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MCE Optibay Alternative CHEAP
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The mail service hasn't substantially changed over the last few months. It still takes about a week.
Ok cool. I didn't think the mail has changed over the last few months, but the rate at which nimitz processes orders.
mce optibay intended to mbp 2008, will it fit to mbp 2011?
Will the old MCE Optibay, that's intended for Unibody Macbook Pro's (2008) fit on the current early 2011 MBP's
Will the old MCE Optibay, that's intended for Unibody Macbook Pro's (2008) fit on the current early 2011 MBP's
Has anyone ordered the Nimitz from
http://www.ayagroup.com/product.php?productid=18945
If so, how long was shipping time? I see there is an option for USPS Priority Mail. Also, those with Nimitz like the one pictured about in the link have you been satisfied?
Thanks
http://www.ayagroup.com/product.php?productid=18945
If so, how long was shipping time? I see there is an option for USPS Priority Mail. Also, those with Nimitz like the one pictured about in the link have you been satisfied?
Thanks
I bought this: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004FM4UGE
I have an early 2011 15 inch MBP, and its to thick. Sticks out a could mm and can barely put on the back cover. the Nimitz ( http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAP...2&ssPageName=ADME:L:OC:US:1123#ht_3469wt_1413 ) should be a perfect fit right??
I have an early 2011 15 inch MBP, and its to thick. Sticks out a could mm and can barely put on the back cover. the Nimitz ( http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAP...2&ssPageName=ADME:L:OC:US:1123#ht_3469wt_1413 ) should be a perfect fit right??
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Yup, the nimitz will fit. It has the 3 mounting points, just like your optical drive, and the optical drives in all unibody MBP's.
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
it wasn't a width thing, it was a thickness thing. a few mm to thick. the nimitz then is the perfect thickness? Just want to triple check with the long ship times
it wasn't a width thing, it was a thickness thing. a few mm to thick. the nimitz then is the perfect thickness? Just want to triple check with the long ship times
The amazon adapter was too thick? Or the drive you were putting in? Only 9.5mm drives fit in the uMBP optical bays. The nimitz will fit guaranteed, but I'm curious about the other adapter being too thick. From the photos it seems a little chubby, but without the little tab for the 2 extra mounting holes all the other optibay adapters look a little chubby, but most people can fit them no problem, it's just that they aren't 100% secured, and you have to snap off the plastic bit.
That piece came out without needing to break it. That was just people being stupid. it has two side things you pull in and that piece goes out and back in.
The real problem is its to big. maybe they sent me the wrong one. but it seems to be for the 12 mm one. here is my 750GB Apple Toshiba drive that my comp came with, a 9.5mm, in it. see the extra space?
I would put the optical drive next to it to show you, but i put it back in for now cause my airport card died and had to bring it in for repair, they'd just laugh at me if i had this in there. They have to order the airport card, and will put a new thing in once that happens
Huh, interesting. That certainly does look like its made for a 12.5mm optical bay. Some people with non-unibody MBP were putting 12.5mm drives in their optibay caddies, so this is probably made for that. The nimitz will fit your uMBP fine though.
So i bought the nimitz and now am just waiting a while for it. hopefully it wont really take till oct 20th to nov 2nd to get it
A few things...
A couple new things:
-First off, I want to retract anything positive I've said about the momentus XT in regards to speed. After about the first month it slows down to feeling like a regular drive. Despite updating to the latest firmware, its speed issues persist, and it has been known to have issues with MBP's. I'm going to try to return it and buy a 1TB 9.5mm drive instead.
-So while swapping out the 500GB Momentus XT that I had in my OWC optibay for the 500GB WD black I'm running now, I decided to try a 12.5mm drive in the optibay slot. I took my 1TB 12.5mm Samsung drive which I use as backup and installed it in the optibay, and put on the bottom panel. And it fit really pretty good! The screws went in nicely, they pulled the panel inward more than normal, but that's to be expected with the thicker drive standing out a little bit. The screw on the side (right next to the drives) went in with, predictably, the most difficultly, but it wasn't so bad. In the end there was a nearly imperceptible bulge, if I can call it that, that was significantly less than 1mm. I tested to see if the computer would wobble on a flat surface and it didn't. Now, it might not be good for the lifetime of the drive to have it making direct contact with the bottom panel, but the setup seemed entirely run-able.
This was on a 2010 13" uMBP with the OWC DataDoubler.
Of course, right now there is no storage advantage to be won by running 12.5mm drives, as 1TB drives are available in 9.5mm, and 1.5TB drives in 12.5mm aren't available yet.
I just wanted to share my findings, if someone needs more storage space and has a 12.5mm 1TB on hand, I think this setup works well.
