Yeah, see, with my needs the HDD would probably be on quite a bit. I consume the vast majority of my media through my computer.
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MCE Optibay Alternative CHEAP
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Yeah, see, with my needs the HDD would probably be on quite a bit. I consume the vast majority of my media through my computer.
Last month I posted here about having issues with the smk optibay and I was able to exchange it for a new one but I'm having the same problems with the new one. In that month I've tried the ssd in several other computers and talked with ocz support; there's no issue with the ssd.
The ssd gets the same i/o errors and system profiler reports "Negotiated Link Speed: 1.5 Gigabit." If I boot off the hdd and perform i/o intensive tasks (converting the ubuntu live cd iso to a dmg) that also fails with i/o errors.
So I'm having some kind of issue with the optibay things seem to work if the hdd is in the optibay but it also reports "Negotiated Link Speed: 1.5 Gigabit" which it did not before and I'm not sure if I trust the drive in the optibay.
Is there anything I can do or check?
The ssd gets the same i/o errors and system profiler reports "Negotiated Link Speed: 1.5 Gigabit." If I boot off the hdd and perform i/o intensive tasks (converting the ubuntu live cd iso to a dmg) that also fails with i/o errors.
So I'm having some kind of issue with the optibay things seem to work if the hdd is in the optibay but it also reports "Negotiated Link Speed: 1.5 Gigabit" which it did not before and I'm not sure if I trust the drive in the optibay.
Is there anything I can do or check?
Just an update I decided to buy the newmodeus caddy linked earlier in the thread and everything works perfectly so apparently I got 2 bad caddys from smk312. Clearly some people have had success with them so I don't know if there's a bad batch or the pcb supplier has changed or what. Since I've had both in my hands I will say the newmodeus caddy is better built in every-way possible:better designed and built pcb, better metal, better construction. You can see where the extra $10 went (The smk caddy is now $30 plus shipping.)
Does anyone have any comments on this ssd for the optibay?
http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11613187&search=ssd&Mo=2&cm_re=1_en-_-Top_Left_Nav-_-Top_search&lang=en-US&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&Sp=S&N=5000043&whse=BC&Dx=mode+matchallpartial&Ntk=Text_Search&Dr=P_CatalogName:BC&Ne=4000000&D=ssd&Ntt=ssd&No=2&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Nty=1&topnav=&s=1
I thought that 70 for a 64gb was not to bad. I dont know much about this hard drive and just wanted to get MR input.
http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11613187&search=ssd&Mo=2&cm_re=1_en-_-Top_Left_Nav-_-Top_search&lang=en-US&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&Sp=S&N=5000043&whse=BC&Dx=mode+matchallpartial&Ntk=Text_Search&Dr=P_CatalogName:BC&Ne=4000000&D=ssd&Ntt=ssd&No=2&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Nty=1&topnav=&s=1
I thought that 70 for a 64gb was not to bad. I dont know much about this hard drive and just wanted to get MR input.
I use the one from smk312 with my SSD as my boot drive, been using it for 2 months now and no problems. I did buy the MaxUpgrades optibay but it was bending the computer due to it not being made right and was pulling on the tabs located by the speaker grill which was causing small dents on the top side. Returned that and went back to using my optibay from smk312 on ebay.
Just to let everyone know, I ordered a cheap optibay style device from a seller in NYC, and it doesn't work. I installed it carefully, both drives are verified to work in the normal slot, but when a drive is placed in the optibay (either drive, one SSD, one HD), the computer usually fails to boot, or if it does boot crashes within a few seconds thereafter.
Thankfully I'm only out $20 and I'll try to get a refund, but I had to rip off that plastic strip to get it installed, so I doubt they'll take it back.
I'm ordering an OWC data doubler, which while more expensive ($75) will at least almost certainly work with my computer (A 2010 Macbook Pro 13"), and they'll give good service if not.
Just a warning that sometimes being cheap ends up making you waste money in the end.
