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replace SuperDrive by SSD

M

MahaA

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Oct 22, 2017
14
0
Hamburg
Hi guys!

I own a Macbook Pro 13”, Mid 2012

I’d like to replace the optical drive with a 1TB SSD and keep my old HDD.
I want to make sure I will have the SSD connected to the right port in order to get most out of the SSD speed.

Here is what the System Information says about my SATA slots:
The first slot which is connected to my HDD:
Vendor: Intel
Product: 7 Series Chipset
Link Speed: 6 Gigabit
Negotiated Link Speed: 3 Gigabit
Physical Interconnect: SATA
Description: AHCI Version 1.30 Supported

The second slot which is connected to my optical drive:
Vendor: Intel
Product: 7 Series Chipset
Link Speed: 6 Gigabit
Negotiated Link Speed: 1.5 Gigabit
Physical Interconnect: SATA
Description: AHCI Version 1.30 Supported


Just to make sure I get this right:

My MBP features two identical chipsets with a link speed of 6gb each. Thus, it won’t make a difference to which port I’ll connect the SSD and I’ll get the SATA III speed anyway?

(I’m asking because I read that it’s favourable to move the old HDD to the slot which previously was used for the optical drive and connect the SSD to the slot which was previously connected to the HDD - but this procedure obviously would cause some extra work which I’d like to avoid)

Add on question:

What kind of case do I need to put the super drive in, in order to use as an external cd drive in the future.

Thanks for your help!
 
The SSD will operate at full sata speed in either port. You won't notice any difference in speed where it is located. You can test each connection by putting the SSD first in the normal place and then in the optical port to see the connection speed. But it shouldn't matter either way.

In some of the older Macs (15" 2011?) there was only one 6gbs port. But in your Mac you don't have to worry.

For your optical drive you can buy a cheap enclosure from eBay or Amazon. I have one but have only ever used it to make sure it worked. Had I known, I would not have spent that $10! o_O
 
I have the same model, 13" mid 2012 and went with a Trandscend JetDrive. You'll get a case with the kit to put your current drive in. I used SuperDuper to clone my current HD. It was an absolutely simple and painless process. I did not touch the optical drive. The performance upgrade is like going from dial up to high speed internet. Really a worthwhile and noticeable upgrade, it feels like a brand new computer. I highly recommend giving consideration to the Transcend JetDrive.
 
Thanks for your help! :)

One additional question:
I'd like to clone everything (including the OS) from the HDD to the new SSD. Afterwards, I want to erase all data from the old HDD and use it like for storage.

I guess I don't need any additional hardware (the "starter kit") in order to do this and can clone my system once the super drive has been replaced by the SSD, right?
 
MahaA said:
Thanks for your help! :)

One additional question:
I'd like to clone everything (including the OS) from the HDD to the new SSD. Afterwards, I want to erase all data from the old HDD and use it like for storage.

I guess I don't need any additional hardware (the "starter kit") in order to do this and can clone my system once the super drive has been replaced by the SSD, right?
Click to expand...
You can use Disk Utility to both clone the drive and to erase or reformat the old drive for storage. You can also use Time Machine to clone the drive from what I've read, but I've never done it as I don't use Time Machine.
 
Here's a link to the Transcend JetDrive. There's a video walk though on this page which explains the process

https://us.transcend-info.com/apple/jetdrive420/

I purchased mine from Amazon.

I cloned the current HD to the JetDrive SSD using SuperDuper instead of the native apps and replicated an exact image of it. Then swapped out the old HD and replaced it with the JetDrive SSD. Never skipped a beat. All data was brought over. Once that's in place and you're comfortable, you can erase the old drive and use for storage. They provide a case to tuck the old drive into. It's one stop shopping. If you don't need all that, there are likely other options out there as well.
 
staggerlee41 said:
Here's a link to the Transcend JetDrive. There's a video walk though on this page which explains the process

https://us.transcend-info.com/apple/jetdrive420/

I purchased mine from Amazon.

I cloned the current HD to the JetDrive SSD using SuperDuper instead of the native apps and replicated an exact image of it. Then swapped out the old HD and replaced it with the JetDrive SSD. Never skipped a beat. All data was brought over. Once that's in place and you're comfortable, you can erase the old drive and use for storage. They provide a case to tuck the old drive into. It's one stop shopping. If you don't need all that, there are likely other options out there as well.
Click to expand...
I know this company from their SD card storage expansion modules, but not SATA SSDs.

Pretty big price tag on this at Amazon. The comprable Samsung SSD is $200 less than the transcend SSD.

Why is it priced at such a premium?
 
I'm sure there are a plethora of more affordable options out there than the Transcend option. I'm recommending it as a solution to look into because I have first hand experience with it. A colleague recommended this as he too did the same thing and it worked well for him. I can report that after a year+ things are still flawless and performance is great. Again, not suggesting there aren't other good options, I'm merely recommending what I have first hand experience with. Whichever hardware you end up with, the process is still the same.
 
Hey guys!

One final question before I waste a lot of money on incompatible hardware.

My intention is the following:
In case I'll buy a new macbook in a few years it might be favourable to have a mSata SSD instead of a Sata drive because the latter might not fit in a newer, smaller macbook.
I'd like to have your advice whether this is a good idea or whether this russian doll situation might cause some troubles.

Could you please tell me if the following pieces are compatible:
the mSata SSD I want to buy:
https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B00TGIVRYU/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A3JWKAKR8XB7XF&psc=1

mSata -> Sata adapter
https://www.amazon.de/Adapter-Gehäu...qid=1508942376&sr=8-14&keywords=msata+adapter

adapter:
https://www.amazon.de/dp/B00E8BVEBQ/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=I39Y3SJSBOMIA1&colid=3KXHCC97QG7C5&th=1


Thanks!
 
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