Need Some Advice

[wbbaker22]

First time post here, so just bare with me please. I have a Mid 2012 MacBook Pro, 2.5 Ghtz 13", and recently I had some issues to where I thought I had a failing hard drive (blinking folder with ? as I booted). I ended up buying a Samsung SSD 850 EVO to replace my HDD, but as I went to format the SSD it did not work. I ended getting it formatted through a friend of mine, but the only way it would work is being hooked up through the USB port. What I ended up finding out was that the SATA ribbon/connection was causing my problems. I bought a new SATA ribbon, installed it, and everything seemed to finally be working perfect. After about 25-30 days, I started experiencing some issues: computer locking up, spinning wheel, couldn't reboot to safe mode (but I could still always turn it off and on and the desktop would appear before the problems started again). I did some reading online and found out that the problem was the SATA ribbon. I thought maybe I had bought a bad one online, so I ended buying another. I installed the new ribbon, and as I rebooted I was back to square one, the blinking folder with "?" in the middle appeared. I took out the new SATA ribbon and tried putting in the first replacement and still got the blinking "?" This leads me to believe that now the problem lies in my logic board. (Why would have the first replacement have worked and now neither will?) I've searched logic boards, and they appear to be more than I want to spent for this laptop.

Someone please help as I don't know what else to do. If it is the logic board, I have just decided that I will buy an enclosure and put the SSD in it and connect to either USB/Thunderbolt. I haven't been able to find exactly what I am looking for. What is the most cost efficient way of enclosing this SSD so that I can use it externally? All I am finding online are big towers that cost more than my laptop itself. I just want a small, portable enclosure for the SSD. Also, should I be looking for USB 3 options or Thunderbolt? Anything Thunderbolt I have found online has been extremely expensive.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. I only know so much about computers, especially Macs. I need some advice!

 

[CoastalOR]

Someone please help as I don't know what else to do. If it is the logic board, I have just decided that I will buy an enclosure and put the SSD in it and connect to either USB/Thunderbolt. I haven't been able to find exactly what I am looking for. What is the most cost efficient way of enclosing this SSD so that I can use it externally? All I am finding online are big towers that cost more than my laptop itself. I just want a small, portable enclosure for the SSD. Also, should I be looking for USB 3 options or Thunderbolt? Anything Thunderbolt I have found online has been extremely expensive.
Any help would be greatly appreciated. I only know so much about computers, especially Macs. I need some advice!

Replacing the SATA HD cable was the way to go, but 3 bad cables are incredibly bad luck. Did you get all 3 cables from the same vendor? If all 3 cables are from the same vendor then maybe try another source. fixit.com and powerbookmedic.com has HD cables and they have good reputations.

If you want to go the external enclosure then USB 3 with UASP support would be the most economical. Here are a couple of suggestions from Amazon:
Economical Plastic USB3 for $14.99 US:
http://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00FCLG6...lid=2JQG8688GIRQQ&coliid=I3BW1R7OSKDJ20&psc=1

For longterm use a metal USB3 case might be better for heat dissipation, $22.99 US:
http://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00UAA4J...lid=2JQG8688GIRQQ&coliid=I2BEMQQU5YLOL3&psc=1

You are supposed to get twice the speed with Thunderbolt (10 Gbps vs 5 Gbps USB3), but it is incredibly expensive.

 

[Samuelsan2001]

It could be the coonection from the riibon to the logic board. Difficult to diagnose but a possibilty.

 

[wbbaker22]

Replacing the SATA HD cable was the way to go, but 3 bad cables are incredibly bad luck. Did you get all 3 cables from the same vendor? If all 3 cables are from the same vendor then maybe try another source. fixit.com and powerbookmedic.com has HD cables and they have good reputations.

If you want to go the external enclosure then USB 3 with UASP support would be the most economical. Here are a couple of suggestions from Amazon:
Economical Plastic USB3 for $14.99 US:
http://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00FCLG6...lid=2JQG8688GIRQQ&coliid=I3BW1R7OSKDJ20&psc=1

For longterm use a metal USB3 case might be better for heat dissipation, $22.99 US:
http://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00UAA4J...lid=2JQG8688GIRQQ&coliid=I2BEMQQU5YLOL3&psc=1

You are supposed to get twice the speed with Thunderbolt (10 Gbps vs 5 Gbps USB3), but it is incredibly expensive.

I only bought two new cables. The original (which I had believed was corrupt), the first one I bought was off of Amazon from a reputable seller, and the second was from ifixit.com. This is what leads me to believe it is the connection on the logic board where the cable connects to. Just find it odd that the first I replaced worked for about a month, and now after buying the second, neither cable will work at all, computer does not show the hard drive.

Thanks for the external recommendations.