SSD and Applecare Questions

[blevins321]

Hi all,

I have a twofold question. I am considering an SSD upgrade for my Mid2010 15-in i5 MBP. My first question is will putting in an SSD bought from an outside vendor (OWC for example) void the warranty? I haven't purchased Applecare yet, but am heavily considering it. I'd have an Apple-certified repair center put the SSD in (installation is relatively cheap especially since I don't care about the data on the drive that is backed up).

I'm thinking of the OWC 120GB Memory Extreme (http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Other%20World%20Computing/Y3SSDMP120/)

Do you think this would be a good choice? The enclosure bundle is nice because then I can use the older (bigger) drive for Time Machine backups. Biggest reason that I would like the bigger drive is for the increased write speeds. I do a lot of video transcoding. And how much battery life (time-wise) is saved by using an SSD instead of a regular HD? Thanks all!

 

[Xenc]

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Changing the hard drive won't void your Apple Care, neither will changing the RAM. Anything else will void your warranty.

 

[miles01110]

Why even bother having a repair center charge you for the installation? If you can operate a screwdriver you can switch out the drive in 5 minutes.

Applecare isn't voided, but if you have problems with the self-installed drive (or self-installed RAM) those parts are not covered by Apple's warranty.

 

[blevins321]

Why even bother having a repair center charge you for the installation? If you can operate a screwdriver you can switch out the drive in 5 minutes.

Applecare isn't voided, but if you have problems with the self-installed drive (or self-installed RAM) those parts are not covered by Apple's warranty.

Oh ok, it's actually doable by someone who doesn't do many repairs? (I'm a software guy). That's good to know, and I'll probably give it a shot.

 

[Xenc]

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It's quite straightforward, and there are plenty of guides on the internet to follow.

 

[agentphish]

1. remove bottom pan screws.
2. remove 2 screws on HD retainer clip
3. remove 4 t6 screws on sides of hard drive
4. put 4 t6 screws on sides of new hard drive.
5. put retainer clip back on
6. put bottom pan back on
This should take you no longer than 3 minutes

7. re-install your OS/software

enjoy your new-found speed.

 

[Fubar1977]

Yup, just done it myself.
Painless procedure, even got away without T6 driver (Pliers ftw)

 

[ExiledMafia]

No it will not void your warranty and if u do a quick search you will see many other threads asking the same questions.

 

[adnoh]

HD upgrade does not void warranty. SSD is a good choice.

 

[elpmas]

i think if you look at the manual that came with your mbp, it'll show you how to do it lol