PLEASE HELP me select new internal hard drive for Macbook Pro 2012 (non-retina)

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PLEASE HELP me select new internal hard drive for Macbook Pro 2012 (non-retina)

Good afternoon.

I just bought a Macbook Pro 2012 (non-retina) 15 inch from a friend. I think it is running Mountain Lion (has not been upgraded to Mavericks yet), and has iLife on it. It came with the stock 500 gb 5400 rpm internal hard drive. At home, I only have the Snow Leopard OS installation Cds and a copy of iLife 2011 installation Cds. I am going to buy 16 gb of RAM from Other World Computing to install.

I want to replace the hard drive with a 1 tb hard drive, preferably something that is $100 or less.

I talked to Other World Computing (OWC) and looked at the Data Doubler Option to replace the optical drive with a Solid State drive, but decided that for now I want to keep the optical drive inside the computer for portability issues.

I know that Solid State drives are better, but they are still too small, and I want the ease and portability of a 1 tb size INSIDE my computer.

Initially I was going to order this from Other World Computing: 1.0TB 2.5" HGST Travelstar 7K1000 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s 9.5mm Notebook Drive 32MB Cache. *'New' Factory Replacement with 2+ Year HGST Warranty* As of April 4, 2014 it's on sale for $79

But then I started reading some of the discussions online and thought maybe I should get a hybrid solid state drive?

I saw on Amazon the Seagate 1TB Solid State Hybrid Drive SATA 6Gbps 64MB Cache 2.5-Inch ST1000LM014 It's on sale for $94.

But according to some reviews, this Seagate has a platter that is only 5400rpm, unlike the previous Seagate Momentum that has a platter speed of 7200rpm.

How reliable are the Seagate, versus a Toshiba or Western Digital or Hitachi or something else?

Here are my questions about replacing the hard drive:

1. Is a hybrid solid state drive going to need some kind of special formatting after I put it into the macbook so that I can put the operating system on it?

2. Is a "normal" platter hard drive more reliable than a hybrid solid state drive?

3. Is there any additional driver or special software that I have to install for a hybrid solid state drive?

4. Currently there is no personal data stored on the computer. Can I just put the new hard drive in, and then insert the snow leopard install cd?

5. If I install snow leopard, can I just go to the App store and get the free upgrade to Mavericks?

6. If I want to do the "Data Doubler" option in the future and add a normal Solid State drive into my computer, will it have trouble interacting with the 1 tb hybrid solid state drive?

I would love to get some recommendations about the smartest option to upgrade my hard drive with something that will be fast (I edit lots of photos) and large (1 tb) that isn't going to cost too much. I don't know much about the different brands or options (and there are so many listed in tons of online reviews), that I got really overwhelmed and confused by the info out there.

I would really appreciate any help and advice. I've never switched out a hard drive before.

PLEASE HELP !!! Thanks!

Here is the "About this Mac" Info:

Macbook Pro 15-in Mid 2012

Model Identifier: MacBookPro9,1

Processor: 2.3 GHz Intel Core i7

Memory: 4 GB 1600 MHz DDR3

Software: OS x 10.8.5

Storage (Hard drive): APPLE HDD ST500LM012 Media, Rotational, SATA, GPT (GUID Partition Table)

MacBook Pro, OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.5)

Posted on Apr 4, 2014 11:24 AM

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Answer 1

Kappy

Level 10

361,741 points

Apr 4, 2014 11:29 AM in response to mudelicious

Go to OWC to find suitable drives, prices, tools, and install tutorials. Actually, I don't think there are any 1 TB notebook drives faster than 5400 RPM.

The Seagate hybrid may be a good choice provided it works in your Mac. Some users have had difficulties with the large capacity hybrids. Samsung makes a good 1 TB drive, and HGST now has a good 1.5 TB drive.

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Answer 2

Apr 4, 2014 11:29 AM in response to mudelicious

Just a quick answer - an SSHD (hybrid drive) is an excellent choice for thse who want to speed up the user experience. They require no special drivers and are compatible straight out from the box. I have 5 of the HGST models that you looked at but only use them for cloning. An SSHD would be perfect for your machine.

If you do go the Data Doubler route, DON'T put a SSD in that slot - the boot drive needs to be in the 'real' HD slot.

Clinton

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Answer 3

mudelicious Author

Level 1

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Apr 4, 2014 11:45 AM in response to clintonfrombirmingham

That's really good to know.

To clarify, down the road if I get the Data Doubler, I should put the SSD (that I would put my operating system on) in the area where my current 500gb hard drive is, and then put my larger 1 tb storage drive into the area where my current optical drive is?

Also, would the SSHD (hybrid) drive work okay with a SSD in the Data Doubler option? I thought I read somewhere that the interactions between the SSD and SSHD could have problems?

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Answer 4

OGELTHORPE

Level 9

57,305 points

Apr 4, 2014 11:48 AM in response to mudelicious

mudelicious wrote:

That's really good to know.

To clarify, down the road if I get the Data Doubler, I should put the SSD (that I would put my operating system on) in the area where my current 500gb hard drive is, and then put my larger 1 tb storage drive into the area where my current optical drive is?

Yes.

Also, would the SSHD (hybrid) drive work okay with a SSD in the Data Doubler option? I thought I read somewhere that the interactions between the SSD and SSHD could have problems?

There would be no point in using a SSHD in that type of configuration. A conventional 7200 rpm HDD would be a better option.

