New MBP and HD Replacement

[mlmorg]

I'm in the market for a mbp and will be waiting for a bit to see if apple releasing anything new, but I have a few questions about what I should do in terms of hd upgrades.

Looking at the current baseline specs of the 15" mbp I would be happy with mostly everything (apart from upgrading the ram from a third party) except for the 200gb 5400 HD. I would probably upgrade either to the 320 7200 or the 500 5400...the question I have is two-fold:

1. If apple udpates the mbp and redesigns to incorporate an easily-accessible hard drive (assuming that the baseline for the new mbp's would probably be 250gb's correct?), would it be a better decision to buy the baseline and then upgrade the HD myself or get a BTO machine? (how long does that usually take the ship btw?) Would one way be cheaper? And does replacing the HD on the current macbooks void the warranty? (one can assume this wouldn't change if the mbp was redesigned in a similar way)

2. If apple doesn't update the mbp or doesn't redesign them in any way that changes how the mbp hard drive is swapped out now....ETC SAME QUESTIONS.

Thanks for your opinions.

 

[Fonzijr1964]

buy the new one (if there is one) with a big HDD dont go put it in, u will void ur warranty, you will brake something, u will wast time.

 

[alphaod]

1. If apple udpates the mbp and redesigns to incorporate an easily-accessible hard drive (assuming that the baseline for the new mbp's would probably be 250gb's correct?), would it be a better decision to buy the baseline and then upgrade the HD myself or get a BTO machine? (how long does that usually take the ship btw?) Would one way be cheaper? And does replacing the HD on the current macbooks void the warranty? (one can assume this wouldn't change if the mbp was redesigned in a similar way)

Whether or not they redesign it, you can swap out the HDD without voiding the warranty. Now many people will say your warranty will be voided if you break the computer while upgrading, but the same goes for if you break the computer using it.

As with any refresh, you can buy the current base model and upgrade the HDD to your needs. Upgrade yourself may or may not be cheaper. If you buy a model and choose a BTO, you only get the new drive, not the standard one. If you buy one retail and upgrade it, you may be spending more or less, but you get the original drive (which you'll want to keep for exchange purposes).

2. If apple doesn't update the mbp or doesn't redesign them in any way that changes how the mbp hard drive is swapped out now....ETC SAME QUESTIONS.

If they decide to redesign it to make HDD upgrading easier, it would be considered an official way of saying, they don't care if you upgrade the HDD; with the current model, the "they don't care" stance is unofficial as calling Apple will get the answer, no it doesn't void the warranty, but you probably won't get it in writing.

 

[Indydenny]

I say the opposite

buy the new one (if there is one) with a big HDD dont go put it in, u will void ur warranty, you will brake something, u will wast time.

Buy the current one if you need it (not sure what the update will be). Buy a 320/7200; you won't break anything if you are careful and follow the easy on-line instructions; you won't waste time it will take about an hour to change the HD and ram.

I just did the above last week with Seagate 320/7200 and upgraded to 4 gig ram. Love it!

 

[Fonzijr1964]

Buy the current one if you need it (not sure what the update will be). Buy a 320/7200; you won't break anything if you are careful and follow the easy on-line instructions; you won't waste time it will take about an hour to change the HD and ram.

I just did the above last week with Seagate 320/7200 and upgraded to 4 gig ram. Love it!

~he has to re instal the OS and all the stuff he wants
~He will kick himself in OCT when the new ones come out

I really like how i have not made a complete sentence before this one on this thread

 

[ivnds]

I think it's better if you get the standard model and then buy the bigger drive separately, that way you can do the swap and use the smaller one as an external backup drive.

 

[Indydenny]

~he has to re instal the OS and all the stuff he wants

As I said, I just did it and with a Time Machine backup, it takes very little time. Definitely not a reason to not install your own HD.

~He will kick himself in OCT when the new ones come out

As I said, IF HE NEEDS IT NOW he won't kick himself in OCT no matter what is released. There are a number of reasons to buy now-- to use up an expense account before losing it (as I did); to do a project that needs to be done now; to avoid a first generation machine (those who live on the cutting edge bleed a lot as I know too well!); etc.

Only the OP knows his reasons.

 

[e12a]

do the upgrade yourself, put the spare 2.5" drive in an enclosure for whatever you need. 🙂

 

[mlmorg]

Thanks for all the replies.

I'm not in huge need of a mbp now...that's why I'm going to wait and see if anything new is coming in the next couple weeks.

In terms of the HD...looks like it's probably best to just swap it out myself -- and if apple does redesign to make this process easier then that just makes it a win win for me.

Just one more question:

What are some great 2.5" external enclosures out there?

Thanks again

 

[e12a]

i got a coolmax esata/USB2.0 2.5" enclosure from newegg. Its got pretty good reviews and seems pretty nice..even though its Coolmax.

cheap too, and comes with a nice protective case for the cables and the drive. I can also fit my eSATA expresscard inside with it.

 

[Marvin1379]

do the upgrade yourself, put the spare 2.5" drive in an enclosure for whatever you need. 🙂

How is it that one gets the data from the current HD to the new one? If my mbp shipped with tiger, do I need to install tiger then upgrade to leopard on the new HD? Then reformat the old HD and use it as extra backup? Thanks