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Replacing harddrive in MBP?

G

GregUofMN

macrumors regular
Original poster
Nov 15, 2003
183
0
Is it possible to upgrade and replace my hard drive in my 15" 2.2GHz 120GB MacBook Pro to the 160GHz drive that was the upgrade at the time or to the 250GB version that they offer in the current 15" MBP?

I can probably guess the answer, but I'm hoping I can.

Thanks,
Greg
 
If they did this at the Genius Bar or if I shipped it in to Apple, would it keep the warrenty? It's a little too early in the game to void my 3 year Apple Care since I just bought the machine in November.
 
Yes, as long as it is done by an Apple certified tech you should be fine. I talked to a place here (Apple Certified) that said they would do it for $75 and it wouldn't void the warranty. I didn't have applecare and didn't want to pay $75 so I did it myself.
 
You can buy the part, and have it installed. Check around to see if there's a non apple store, apple certified repair/service center in your area. They might be expensive though... The local shop near me is ridiculous.
 
Where do I go about finding a replacement drive that is compatible with my machine?
 
There are at least a dozen threads on this.

It will NOT void your warranty unless you damage something during the process of upgrading. Of course the new drive itself will not be covered under Apple's warranty if it fails.

With that said, you can upgrade it with a 3rd party drive. Just make sure it is a SATA drive and it is made to fit your model. For the 15 inch MBP, the maximum drive thickness (height) is 9.5mm.
 
What brand does Apple use in the MBP? I know the memory sticks are Samsung (or atleast where when I had a PowerBook).

Thanks.
 
Brand does not matter. Just make sure as was stated that your maximum drive height is no more than 9.5mm

As a rule of thumb, I have generally bought Hitachi and Segate 2.5" drive and have had good experiences. My friend who owns an apple certified shop also swears by these brands.

My 15" powerbook has a Toshiba 80gb. My original was replaced by apple, with the same brand and size, but 8mb instead of 2mb cache, so I got a little upgrade.
 
merl1n said:
There are at least a dozen threads on this.

It will NOT void your warranty unless you damage something during the process of upgrading. Of course the new drive itself will not be covered under Apple's warranty if it fails.
Click to expand...

Not what I was told by apple when I called, but it makes sense. If you break something during the upgrade process you're our of luck...if you don't break anything, then you don't really need the warranty anyway. ;)

Visit newegg.com, you'll find plenty of notebook hard drives.
 
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