2nd HD in a MackBook Pro
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  1. #1
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    Default 2nd HD in a MackBook Pro

    Hey everyone, I'm looking to remove the cd drive and have a 2nd HD installed into its spot.
    Where would the best place be to have this done?
    I guess apple would do it but will prob. over changer me for it.
    Is it something that i could do on my own? (I'm not all that computer suave)

    I have a micro center in the area, would that be the better choice?
    Thanks for the help.

  2. #2
    Tech Guru dj gullum's Avatar
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    depending on what model your MBP is but on my regular MBP 15" from 2009 is is realy strait forward. take a look at http://www.ifixit.com abd look for your model there should be a guid on how to do it. You will need an HD holder that is shaped like the dvd. I think ifixit sells them too.
    DJ setup 1 - Pioneer XDJ-Aero, Pioneer DDJ-SP1, Mixvibes Cross, Macbook Air 13", Pioneer HDJ 2000. DJ setup 2 - NI Kontrol F1, Z1, X1mkII, Traktor Pro2, Macbook Air 13", Pioneer HDJ 2000 w. Production - iMac 21.5", Motu 828x, Icon Qcon Pro + EX, Nektar Panorama P4, Propellerhead Reason, Mashine Mikro(drum programer in Reason)

  3. #3
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    Apple does not approve of this modification and will not honor warranty claims when you have a second HDD installed in that bay. Just a FYI. That being said, it is a fairly straight forward modification to do. Go to OWC and watch the video. You can buy all the parts you need there too. I'd swap your mechanical HDD you have in there right now to the CD bay area and purchase a SSD for the boot drive. Then do a fresh install of OSX.
    Traktor SP2 | Audio 10 DJ | DJM 800 Rotary | 1200 M3D's | Shure M44G's | NI Kontrol X1 | KRK RP8's | Ableton Live 8 | M-Audio FW 410 | Akai MPK 61 | NI Kontrol S4|

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  4. #4
    Tech Guru William Gibson's Avatar
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    You should be able to do it yourself if you can follow very detailed picture instructions. It is really straight forward. I have been running this setup since 09 with ssd in hdd bay and big hd in the optical bay. Let me know if you have any specific questions and I would be happy to help.

  5. #5
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    It should also be noted that depending on how often you access the second drive your battery life will decrease. I've found by as much as 50%
    Traktor SP2 | Audio 10 DJ | DJM 800 Rotary | 1200 M3D's | Shure M44G's | NI Kontrol X1 | KRK RP8's | Ableton Live 8 | M-Audio FW 410 | Akai MPK 61 | NI Kontrol S4|

    MY MIXES: Mixcloud TWITTER: DjScottMichael

  6. #6
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    Thank you for the help guys, going to tackle this weekend. Will keep ya up dated.
    Also who has the best prices these days?

    Moose

  7. #7
    Tech Guru Steve Zorilow's Avatar
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    I got a load of caddy from this eBay seller. Pretty sure they also have models for MAC
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  8. #8
    Tech Guru mostapha's Avatar
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    Macsales.com sells parts and has instructional videos.

    But it's not a drop-in type thing. You have to take the case off, disconnect the battery, disconnect a few other cables, remove a module to get access to it…then actually do the swap and put everything back correctly.

    It took me about 15 or 20 minutes…but I had no questions going into it whether or not I'd be able to do it. I've done much harder things to computers.

    And, no, Apple will not do it for you at any price.

  9. #9
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    I swapped mine out. It's not too hard if u know how to use a screwdriver and are VERY careful!!! If u break a piece off your logic board your pretty much screwed.

    I highly recommend putting in a solid state drive and running the terminal commands to merge them into a "fusion drive"

    Just google "how to create a fusion drive in a MacBook" or something. Ill try to find the YouTube vid later that shows you. Just backup everything first to time machine cause it will erase everything on your computer.

    Fusion drives rock.

  10. #10
    Tech Guru mostapha's Avatar
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    I'm actually not a fan of fusion drives, but I also don't keep that much stuff on my laptop.

    I'm up to 6TB of storage on my hackintosh (mostly for DVD & eventually blu-ray archival), but my laptop has always been a bit storage light. I DJ'd and did normal life with a 64GB SSD since just before TB laptop drives started becoming available, and I've had no real problems or regrets. Used that drive for a couple years until I bought a new computer and with it a much nicer 120GB SSD. You just have to be a little more selective about what you keep with you. Might not be possible for the mobile jocks, but at that point IDK why they don't just use full computers in a rack since they're carrying so much stuff anyway.

    And 500ish GB SSDs are starting to get into the "affordable" range (less than $1/GB). I'm actually about to buy a replacement superdrive to put in my MBP along with my 512GB Vertex 4.

    But, the biggest advantage of SSDs in laptops (IMHO) isn't the speed (though it is night & day)…it's the fact that they're way less susceptible to damage from being dropped or carried around.

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