebay adapter is not the problem.
Unless those wires are routed the wrong way or are made of something else than copper, they do everything they need to do and a gold wire wouldn't help much.
The rest is keeping in place the drive which is really easy as there is so little space. The junk that keeps it in place doesn't really matter as long as it doesn't slinger around or if you cannot make it fit in there.
Some guy on MR once showed that he simply bought the mSATA-SATA Adapter for 2$ and with some SATA cable he stuffed everything in there so it stays in place. It worked too.
Click to expand...

Then again, please explain why I was having sleep issues with the hdd (it waked up 2 secs after going to sleep, spinning up and down) in the cheap one, similar to many described here in the forum, and with the MCE optibay, everything works fine - same hdd, same mbp.
Just that justifies the 89€ I spent on the real thing.

And yes, I used to think the same way as you do. A sata connector is a sata connector.
 
schizbomb said:
What's the link speed?
Click to expand...

Link speed shows 6g.

rev.b said:
Then again, please explain why I was having sleep issues with the hdd (it waked up 2 secs after going to sleep, spinning up and down) in the cheap one, similar to many described here in the forum, and with the MCE optibay, everything works fine - same hdd, same mbp.
Just that justifies the 89€ I spent on the real thing.

And yes, I used to think the same way as you do. A sata connector is a sata connector.
Click to expand...

It sounds like you received a broken one. If it's working correctly, there should be no difference.
 
From what I can tell on USPS tacking, the optibay I ordered from Nimitz** on ebay should be delivered today. It will be a couple weeks or so until I receive my replacement SSD from Intel so I won't be able to use the final setup, but right now I have a boot volume HDD and a media HDD in the optibay, so either today or tomorrow I'll probably install the Nimitz** optibay with my current setup. I'll report back on fitment and link speeds.
 
Meh I paid just over 30$ to get the Datadoubler instead of the offering from nimitz. But if it wasn't for OWC's 20$ discount on the data doubler (they had a special offer) I wouldn't have bought that expensive thing. I should get it in a week or two (I live overseas).

As for the enclosure for the SuperDrive, eBay FTW! 17$ enclosure on eBay vs 50$ for the one from OWC.

The bigger problem is choosing which SSD to buy :S
 
I already have the max upgrades caddy, which I believe to be manufactured by the same people who do the OWC one, and I don't like the fitment. The two screw holes on the outside edge aren't in the proper place. It's an engineering problem. And since they're made of machined aluminum, they're so rigid they don't bend and at all, so they end up bending the case. I don't know if the ebay caddy will be better, but I'll find out soon enough.
 
Perhaps you got a bad batch bozz. :S

I'm just praying that my Data Doubler isn't like that because after having ordered it from overseas, returning it will be a PITA.
 
rev.b said:
Then again, please explain why I was having sleep issues with the hdd
Click to expand...
I cannot explain that. Could be anything maybe it was really some poorly wired adapter. But I do know what the thing is and there is really no special magic to it.
Mine has no sleep issues, but I also read that the sleep issue appeared with optibay users too and some people though it was related to the SSD he/she used.

I am pretty sure all the expensive MCE optibays are built in the same factory as many of the cheap ebay alternatives.
 
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