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Upgrading 2012 MacBook Pro *need help from you great people *

T

thehustleman

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Jan 3, 2013
1,123
1
My wife has a 2012 macbook pro, I'm trying to replace the hard drive with a SSD and I don't know which is a great choice.

I don't know anything about SSD's or anything so how would I go about replacing it and re-adding the OS back to it?

Also, I've read about people removing the optical drive and placing the original hard drive in there, well u have a couple questions about that too

1. How do i get the hard drive to sit in the optical bay securely? I'd imagine it wouldn't fit.

2. Is there a commercially available enclosure that I can put the optical drive in to use whenever needed?

3. How do i wipe the drive in order to use it simply for storage?
 
Can the following guide answer your three questions, especially •4?

MacBook, MacBook Pro: Replacing the Hard Disk Drive, transferring data to the new HDD

the guide includes:
  • 0. Identify your MacBook or MacBook Pro
  • 1. Getting a new HDD
  • 2. Guides to replace the internal HDD with a newer one
  • 3. Transferring data from the old HDD to the new HDD
  • 4. Using the optical disk drive (ODD) slot for placing an SSD or HDD inside the MB/P (OPTIBAY)
​
 
Thanks, I think that may answer most.

How do i find the right SSD?

How do i know which one works?
 
thehustleman said:
How do i find the right SSD?

How do i know which one works?
Click to expand...
Based on your budget and storage needs (although disk size is less of an issue if you go the optibay route with a larger hard drive). As to whether it works, most SSDs do work... but to be safe, check reviews on the drive. Many Mac reviewers are good about noting that they are using the drive with an Apple computer. If it works for them, chances are that it'll work for you.
 
Ledgem said:
Based on your budget and storage needs (although disk size is less of an issue if you go the optibay route with a larger hard drive). As to whether it works, most SSDs do work... but to be safe, check reviews on the drive. Many Mac reviewers are good about noting that they are using the drive with an Apple computer. If it works for them, chances are that it'll work for you.
Click to expand...

Thanks again.

What about sizes?

Trying to make the primary boot drive an SSD, so what size is the drive bay?

My wife uses her dvd drive so I have to nix that idea.
 
thehustleman said:
Thanks again.

What about sizes?

Trying to make the primary boot drive an SSD, so what size is the drive bay?

My wife uses her dvd drive so I have to nix that idea.
Click to expand...
I'm not sure I understand what you're asking. If you removed the DVD drive then you could replace it with a 2.5" hard drive of any capacity, but if she's making use of the drive then it sounds like that's out (unless she's willing to use an external DVD drive).

SSDs are available in a number of capacities, but the capacities are much more expensive compared with standard hard drives. At this point the 128 GB models are coming under $100 (sale prices are in the 80's), but that's too small for many people. Check your wife's current disk usage to see if a 128 GB drive might be feasible, or if a 256 GB drive might not be better. 500 GB drives are starting to come down below $300... it's all a matter of what you want to pay and what your wife's current needs are. Alternately, you could go with a smaller SSD and then buy her a larger extern drive to store things on.
 
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