hard drive help

[jlreed1]

Okay, I think this is the right thread to discuss this in, if it's not I apologize. So I got a 13" unibody MacBook back in February. I've got a 2 ghz Intel Core 2 Duo, and 2 gb 1067 MHz DDR3. I'm starting to run out of hard drive space, plus I want to dual-boot Windows 7 when it comes out, unfortunately we still live in a PC dominated world, while I pity the fools I can't help them see the light.

My questions are, if I replace it myself this will void my warranty won't it? I didn't buy any sort of AppleCare with my MacBook so I just have whatever the standard warranty is.

Second, is there a limit to the size of hard drive I can put in there? Does it have to be made by a certain manufacturer? And at any size does it start becoming unstable with my amount of ram and processor?

Third, does anyone know where a guide to replacing the hard drive for the new unibody Macs are? I found a guide but it was for the old white polycarbonate ones.

Thanks for any help guys.

jlr

 

[miles01110]

My questions are, if I replace it myself this will void my warranty won't it? I didn't buy any sort of AppleCare with my MacBook so I just have whatever the standard warranty is.

It doesn't void your warranty on the entire machine, but if the new hard drive fails Apple won't replace it. Also if you manage to break something critical while installing the drive that won't be covered either, if whoever looks at your machine determines you were at fault (but really this is no different from the standard Applecare you get with the purchase of a new machine).

Second, is there a limit to the size of hard drive I can put in there? Does it have to be made by a certain manufacturer? And at any size does it start becoming unstable with my amount of ram and processor?

You're not limited by data capacity, but by physical dimensions. You need a 2.5" drive that is 9.5 mm in height. Currently I believe the maximum capacity for this size is 500 GB.

Third, does anyone know where a guide to replacing the hard drive for the new unibody Macs are? I found a guide but it was for the old white polycarbonate ones.

iFixit. It's very easy.

 

[NewMacbookPlz]

Third, does anyone know where a guide to replacing the hard drive for the new unibody Macs are? I found a guide but it was for the old white polycarbonate ones.
jlr

Isn't it etched on the inside of the door on the bottom of the computer?

 

[jlreed1]

Excellent. Thanks for the quick response. I have yet another question, sorry to be a hassle. Would you say it's worth it to pay the extra money for the 7200rpm vs. the 5400rpm hard drives. Is there that much of a difference?

 

[miles01110]

Depends on what you use it for. For most people it makes no difference.