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Cost to replace hard drive?

Hi all,

I have a 12" powerbook g4 1GHz, and the hard drive recently failed.

I have one question - if I send my powerbook to apple uk, how much will it cost me to have the hard drive replaced? Anyone know?

Unfortunately, it's out of warranty, and I wanted to know just to be able to weigh up the pros and cons of repair vs buying a macbook pro.

Thanks in advance for your help!

12" powerbook g4 1GHz

Posted on Apr 4, 2006 7:33 AM

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Posted on Apr 4, 2006 7:45 AM

Your best bet is to locate your nearest Apple-authorised service provider. I couldn't give an exact quote because I've never used one but I believe another forum member, EddieC, previously said it cost him around £50 + the cost of the drive (If you live near Northampton, and are willing to bring it round, I could do this for you at no cost. Indeed if you're confident you could do it yourself). As for the hard-drive, I'm a fan of the Western Digital 600VE/800VE. They perform exceptionally well and are whisper quiet.

Buying a MacBook Pro...it really depends on your needs. Personally I'd wait until the problems with them have settled down. It's common for a Rev. A Apple product to have issues, and the MacBook Pro is no exception. Apparently the 10.4.6 update updated the AirPort Extreme firmware and the reception problems are gone, however after four modifications to the original, Apple still haven't removed the 'whine'. Additionally there are software issues as we are so early on in the PowerPC > Intel transition.

Matt
3 replies
Question marked as Best reply

Apr 4, 2006 7:45 AM in response to Mark Turner1

Your best bet is to locate your nearest Apple-authorised service provider. I couldn't give an exact quote because I've never used one but I believe another forum member, EddieC, previously said it cost him around £50 + the cost of the drive (If you live near Northampton, and are willing to bring it round, I could do this for you at no cost. Indeed if you're confident you could do it yourself). As for the hard-drive, I'm a fan of the Western Digital 600VE/800VE. They perform exceptionally well and are whisper quiet.

Buying a MacBook Pro...it really depends on your needs. Personally I'd wait until the problems with them have settled down. It's common for a Rev. A Apple product to have issues, and the MacBook Pro is no exception. Apparently the 10.4.6 update updated the AirPort Extreme firmware and the reception problems are gone, however after four modifications to the original, Apple still haven't removed the 'whine'. Additionally there are software issues as we are so early on in the PowerPC > Intel transition.

Matt

Apr 4, 2006 8:45 AM in response to Mark Turner1

Welcome to Apple Discussions, Mark.

As Matt has said, I paid approximately £50 (£45+VAT) for an Apple Authorised Service Provider, Hi-Tec, to install a 100GB 7200RPM Hitachi Travelstar into my PowerBook. The drive was sourced online from http://www.lowestonweb.com at the lowest price I could find (without trying ebay). The same drive is now available for around £130, although smaller capacities (ie. a 7200RPM 60GB), will be around £100.

However, if you are happy with a smaller and slower drive (ie. 5400RPM 60GB) then you can expect to pay under £60. So, potentially, the repair could cost around £100-110 or less if you replace the drive yourself - but you should be careful that you are totally confident about doing the job.

As for the MacBook Pro... I agree with Matt. Wait for a rev. B or C model. My current 15" PB is a 1.25GHz rev. A and there have been plenty of times when I really wish I could have waited (but, at the time, work dictated my buying decision).


User uploaded file


15" 1.25GHz/12" 1GHz PBs, PPC Mac minis, 12" iBooks G3/G4, Mac OS X (10.4.5) Cube, TAMs, iPods 2G/4G, iPs, AEBS, AX

Apr 4, 2006 4:17 PM in response to EddieC

Thanks for your advice guys, very helpful.

Will get the hard drive replaced, as it seems less expensive than I'd feared, but I've also decided to live in poverty for the next few months to buy a MacBook Pro as well while my student discount still lasts (I graduate in the summer, and a £400 saving is too good to pass up).

Fingers crossed it will be trouble free...

Cost to replace hard drive?

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