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wildduke

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Feb 28, 2011
9
0
you reckon that removing the optical drive in a MBP would be a goodway to reduce carry around weight, increase battery life and increase air space in the body of a MBP to improve cooling? Just a thought cause I cant remember the last time i used a cd or dvd!
 
removing the optical drive will indeed help with battery life, maybe an extra 10 or 20minutes can be had. it will reduce weight by ~100grams?

it wont really effect air cooling at all.
 
You can certainly remove the optical drive if you want, but if won't improve cooling.
 
it wont affect the warranty, unless you physically damage the machine in some way during the upgrades.

Are you sure about that?

Does that mean installing the data doubler won't affect the warranty to?
 
Why would it increase battery life? Just curious cos mine doesn't seem to spin up unless there's a disk inside.

It won't improve cooling.
 
Take care. The optical drive may work as an structural part of the body. So if you remove it the lower case may be more suitable for denting as you let a an empty hole behind it. And the hole body may be more torsionable. If you are not going to use it, replace it with an empty optibay or simply unplug it from the board.
 
Are you sure about that?

Does that mean installing the data doubler won't affect the warranty to?
im positive. if the data doubler doesnt break anything then its fine.

Why would it increase battery life? Just curious cos mine doesn't seem to spin up unless there's a disk inside.

It won't improve cooling.
its on standby, it still consumes some power whilst waiting for a CD to be put in, minute levels but enough to make some difference.
 
I can't how the work to rip out the optical drive is worth the small savings in the battery and minuscule reduction in weight. I do believe the drive also helps with the stiffness of the chassis and without it you could increase the risk of denting or warping the case.
 
I can't how the work to rip out the optical drive is worth the small savings in the battery and minuscule reduction in weight. I do believe the drive also helps with the stiffness of the chassis and without it you could increase the risk of denting or warping the case.

i gained 30mins battery life from taking mine out, it was a macbook pro core duo. pretty impressive by any standards.
 
im positive. if the data doubler doesnt break anything then its fine.


its on standby, it still consumes some power whilst waiting for a CD to be put in, minute levels but enough to make some difference.

I see, thanks for that!
 
Your going to use more power putting a HDD/SSD in there and the level the superdrive would use on the computer now a days is miniscule compared to the battery life that they have today and you will barely notice a thing.
 
i have been planning on doing this with my 13" uMBP to shed some weight. i wish i had a macbook air but i absolutely need a firewire port. i hadn't thought about the structural detriments. i hope some more people can offer advisement.
 
Can anyone that has removed their OD please weigh it? Unless its over .5lb I'm not sure that I would really bother.
 
Are you sure about that?

Does that mean installing the data doubler won't affect the warranty to?

It won't if you don't screw anything up and also put it back before you go to apple. I removed optical but always put it back before going to apple. Just don't be dumb and tell them you removed the optical drive before lol

Also the ODD is VERY LIGHT. Like I don't think I'd notice it in a 15" for sure and barely in a 13" It's probably less than 8oz.. The caddy + a mechanical HDD is heavier. The HDD alone is heaver lol
 
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