Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Internal Hard Drive

B

bpo1

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jun 4, 2007
7
0
So i am looking to upgrade my internal hard drive in my macbook, it was the original macbook 2 GHz Intel Core duo, 1 GB memory. My 3 questions are:
1) is there a max number of gigs you can put inside a laptop?
2) what are the differences and advantages of the different RPMs?
3) Once installed do you just install all Leopard and load everything in from time machine with an external hard drive?

-Bpo1
 
bpo1 said:
So i am looking to upgrade my internal hard drive in my macbook, it was the original macbook 2 GHz Intel Core duo, 1 GB memory. My 3 questions are:
1) is there a max number of gigs you can put inside a laptop?
2) what are the differences and advantages of the different RPMs?
3) Once installed do you just install all Leopard and load everything in from time machine with an external hard drive?

-Bpo1
Click to expand...

1) The current 2.5" hard drives will not reach the limit of your Macbook, so that's not something you have to worry about.
2) 5400RPM is standard. 7200RPM is a little faster, but more expensive and generates more heat. 4200RPM drives are slower and not as common these days.
3) Yes. Backup your current system with Time Machine, install Leopard on the new drive, then restore with Time Machine.
 
Just be sure to get a 9.5mm tick HD, whichever size you choose.
As an alternative you can always buy an exxternal enclosure to put the new drive in. Then clone the internal drive to the new external with Carbon Copy Cloner or Superduper. Check you can boot from the external clone and then install the new drive inside.
Once you see everything is working correctly you can put the old drive in the enclosure and erase it. That way you will have a nice external drive for backups or else.
 
super_kev said:
1) The current 2.5" hard drives will not reach the limit of your Macbook, so that's not something you have to worry about.
2) 5400RPM is standard. 7200RPM is a little faster, but more expensive and generates more heat. 4200RPM drives are slower and not as common these days.
3) Yes. Backup your current system with Time Machine, install Leopard on the new drive, then restore with Time Machine.
Click to expand...

nope,
restore from time machine while installing leopard, there is an option.

don't install leopard
then restore

im like 95% sure of this, and if im wrong, please tell
 
bpo1 said:
is 9.5 mm thick standard or is that something i have to be real careful about?

is this one any good http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Samsung/HM320JI/ ??
Click to expand...

The samsung you linked too will work fine, 9.5mm is a standard on 2.5'' drives (always check specs first ) but with only one exception that i know off the Hitachi Travelstar 500GB is 12.5mm so will only fit in 17'' pros
 
bpo1 said:
1) is there a max number of gigs you can put inside a laptop?
Click to expand...

500GB (Don't buy the Hitachi one)

2) what are the differences and advantages of the different RPMs?
Click to expand...

With same capacity, the higher RPM equates to low access times and faster data read/write; with difference capacity, a slower, but bigger drive may be faster than a fast, but small drive. However the higher RPM will have better access times.

3) Once installed do you just install all Leopard and load everything in from time machine with an external hard drive?
Click to expand...

That's what you do; back up everything to Time Machine, run the Installer, and when it asks to start, go to Utilities-->Restore from Time Machine.
 
is there anything i can do like time machine for the windows side of my hard drive?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back