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Macbook Air hack 2.5" HDD??

R

rmn1644

macrumors member
Original poster
Dec 7, 2011
56
18
Hey!

Anyone seen anything on hacking up a Macbook Air to take a 2.5" HDD? The 128GB thing just kills me.

The bottom is aluminum - it wouldn't be too hard to get a ball-peen hammer and a wood mold and contour a divot for a HDD. Or make your own custom sheet metal base! Or bamboo!

The connection looks to be challenging tho - the SSD uses some zipf connector. Don't suppose you just plug the SATA into it.

Any ideas? Anyone seen any creative hacks?

[I can already read the future ("Hey dumbass, just buy a Macbook if you want a bigger HD."]
 
rmn1644 said:
... it wouldn't be too hard to get a ball-peen hammer and a wood mold and contour a divot for a HDD. Or make your own custom sheet metal base!
Click to expand...

Yes, you should definitely do this, and report back the results in pictures.
 
rmn1644 said:
Hey!

Anyone seen anything on hacking up a Macbook Air to take a 2.5" HDD? The 128GB thing just kills me.

The bottom is aluminum - it wouldn't be too hard to get a ball-peen hammer and a wood mold and contour a divot for a HDD. Or make your own custom sheet metal base! Or bamboo!
Click to expand...

Anyone with more than basic auto engine hacking skills could cut you out an opening in the aluminum base and you could get someone to custom fab an extension down there to fit whatever you want.

Could not necessarily "should" ... but hey it's your money so have some fun!
 
That reminds me, I can never fit all my snowboarding gear into the trunk of my miata. Does anyone know if I can get some roof rails, crossbars, and one of those thule cargo bays for it?
 
oneMadRssn said:
That reminds me, I can never fit all my snowboarding gear into the trunk of my miata. Does anyone know if I can get some roof rails, crossbars, and one of those thule cargo bays for it?
Click to expand...

I used to fit my 8-foot longboard in my Miata to go surfing.

Guess I'm just more creative than the rest of you folks who like your stuff as-is. :)

But seriously, is it even technically feasible to add a HDD to a Macbook Air?
 
rmn1644 said:
I used to fit my 8-foot longboard in my Miata to go surfing.

Guess I'm just more creative than the rest of you folks who like your stuff as-is. :)

But seriously, is it even technically feasible to add a HDD to a Macbook Air?
Click to expand...

Lacking a basic understanding of physical dimensions is not creative, or maybe you're just trolling. It simply does not fit in the enclosure. Look at the Air, and look at the dimensions of a 2.5" drive. If you want a 2.5" drive you're looking at an external option. The Air becomes pointless anyway with your intended configuration. It's not light because it's thin. It's light primarily because of internal design.
 
rmn1644 said:
I used to fit my 8-foot longboard in my Miata to go surfing.

Guess I'm just more creative than the rest of you folks who like your stuff as-is. :)

But seriously, is it even technically feasible to add a HDD to a Macbook Air?
Click to expand...

I call BS on this. This is way 12 year olds need to be monitored on the Internet.... Unless you are just hanging it off the top it OS impossible. Further Surfers don't own miatas and vice versa....
 
The original MBA had a 1.8" HDD in its basic configuration. To fit one of those would be a more realistic goal, but even then I doubt it's possible considering the new MBA is thinner and has less space for the SSD now that it's not standard 1.8".

Even if you could do it, AFAIK the largest capacity right now for a 1.8" hard drive is 220GB. SSD will offer you more storage for its size. You'd be better spending some extra money for a bigger and faster 256GB SSD, and not lose you money/time/warranty on replacing working parts with outdated tech.
 
Last edited:
Once more and more Intel Ultrabooks come out, we will hopefully see a wider range of SSD sticks at a lower price.
 
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