Installing a laptop drive - any weird setups?

[y_p_w]

I've done it a few times. My first were Apple iBooks (2.5" PATA), and the process was just so convoluted that I never tried.

iBook G3 12" Hard Drive Replacement

You can install hard drives up to 9.5mm thick.

www.ifixit.com

My 2007 MacBook was pretty easy. It's tucked inside a slot with a drive/memory shield covering it. It does have a "sled" that uses T8 mounting screws, but other than that it's pretty easy. The only issue is that it is kind of loose sometimes and I've heard of the drive disconnecting. My mid-2012 MacBook Pro is also pretty easy, only requiring a T6 Torx driver for the mounting screws and a #00 Phillips screwdriver to remove the cover and mounting bracket. All of those could handle any reasonable size drive from 7-9.5 mm.

My wife bought a Lenovo T series refurb once. Once the drive was corrupted and just transferred over a WD Black 7200 RPM drive that I had previously bought when my Mac's drive was corrupted. But that was 9.5mm and had to be since it installed with these "bumpers" that had to fit snug with a 9.5mm drive. I guess it would have needed some sort of shim to work with 7mm, especially an SSD. I haven't seen one that came in a 9.5mm case.

 

[skyactiv]

I installed a SSD in my old MacBook Pro. Removed the metal cartridge the slow 5400 HD was in. Slid the SSD in and used a Bic pen cap with the pocket clip cut off and wedged it in so the SSD wont slide out of the port.

 

[Gokhan]

Installing an SSD in a formerly HDD slot in a Lenovo laptop was a nonissue. Sometimes you need to use the included shim to make the fit better. Just don't install a new HDD, as they run at least ten times slower than SSDs.

 

[mk378]

Anything modern should be a 7 mm drive.

 

[JMJNet]

Macbook pro/air since 2013 uses their own proprietary SSD card, not the regular 9mm/7mm thick SSD.
However, there are adapter available to use regular M.2 SSD.

The later model after 2017, they are soldered in to the board so non-replaceable.

Don't quote me on model year that is just what comes out of my mind.

 

[y_p_w]

Installing an SSD in a formerly HDD slot in a Lenovo laptop was a nonissue. Sometimes you need to use the included shim to make the fit better. Just don't install a new HDD, as they run at least ten times slower than SSDs.

Where would a shim be ordered? It just sort of was that way and nothing came in the box other than the computer and power adapter. I had to reuse the "bumper" that was already in the slot. I haven't looked at it in a while and I looked up that it needs a caddy. However, the rubber bumpers were integral to it not moving around. Not sure if this is OEM, but it looks close enough. I don't believe there was anything that kept it from flopping around other than the bumpers.

 

[y_p_w]

Macbook pro/air since 2013 uses their own proprietary SSD card, not the regular 9mm/7mm thick SSD.
However, there are adapter available to use regular M.2 SSD.

The later model after 2017, they are soldered in to the board so non-replaceable.

Don't quote me on model year that is just what comes out of my mind.

I believe they went to SSD only for all the "Retina" models. But some of the setups were apparently really bizarre, like proprietary SATA connectors. Some apparently tried using adapters, but they could be hit or miss.

Apple Proprietary SSDs: Ultimate Guide to Specs & Upgrades | BeetsBlog

Apple’s SSDs are confusing. Are they M.2 drives? What connector do they use? AHCI or NVMe? What drive can I use to upgrade? We have answers. We’ll tell which SSDs work in which MacBook Pros, iMacs, Mac minis and more.

beetstech.com

I think the one on the left is just a 1.8" SATA SSD in a brushed stainless steel package, which was an option for an MacBook Air. Strike that - it was actually something that used the SATA connector but was customized for Apple.

I remember taking apart a PC that met an unfortunate demise due to liquid damage, and I think it was an M.2 SSD.

 

[Gokhan]

Where would a shim be ordered? It just sort of was that way and nothing came in the box other than the computer and power adapter. I had to reuse the "bumper" that was already in the slot. I haven't looked at it in a while and I looked up that it needs a caddy. However, the rubber bumpers were integral to it not moving around. Not sure if this is OEM, but it looks close enough. I don't believe there was anything that kept it from flopping around other than the bumpers.

This is what I have installed—Crucial MX500, which is arguably one of the best SSDs. You can see the rectangular rubber bumper that came with it. I guess you can easily make one from cardboard.

Crucial MX500 SSD Review

Today we review the Crucial MX500 1TB and 500GB SSD that range in capacities of 250GB, 500GB, 1TB and 2TB, and comes in two form factors: either 2.5” or M.2 but the 2TB version is for the 2.5” form factor only.

www.relaxedtech.com

 

[y_p_w]

This is what I have installed—Crucial MX500, which is arguably one of the best SSDs. You can see the rectangular rubber bumper that came with it. I guess you can easily make one from cardboard.

