MBP 15' 2011 - Replace Optical Drive with HDD

[PinoyAko]

Hello guys,
I am planning to change my future MBP 15inch 2011 optical drive with another hard disk drive and I have two questions:

1) I am planning to install Windows 7 via Bootcamp on that new hard drive. Is that possible? Do I need to "RAID" that hard drive?

2) What is the best hard drive that you can recommend? Is it highly recommended to buy a drive that has a "free fall" sensor?

 

[yusukeaoki]

1) Yes unless you RAID your drives or you wont be able to install Bootcamp on
hard drives since your drive in the caddy will see it as an "external drive".

2) I use the Samsung spinpoint 1TB. Had it for almost a year and never failed on me.
I think you mean about the SMS sensor (Sudden Motion Sensor.)
And as long as you dont drop your computer you dont have to worry about it.

 

[PinoyAko]

1) Yes unless you RAID your drives or you wont be able to install Bootcamp on
hard drives since your drive in the caddy will see it as an "external drive".

2) I use the Samsung spinpoint 1TB. Had it for almost a year and never failed on me.
I think you mean about the SMS sensor (Sudden Motion Sensor.)
And as long as you dont drop your computer you dont have to worry about it.

Thanks Yusukeaoki!

 

[Orlandoech]

SSD > Hybrid > HDD.

SSD
Samsung 830/840
OCZ Vertex 4 or Vector
Crucial M4

Hybrid
Seagate

HDD
Western Digital Black

 

[PinoyAko]

SSD > Hybrid > HDD.

SSD
Samsung 830/840
OCZ Vertex 4 or Vector
Crucial M4

Hybrid
Seagate

HDD
Western Digital Black

Thanks Orlandoech.


Guys/Gals,
I have another question. Do I need to reformat or reinstall from scratch once I attached another hard drive to RAID on my MBP?

 

[yusukeaoki]

Thanks Orlandoech.


Guys/Gals,
I have another question. Do I need to reformat or reinstall from scratch once I attached another hard drive to RAID on my MBP?

No as long as you didnt clean install, you dont have to worry about it.

 

[PinoyAko]

No as long as you didnt clean install, you dont have to worry about it.

Hi Yusukeaoki,
So lets say that I got the macbook now that has 500GB and do a clean install and then after a week or 2 I will then replaced my optical drive with another hard drive and RAID it then I do not need to perform another clean install again, correct? Or not?

Thanks very much for answering my questions!

 

[hfg]

1) Yes unless you RAID your drives or you wont be able to install Bootcamp on
hard drives since your drive in the caddy will see it as an "external drive".

2) I use the Samsung spinpoint 1TB. Had it for almost a year and never failed on me.
I think you mean about the SMS sensor (Sudden Motion Sensor.)
And as long as you dont drop your computer you dont have to worry about it.

When you say to "RAID your drives" in order to install Windows so the installer sees a single internal drive ... can you "Concatenate RAID (JBOD)" the drives together, then un-RAID them when you are finished with the Windows installation and not lose any data installed on either drive or the Windows partition?

 

[yusukeaoki]

Hi Yusukeaoki,
So lets say that I got the macbook now that has 500GB and do a clean install and then after a week or 2 I will then replaced my optical drive with another hard drive and RAID it then I do not need to perform another clean install again, correct? Or not?

Thanks very much for answering my questions!

That is correct. I suggest to have the optical HDD clean before RAID it.
As long as the OS is on the main drive, no problem.

However, Bootcamp on RAID drive is technically unsupported.
There are work arounds to solve this which is this
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/676856/


----------

When you say to "RAID your drives" in order to install Windows so the installer sees a single internal drive ... can you "Concatenate RAID (JBOD)" the drives together, then un-RAID them when you are finished with the Windows installation and not lose any data installed on either drive or the Windows partition?

Im not too sure about JBOD.
As I mentioned on my last response, RAID for bootcamp is technically unsupported.
But the work around can work.

Check here for RAID details.
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/676856/

Tried and succeeded.

 

[PinoyAko]

That is correct. I suggest to have the optical HDD clean before RAID it.
As long as the OS is on the main drive, no problem.

However, Bootcamp on RAID drive is technically unsupported.
There are work arounds to solve this which is this
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/676856/


----------



Im not too sure about JBOD.
As I mentioned on my last response, RAID for bootcamp is technically unsupported.
But the work around can work.

Check here for RAID details.
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/676856/

Tried and succeeded.

You are awesome! Thanks a lot for the help!

By the way, what do you think about the HGST brand of HDD that has 5400 RPM? Are those good? I know HDD fails.

Below is the Link:

http://eshop.macsales.com/item/HGST/Y30J22413/

 

[yusukeaoki]

You are awesome! Thanks a lot for the help!

By the way, what do you think about the HGST brand of HDD that has 5400 RPM? Are those good?

No problem!

I never had experience with them so I cant be certain but spec wise, they seem fine.
They are 6gbps transfer speed so just like normal HDDs.
In my case, I only use the HDD as storage so its 5400rpm but if you're going to RAID, SSD or 7200rpm wont hurt.
But I think this drive would be fine.
From my personal experience I suggest again, the
Samsung Spinpoint or the WD Blue 1TB but thats because I had experience with them.
In fact the 7200rpm ver. of the HGST seems to have high rating.
http://www.amazon.com/HGST-Travelst...60507834&sr=8-1&keywords=hgst+1tb+2.5+7200rpm

 

[PinoyAko]

No problem!

I never had experience with them so I cant be certain but spec wise, they seem fine.
They are 6gbps transfer speed so just like normal HDDs.
In my case, I only use the HDD as storage so its 5400rpm but if you're going to RAID, SSD or 7200rpm wont hurt.
But I think this drive would be fine.
From my personal experience I suggest again, the
Samsung Spinpoint or the WD Blue 1TB but thats because I had experience with them.
In fact the 7200rpm ver. of the HGST seems to have high rating.
http://www.amazon.com/HGST-Travelst...60507834&sr=8-1&keywords=hgst+1tb+2.5+7200rpm

Hello,
Let say that I modiied my optical drive by putting a hdd in there. I am planning to Raid it but what if I want to send it to apple for repair? Do I need to reformat again the original drive?

 

[yusukeaoki]

Hello,
Let say that I modiied my optical drive by putting a hdd in there. I am planning to Raid it but what if I want to send it to apple for repair? Do I need to reformat again the original drive?

No, but replace the Optibay with the original optical drive, your RAM and SSD/HDD in main bay with original components.

Apple tends to blame everything on the user when the machine is modified.
So to be sure and safe, just replace everything with original parts.
The RAID shouldnt be a problem.

 

[nitromac]

My motion sensor actually seems to work in my optibay (got mine from Nimitz on ebay). When I close the lid and pick up the laptop sometimes the HDD will spin and click -- like a shutdown. I have a Mid-2012 model though.