Thankfully I'm only out $20 and I'll try to get a refund, but I had to rip off that plastic strip to get it installed, so I doubt they'll take it back.
I'm ordering an OWC data doubler, which while more expensive ($75) will at least almost certainly work with my computer (A 2010 Macbook Pro 13"), and they'll give good service if not.
Just a warning that sometimes being cheap ends up making you waste money in the end.
Just a heads-up for anyone thinking of going the OptiBay-style route with the 2011 MBP:
The SuperDrive has been confirmed to be connected to a non-flawed SATA II connection.
Upshot: There's little point to adding a SATA III drive in the ODD bay. Which means that if you had planned to use a one platter drive, it has to go in the ODD bay, meaning that it really has to have its own sudden motion sensor.
Why would Apple leave a SATA III port empty? I'm curious.
The SuperDrive has been confirmed to be connected to a non-flawed SATA II connection.
Upshot: There's little point to adding a SATA III drive in the ODD bay. Which means that if you had planned to use a one platter drive, it has to go in the ODD bay, meaning that it really has to have its own sudden motion sensor.
Why would Apple leave a SATA III port empty? I'm curious.
wow, I just went on Amazon and picked up an optical bay adapter for $16. It works perfectly and only took me 10 minutes to install, including the time to upgrade the memory.
+1
That's the key, and a very important point: The user folder *must* remain on the SSD. Otherwise you're using more battery than before as both the SSD and the HD are running (instead of just the HD). Apps write to the user folder constantly (preference).
Spotlight search unfortunately also fires up the HD. So here is what to do for max battery life:
- Get a large enough SSD to hold the user folder (you can move your iTunes folder manually, and I think the iPhoto folder too, movies as well, then it should get to a reasonable size. I think 120GB is the minimum to be able to do this.
- Get an SSD that doesn't use much power - OWC Mercury Extreme is particularly good about this - others, just check and compare power usage where available. Sometimes not easy to find.
- Get a HD that doesn't use much power in idle mode - There's big differences between HDs. I am using a Toshiba, Fujitsu is also really good with 0.7W or so. Other HDs use 1.2W or more when idle! This is also not so easy to find but I found a great comparison on Tomshardware. I guess Toshiba and Fujitsu (which might be merged by now) are the brands that really care about idle power use.
- For max. power savings, and if you set it up correctly, unmount the HD in Disk Utility. That gains me 30 or more minutes, and the system uses less power than stock because the SSD uses much less power than the original HD. The main advantage is that programs that would otherwise power up the HD don't do that, and the HD remains in idle mode. Spotlight search for example. When you need to access the HD, or are back on power, just mount it again
http://www.amazon.com/Drive-Caddy-OptiBay-SuperDrive-Replacement/dp/B004FM1I2I/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1298960370&sr=1-2
went to amazon and just typed in "opti bay" and found this. I have never heard of this before and it appears to be a "no-name" brand, however the low price does make it attractive. I would be interested to see how they work for some other people before i use it.
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That's the one....
I for one can attest to it working perfectly. HOWEVER, if you are going to use a 7200 RPM drive, put it in the standard drive bay. Having the drive directly under the keyboard offers no sound dampening.
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Its going to...the drive is the same therefore this will fit because it matches the superdrive.
after looking at this one again does it have the screw attachment points like the factory ODD has? when I look at the OWC opti bay adapter the screw mount points are very apparent but on the amazon version the screw mount points look nonexistent.
In case anyone is wondering, here's a picture of the cheap optibay I bought that DOES NOT WORK in my Macbook Pro 13" 2010:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3017621/optibay.JPG
I'm still not sure if it doesn't work because it's faulty or it's a design problem. I would guess it's a design problem, because it does boot and you can see both drives, but there must be some kind of SATA conflict going on, as performance is terrible and the computer would lock up every 10 or 20 seconds (for 10 or 20 seconds each time).