Ciao.

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Answer 5

Kappy

Level 10

361,741 points

Apr 4, 2014 11:48 AM in response to mudelicious

As stated always put the startup drive where it is normally located. Do not put a startup drive in the optical drive space.

An SSHD will work fine with an SSD in the optical bay. There are no interactions.

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Answer 6

mudelicious Author

Level 1

0 points

Apr 4, 2014 11:53 AM in response to Kappy

Kappy:

1. Yes, I've looked at OWC and they do have a 1tb hard drive at 7200rpm: 1.0TB 2.5" HGST Travelstar 7K1000 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s 9.5mm Notebook Drive 32MB Cache. *'New' Factory Replacement with 2+ Year HGST Warranty*

2. What are the potential problems with the Seagate SSHD (hybrid)? No one seems to explain that.

3. Please can you suggest a different 1 tb hybrid drive that is reliable and will work in my macbook 2012?

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Answer 7

mudelicious Author

Level 1

0 points

Apr 4, 2014 11:58 AM in response to Kappy

Kappy wrote:

As stated always put the startup drive where it is normally located. Do not put a startup drive in the optical drive space.

An SSHD will work fine with an SSD in the optical bay. There are no interactions.

Thanks Kappy! That's really helpful to know.

1. Do you have any better suggestions for SSHD besides the Seagate?

2. If I use my snow leopard disk to reinstall the OS on my new hard drive, can I still upgrade to Mavericks for free?

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Answer 8

MartinR

Level 6

19,249 points

Apr 4, 2014 12:15 PM in response to mudelicious

2. If I use my snow leopard disk to reinstall the OS on my new hard drive, can I still upgrade to Mavericks for free?

The mid-2012 MacBookPro9,1 models came with Lion 10.7.3 (11D2097) preinstalled. It is very unlikely you would be able to install Snow Leopard on it. Historically you cannot install a version of OS X that is earlier than the version that came with your Mac.

It seems to me that Apple Internet Recoverywould be the way to go. It would reinstall the original version that came with the MBP; from there you shouild be able to upgrade to Mavericks.

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Answer 9

MartinR

Level 6

19,249 points

Apr 4, 2014 12:31 PM in response to mudelicious

1. Is a hybrid solid state drive going to need some kind of special formatting after I put it into the macbook so that I can put the operating system on it?

The boot drive, regardless of what it is, needs to be formatted as Mac OS Extended (Journaled). This is standard with OS X.

2. Is a "normal" platter hard drive more reliable than a hybrid solid state drive?

There are arguments pro and con. Bottom line, SSD's and hybrid drives are still quite expensive per GB than standard hard drives. If you have the bucks and are a speed demon, go ahead. I have better use for my money. Standard hard drives are mechanical and may wear out over time. But even though SSDs are not mechancial, they can still go bad and ultimately they even have a limit to their write capacity. The jury is still out on this debate.

3. Is there any additional driver or special software that I have to install for a hybrid solid state drive?

No

4. Currently there is no personal data stored on the computer. Can I just put the new hard drive in, and then insert the snow leopard install cd?

You can physically put the hard drive in but probably not install Snow Leopard on this MBP.

The mid-2012 MacBookPro9,1 models came with Lion 10.7.3 (11D2097) preinstalled. It is very unlikely you would be able to install Snow Leopard on it. Historically you cannot install a version of OS X that is earlier than the version that came with your Mac (even if you replace the hard drive).

5. If I install snow leopard, can I just go to the App store and get the free upgrade to Mavericks?

Not via Snow Leopard on this MBP. See my response to #4.

6. If I want to do the "Data Doubler" option in the future and add a normal Solid State drive into my computer, will it have trouble interacting with the 1 tb hybrid solid state drive?

No. They are completely independent of each other; they are just independent storage units (drives) and their RAM does not interact.

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Answer 10

mudelicious Author

Level 1

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Apr 4, 2014 12:47 PM in response to MartinR

THANKS SO MUCH !! MartinR, you really helped clarify some of my concerns.

MartinR wrote:

2. If I use my snow leopard disk to reinstall the OS on my new hard drive, can I still upgrade to Mavericks for free?

The mid-2012 MacBookPro9,1 models came with Lion 10.7.3 (11D2097) preinstalled. It is very unlikely you would be able to install Snow Leopard on it. Historically you cannot install a version of OS X that is earlier than the version that came with your Mac.

It seems to me that Apple Internet Recoverywould be the way to go. It would reinstall the original version that came with the MBP; from there you shouild be able to upgrade to Mavericks.

I bought the 2012 Macbook Pro from a guy on Craigslist, and I don't have his info. Will I still be able to do the Apple Internet Recovery?

Also, I did buy a Mountain Lion over the phone from Apple a year ago, and they emailed me a download to install the new OS, but I never used it on my old computer because I had decided to just get a new computer. Could I use that download link on the new computer?

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Answer 11

russ84

Level 1

31 points

May 3, 2015 5:44 PM in response to Kappy

OWC offers a 1.0TB Travelstar™ 7K1000 Hard Disk Drive 2.5-Inch | SATA 6.0Gb/s | 7200RPM | 32MB Cache for $74.99. I have a 2012 Macbook Pro and am in the process of using a Data Doubler to put the original 500GB HDD that came with the unit into the optical drive. Eventually I plan to install the above unit.

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