-On the note of 1.5TB 12.5mm drives, I did a little looking into this. I've recently upgraded my entire music library to lossless, started upgrading my movie library to ~8GB 1080p movies, and gotten into the iOS 5 betas of which I've been storing several disk images. Anyway, so I could seriously use more space. Running a 1TB 9.5mm in the optibay, and a 1.5TB 12.5mm in the main bay would be ideal, but 1.5TB 12.5mm is not to be found. Well, I heard some conflicting reports on whether Seagate's external 1.5TB goflex was 12.5mm or thicker in height. It seemed that the drives originally launched with 14 or 15mm thick, 4 platter, 375GB/platter, drives, but that in recent months, with 500GB platters becoming available (such as in 9.5mm 2 platter 1TB drives), that seagate had begun using 3 platter, 12.5mm drives in the goflex drive. Anyway, so I called Seagate and they won't divulge the information. I even told them that I would have no use for the drive if it was thicker, and asked if I could buy a drive, see how thick it was, and then return it if it was thicker than 12.5mm, but they didn't go for that Now, I think its possible that one could open the drive pretty invisibly, check, and still be able to return it as new if its too thick. I might just do that, but its kind of sketchy, and all on the rumor of 12.5mm drive lurking in there.
Iomega however has a 1.5TB 2.5" external drive available (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...rd+Drives+-+External-_-Iomega+Corp-_-22186316) which on newegg is listed as being 0.55 inches thick. This converts to 14mm exactly, which, subtracting a 12.5mm drive, would leave 1.5mm thickness between both the top and bottom parts of the case. 3/4 mm thick plastic for the case is already very thin, iomega itself lists the same dimensions, so it seems highly likely that this drive is using a 12.5mm drive and not a taller one. Even the 14mm thickness of the drive + enclosure is the next thickness up that most bare drives would have if they are thicker than 12.5mm. Still it's a $220 drive, and even if it is 12.5mm, it could have a soldered on USB board as some companies have begun to do. I should mention that on amazon and on some smaller sites it is listed as 0.6 inches, or 15.25mm, but amazon UK, newegg, B&Hphoto and go.iomega all list the drive as 0.55 inches. Not sure which is correct. I will give iomega a call on Monday and see if they are more willing to reveal the drive inside than seagate is. Here's hoping
Here's the link to that drive on iomega's site: http://go.iomega.com/en/products/ex...estige-usb-3/?partner=4735#tech_specsItem_tab
I just get really excited by the idea that if a 12.5mm 1.5TB drive is available, it is possible, with the squeezed in 12.5mm in the optibay, to run 3TB in a 13" laptop!
Also, here are the photos of the 12.5mm drive in the OWC optibay:
A couple new things:
-First off, I want to retract anything positive I've said about the momentus XT in regards to speed. After about the first month it slows down to feeling like a regular drive. Despite updating to the latest firmware, its speed issues persist, and it has been known to have issues with MBP's. I'm going to try to return it and buy a 1TB 9.5mm drive instead.
-So while swapping out the 500GB Momentus XT that I had in my OWC optibay for the 500GB WD black I'm running now, I decided to try a 12.5mm drive in the optibay slot. I took my 1TB 12.5mm Samsung drive which I use as backup and installed it in the optibay, and put on the bottom panel. And it fit really pretty good! The screws went in nicely, they pulled the panel inward more than normal, but that's to be expected with the thicker drive standing out a little bit. The screw on the side (right next to the drives) went in with, predictably, the most difficultly, but it wasn't so bad. In the end there was a nearly imperceptible bulge, if I can call it that, that was significantly less than 1mm. I tested to see if the computer would wobble on a flat surface and it didn't. Now, it might not be good for the lifetime of the drive to have it making direct contact with the bottom panel, but the setup seemed entirely run-able.
This was on a 2010 13" uMBP with the OWC DataDoubler.
Of course, right now there is no storage advantage to be won by running 12.5mm drives, as 1TB drives are available in 9.5mm, and 1.5TB drives in 12.5mm aren't available yet.
I just wanted to share my findings, if someone needs more storage space and has a 12.5mm 1TB on hand, I think this setup works well.