Crucial MX500 SSD Review

Today we review the Crucial MX500 1TB and 500GB SSD that range in capacities of 250GB, 500GB, 1TB and 2TB, and comes in two form factors: either 2.5” or M.2 but the 2TB version is for the 2.5” form factor only.

www.relaxedtech.com

Coming packaged with a drive? Can’t say I’ve ever seen one. I’ve bought two SATA SSDs - one SanDisk and the other WD. They came in small boxes with a small tray and nothing else.

Unboxing and Review of Western Digital Blue 3D NAND 1TB SATA SSD | UnbxTech

www.unbxtech.com

 

[Gokhan]

Coming packaged with a drive? Can’t say I’ve ever seen one. I’ve bought two SATA SSDs - one SanDisk and the other WD. They came in small boxes with a small tray and nothing else.

Unboxing and Review of Western Digital Blue 3D NAND 1TB SATA SSD | UnbxTech

www.unbxtech.com

Yes, that spacer pictured above comes standard with retail-packaged Crucial SSDs.

 

[scrowley]

Just did an Acer E5-576-392-H with a 2280 Samsung NVMe 980 drive (1 TB down to 500GB).Used Samsung software to clone the HD, took about an hour.Only 180 gigs filled on the oem drive. Disconnected the HDD oem drive and it booted right up. Sequential read/write 1500 range according to Samsung magician software.Apparently the ssd can run in the 3000 range but it only has 2x pipeline on motherboard.

 

[OVERKILL]

Yes, that spacer pictured above comes standard with retail-packaged Crucial SSDs.

Also comes with Kingston ones if you buy the kit (that comes with a USB housing).

 

[y_p_w]

Just did an Acer E5-576-392-H with a 2280 Samsung NVMe 980 drive (1 TB down to 500GB).Used Samsung software to clone the HD, took about an hour.Only 180 gigs filled on the oem drive. Disconnected the HDD oem drive and it booted right up. Sequential read/write 1500 range according to Samsung magician software.Apparently the ssd can run in the 3000 range but it only has 2x pipeline on motherboard.

That's more like installing memory though. Still - with 2.5" SATA SSDs, the majority of the volume is empty and it's just there to fit into the same "form factor" as spinning hard drives.

 

[bunnspecial]

Macbook pro/air since 2013 uses their own proprietary SSD card, not the regular 9mm/7mm thick SSD.
However, there are adapter available to use regular M.2 SSD.

This one's actually kind of a convoluted mess.

So, first of all, the original 2008 MacBook Air used a 1.8" iPod HDD. It was slow and otherwise miserable, and the first MBAs were in general awful computers. BTW, more than a few I've parted out have had their HDDs end up in iPods, as they're bigger than a lot of older iPods. There was a factory SSD option(that nearly doubled the price of the computer) and it would in theory work in an iPod also.

The second gen MBAs were much better, but the hard drive was a little bit weirder still. They still used a 1.8" HDD(or SSD) with a proprietary connector, but a different proprietary connector and communicated via SATA protocols. The only other computer that could use this was the optional BTO SSD on the 2009 Xserve.

2010(3rd gen) MBAs went to the "blade" type SSD using a proprietary SATA connector. As you said, an M.2 SATA will drop into these with an inexpensive adapter.

When the Retina MBP came onto the market in mid-2012(along side the traditional unibody style for a little while) it too used this same type drive, and I believe the 2013 releases continued to use it.

The 2013 Mac Pro used a blade-type PCIe drive. The next revisions of MBP and MBA all switched over to these(much faster) PCIe drives also. The drives themselves are weird as the connector is proprietary, and they are the only PCIe SSDs I'm aware of that AHCI drives(all other PCIe drives, or at least the ones that are easy to get, are faster and more modern NVMe drives). Fortunately, an NVMe drive can be installed in these. As a bizarre tacit acknowledgement of people upgrading these, a couple of years ago Apple pushed a firmware update for the 2015 models that natively supported booting them off NVMe drives. The Mac Pro 5,1(2010/2012, and by extension 2009) weirdly enough also got NVMe boot support in its firmware around the same time, and I know of a lot of people who boot theirs from an NVMe drive on a card in one of the PCIe slots. From the days back before that firmware update, my Mac Pro 5,1 actually has an AHCI PCIe drive out of an MBA that it boots off of.

For some weird, crazy reason the 2017 non-touchbar 13" MBP actually has a removable drive. I don't think anything's ever become of this, especially because that was not a popular computer.

Now, the Mac Studio has gone back to storage on cards that look not unlike an M.2 SSD, although they most certainly are not. One of the issues with them(and with the 2017 MBPs with removable storage) is they are encrypted by the T2 chip, so even if removed and reinstalled in another computer, they won't be readable.

The Mac Pro 7,1(the stupid expensive one) has removable/replaceable storage also and it's yet another proprietary format, and I think also has the behind the T2 chip issue as well. Upgrading the storage is at least an Apple endorsed procedure, though, although I THINK you're supposed to let Apple do it.

 

[scrowley]

That's more like installing memory though. Still - with 2.5" SATA SSDs, the majority of the volume is empty and it's just there to fit into the same "form factor" as spinning hard drives.

Well. some debate out there whether the laptop would run an NVMe drive and only run at SATA speeds Took a chance on it for the same coin as a SATA.