How much should an SSD install cost for an MBP?

[bollweevil]

I just ordered an SSD for my relatively recent MacBook Pro. I want to pay a professional to install it for two reasons: first, it preserves the warranty, and second, I am busy and I can't have my laptop out of commission for too long.

I called one shop and they said it would cost $100. They said that includes transferring my data and installing the OS.

Is $100 a reasonable price? It seems a little high.

I am also worried that things will break when they move all the data from one disk to another. Will it break symlinks or permissions or something? When I migrated from my old MBP to my current MBP, it broke a number of weird little things. Of course, in that case, the hardware configuration changed, not just a data migration.

 

[rabidz7]

It will work great, the price is right, but consider saving some money and doing it yourself.

 

[jav6454]

Depends... if its a replacement for the HDD, not much. If its going in with an OptiBay, well... those can be a bit more expensive, but nothing exagerated.

 

[benwiggy]

Surely, only work by an Apple approved technician will preserve the warrantee? And if that's what they charge, then that's what you pay.

That having been said, it doesn't seem unreasonable at all.

If they clone the disk, then the contents will be identical, as far as your computer can tell. Nothing will have changed.

 

[Weaselboy]

Installing your own SSD on a MBP will not void your warranty, so you can install yourself if you are so inclined.

That said, I don't think $100 is out of line if they are also going to clone over your data.

The only issue you may have is some apps (I'm looking at you Adobe and Microsoft) may require you to reenter their registration serial numbers. Otherwise, you should be good to go.

 

[Mr Rabbit]

$100 seems about right if it's swapping the original hard drive for an SSD. The shop I worked for would've charged $95 (one hour of labor) whereas another local shop would've charged about $75.

 

[COrocket]

If you read an online guide and DIY your laptop would also be out of commission for a shorter amount of time, because you would save driving to the repair shop for drop off and pickup. Cloning and swapping the drives is a task that can be done in a few hours at home.