Macbook Pro (2012 Core i9 2.9 GHz) HDD Help

[icanswim70]

Hey everyone! Happy Holidays!

So for Christmas this year i decided to fix up a dead macbook for my mom. I got it up and running and everything is great, however the HDD does not sit flush in the HDD compartment (It was originally my brother's computer and he was quite rough with it, which is my suspicion as to how it ended up this way).

Anyways, to make a long story short, my question is, what material should/could i use to act as a stabalizer for the HDD and prevent it from moving around under the hood? I was thinking foam against either tin foil or if anyone knows where you can get a piece of heat shield? Note it will also need a bit of thickness to hold it firm against the case.

I am between toronto and ottawa if anyone can recommend something close to there!

Thanks in advnane!

 

[kohlson]

HDD's don't last long with any shock or vibration. There should be pins and a rail that help secure the drive to the chassis/body.
SSDs are very resistant to shock and vibration. Depending on how it will be used, a small and inexpensive SSD (such as a 120GB) is ample for web browsing and so on. There's about 90+ GB left over after installing the OS and some apps. And, it will improve the overall performance.

 

[Audit13]

Yes, you can use foam to gold the drive in place. This is what I did for a few months until I found a replacement hard drive bracket.

An SSD would be an even better solution.

 

[Fishrrman]

A modestly-sized SSD (250 or 500gb) -AND- some foam to keep it from moving when the back is closed... is "the answer".

 

[icanswim70]

Thank you for the responses. Foam was what i was most wondering about. I understand SSDs are best as there is no rotational delay, or moving parts, but this is an "in a pinch quick fix".