I bought the OWC Data Doubler and I must say it is absolutely worth the money. Since OWC is mac-oriented you know it's been product tested on the macbook pro (and their customers demand that it works). Plus they have a good return policy. And you know you are buying from a company that supports the Mac community. OWC is also great about shipping, I ordered the bracket at 5:00pm EST and they still shipped it out same day with $7 two day guaranteed fedex shipping.
The bracket itself is the sturdiest one out there, with screw holes in the right place for the Macbooks, so the drive itself screws into the bracket (2 screws) and the bracket screws into the macbook (3 screws). Very sturdy, and it even comes with the tools you need (4 screwdrivers and a prybar) as well as some extra screws for both mounting the drive and for mounting the bracket (which is great as I lost some screws in the process). Also included is a great color instructional booklet showing the differences between installing it on a 2009 or 2010 MBP. And OWC has a great video on their website.
And finally it looks pretty neat too.
In case anyone is wondering, here's a picture of the cheap optibay I bought that DOES NOT WORK in my Macbook Pro 13" 2010:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3017621/optibay.JPG
I'm still not sure if it doesn't work because it's faulty or it's a design problem. I would guess it's a design problem, because it does boot and you can see both drives, but there must be some kind of SATA conflict going on, as performance is terrible and the computer would lock up every 10 or 20 seconds (for 10 or 20 seconds each time).
I bought the OWC Data Doubler and I must say it is absolutely worth the money. Since OWC is mac-oriented you know it's been product tested on the macbook pro (and their customers demand that it works). Plus they have a good return policy. And you know you are buying from a company that supports the Mac community. OWC is also great about shipping, I ordered the bracket at 5:00pm EST and they still shipped it out same day with $7 two day guaranteed fedex shipping.
The bracket itself is the sturdiest one out there, with screw holes in the right place for the Macbooks, so the drive itself screws into the bracket (2 screws) and the bracket screws into the macbook (3 screws). Very sturdy, and it even comes with the tools you need (4 screwdrivers and a prybar) as well as some extra screws for both mounting the drive and for mounting the bracket (which is great as I lost some screws in the process). Also included is a great color instructional booklet showing the differences between installing it on a 2009 or 2010 MBP. And OWC has a great video on their website.
And finally it looks pretty neat too.
did this "cheap" version have the mounting points to mount it to the computer like the OWC or does is just free float in the bay?
I've read back a few pages - I believe someone mentioned that you should try not to put a 7200RPM drive in the Optibay? I bought an OWC Data Doubler and a Western Digital Black WD7500BPKT 750GB. This is to compliment my 128GB SSD in the standard hard drive bay. Is there any reason to be concerned with heat/vibration/noise in this configuration?
My utilization plan is either:
A) 70GB Mac OS X, 50GB Win7 on SSD. Majority (if not all) data in 750GB for Windows (game installations) - maybe leave 100GB formatted for Mac OS for random storage but I will *NOT* put my home dir there.
B) Mac OS X on SSD, Win7 on 750GB.
My utilization plan is either:
A) 70GB Mac OS X, 50GB Win7 on SSD. Majority (if not all) data in 750GB for Windows (game installations) - maybe leave 100GB formatted for Mac OS for random storage but I will *NOT* put my home dir there.
B) Mac OS X on SSD, Win7 on 750GB.
Out of curiosity, is there much of a reason to not put two SSD's in apart from the cost? I have the 128GB SSD from apple, and when the SATAIII ssd's come out, I'm thinking of plopping one of those in the regular spot and just putting the 128GB SSD in the optibay.
Not true. It is actually preferred to put the drive in the Optibay because you are only using it as a storage drive only.
Even being a 7200rpm drive its still not as fast as having an SSD in the primary drive bay, acting as your system/home drive.
Heat isnt an issue because the HD will hardly be used compared to the SSD.
There is only the issue with the sleep/hibernate problem that people have been noticing. But then if you are not using the optibay as your primary drive then it shouldnt really be an issue.
The only reason to put the HDD in the normal spot is the SMS protection...I dont really care if my drive is protected or not because I have had many computers without it and never had a problem so I dont really think it is that big of a deal.