-On the note of 1.5TB 12.5mm drives, I did a little looking into this. I've recently upgraded my entire music library to lossless, started upgrading my movie library to ~8GB 1080p movies, and gotten into the iOS 5 betas of which I've been storing several disk images. Anyway, so I could seriously use more space. Running a 1TB 9.5mm in the optibay, and a 1.5TB 12.5mm in the main bay would be ideal, but 1.5TB 12.5mm is not to be found. Well, I heard some conflicting reports on whether Seagate's external 1.5TB goflex was 12.5mm or thicker in height. It seemed that the drives originally launched with 14 or 15mm thick, 4 platter, 375GB/platter, drives, but that in recent months, with 500GB platters becoming available (such as in 9.5mm 2 platter 1TB drives), that seagate had begun using 3 platter, 12.5mm drives in the goflex drive. Anyway, so I called Seagate and they won't divulge the information. I even told them that I would have no use for the drive if it was thicker, and asked if I could buy a drive, see how thick it was, and then return it if it was thicker than 12.5mm, but they didn't go for that
Now, I think its possible that one could open the drive pretty invisibly, check, and still be able to return it as new if its too thick. I might just do that, but its kind of sketchy, and all on the rumor of 12.5mm drive lurking in there.Iomega however has a 1.5TB 2.5" external drive available (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...rd+Drives+-+External-_-Iomega+Corp-_-22186316) which on newegg is listed as being 0.55 inches thick. This converts to 14mm exactly, which, subtracting a 12.5mm drive, would leave 1.5mm thickness between both the top and bottom parts of the case. 3/4 mm thick plastic for the case is already very thin, iomega itself lists the same dimensions, so it seems highly likely that this drive is using a 12.5mm drive and not a taller one. Even the 14mm thickness of the drive + enclosure is the next thickness up that most bare drives would have if they are thicker than 12.5mm. Still it's a $220 drive, and even if it is 12.5mm, it could have a soldered on USB board as some companies have begun to do. I should mention that on amazon and on some smaller sites it is listed as 0.6 inches, or 15.25mm, but amazon UK, newegg, B&Hphoto and go.iomega all list the drive as 0.55 inches. Not sure which is correct. I will give iomega a call on Monday and see if they are more willing to reveal the drive inside than seagate is. Here's hoping
Here's the link to that drive on iomega's site: http://go.iomega.com/en/products/ex...estige-usb-3/?partner=4735#tech_specsItem_tab
I just get really excited by the idea that if a 12.5mm 1.5TB drive is available, it is possible, with the squeezed in 12.5mm in the optibay, to run 3TB in a 13" laptop!
Also, here are the photos of the 12.5mm drive in the OWC optibay:
Attachments
Yup, I tried that firmware with no improvement. For the first month it was really awesome! Applications launched very quickly, and startup time was about cut in half. I found a fresh install got it back up to speed for a few weeks, but it again quickly declined. I just don't care to do a fresh install once a month.
Just ordered a Samsung Spinpoint M8 1TB 9.5mm drive to replace the momentus XT in my optibay slot. That'll be 2TB now, 500GB for OS and files, 1.5TB for media.
I'll let you guys know once I have the drive installed how it is with speed, noise, etc. From reviews it looks to be zippy for a 5400rpm drive since the data density is so high.
I'll let you guys know once I have the drive installed how it is with speed, noise, etc. From reviews it looks to be zippy for a 5400rpm drive since the data density is so high.
Problem with SSD in optibay caddy
I'm having some problems, may be OptiBay related.
refer to:
https://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?p=13527331
I'm having some problems, may be OptiBay related.
refer to:
https://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?p=13527331
Before I go out and buy a 2.5" 1TB drive, what is the fastest speed that the Opti-bay slot supports, just original SATA or SATA2?
The optibay adapters themselves support SATA I, II, and III. Starting with the 2011 models MBP's support SATA III in the optical bay. If you have an old computer it may only do SATA I, but most likely it will be a SATA II connection.
Just find out on system profiler what link speed you optical bay connection is, the optibay will match that speed.
This isn't quite the case - all currently shipping Macbook Pros are fitted for SATA III in the Optibay, but this only actually works properly on the 13" model, the 15" and 17" only work properly with SATA II in the Optibay. For more info. see:
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1236401/
and
http://blog.macsales.com/11895-2011-macbook-pro-sata-problems-resolved
(read the whole article)
If going the optibay approach I think its best to load the SSD with the OS and apps and put it in the HDD bay and put an HDD in the optibay for storage (music, video, photos etc.) anyway, as Mac OS X can have hibernation problems if the boot drive is in the optibay. The only potential issue with this approach is that there is no built-in SMS (sudden motion sensor) support for drives in the optibay, so it might be best to uise an HDD that has built-in shock protection (e.g. Western Digital Scorpio Black)
Hey everyone,
A friend of mine asked me to install the second HDD in his MBP, so I'm looking at caddies once again. What strikes me is that most of them (at least those I've seen linked here and elsewhere) are "upside down", i.e. provide no access to the drive after the setup is in place. The only one that does seems to be OWC's data doubler, but that's rather pricey. So are there ANY caddies that have the cutaway on the right side, so when you install it you can get easy access to the HDD?
A friend of mine asked me to install the second HDD in his MBP, so I'm looking at caddies once again. What strikes me is that most of them (at least those I've seen linked here and elsewhere) are "upside down", i.e. provide no access to the drive after the setup is in place. The only one that does seems to be OWC's data doubler, but that's rather pricey. So are there ANY caddies that have the cutaway on the right side, so when you install it you can get easy access to the HDD?
It's done that way because it's easier due to the direction of the optical bay plug. Also, the drive will be held in place better when upside-down, since there's less wiggle room. Since it's so easy to get the adapter out, just go with a regular one.
Even the OWC adapter has the mounting screws through the side so you have to take the adapter out to remove the drive. AFAIK no adapter offers access to the drive without removing the adapter.
On the other hand, how often do you need to access the drive? It just takes 15 seconds longer to pull out the whole adapter.
Ah very interesting! Thanks for the correction and clarification
I remember the first 2011 MBP's that shipped didn't provide for SATA III in the optical bay, but a few months in they started supporting SATA III so I assumed that it worked reliably. This must be frustrating for 15 + 17" MBP users.