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Hard Disk Drive Replacement Options

Hi:

I have a 2009 MacBook Pro. Recently it started acting funny and a friend suggested it might be the hard drive. I got a copy of Scannerz to check the drive and about 10 minutes into the scan it started finding problems. I ran Scannerz in diag mode to confirm it wasn't the SATA cable, and it passed that with flying colors. I need a new hard drive.

Here's my dilemma: I'm on a budget. The most I can afford is between $125 to $150 to replace the hard drive. The question is, can I get a decent SSD for this much money?

Before I continue, I should state that I use a dual boot system. I still have a 100GB partition with Snow Leopard on it because I have some old applications that are older PPC applications. They're rarely used, but they do get used a few times a year. The rest of the drive is Mavericks.

I see the following as possible options:

1. Get an SSD that I can split so that I have 2 partitions again. It would need to be at least 256GB, and that's probably pushing it, probably more like 350GB is what I'd like.

2. Just get a hard drive. I've read on here that some of the Hitachi drives are fast for old mechanical drives and they're cheap too. I'd have money left over.

3. Create a Fusion drive with a smallish SSD and a hard drive. Setting it up using an article I read about in CNET doesn't look that hard, but the idea of taking out the optical drive and putting some type of adapter in there to hold either an SSD or HDD just seems a little risky. Also, isn't the speed of the optical drive slower than those of drives? Do I need a new cable if I consider doing this?

4. The Scannerz tech support people said I might want to get a new SATA cable anyway. Any idea why they would say that? They don't sell parts so that obviously wasn't the motivation.

When answering, please keep costs in mind. The total I'm will to spend, absolute max, is $150.

Thank you.

MacBook Pro, OS X Mavericks (10.9.5), Hard Drive Replacement

Posted on Feb 17, 2015 5:42 PM

117 replies

Mar 1, 2016 9:51 AM in response to ZV137

ZV137 wrote:

To update my last post, I swapped an OEM drive on a MacBook with a non-OEM drive. SMART parameters were fully reported for the OEM drive but all it would say for the non-OEM drive was "verified," so maybe the actual type of the drive has something to do with more extensive reporting.

That may very well be true, in fact it makes sense, but it still doesn't explain why it was eliminated from the El Capitan version. The output on items showing SMART were in hex and a so-called "novice" wouldn't likely know how to interpret them. They can't change them or mess with them, so what's the logic for removing it?

ZV137

Level 1

54 points

Mar 2, 2016 10:36 AM in response to ThomasB2010

ThomasB2010 wrote:

ZV137 wrote:

To update my last post, I swapped an OEM drive on a MacBook with a non-OEM drive. SMART parameters were fully reported for the OEM drive but all it would say for the non-OEM drive was "verified," so maybe the actual type of the drive has something to do with more extensive reporting.

That may very well be true, in fact it makes sense, but it still doesn't explain why it was eliminated from the El Capitan version. The output on items showing SMART were in hex and a so-called "novice" wouldn't likely know how to interpret them. They can't change them or mess with them, so what's the logic for removing it?

That's a question for Apple to answer, not me.

Mar 2, 2016 11:24 AM in response to ZV137

SMART staus in detail is of extremely limited usefulness. In most cases, it will tell you the status is "verified" until well after it is obvious that the drive has been destroyed. So if that information has been abridged, no great loss.

ZV137

Level 1

54 points

Mar 4, 2016 7:53 AM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

To add to that I've seen at least 2 different drives with SMART saying "About to fail any minute" now go on to live very productive lives anyway. It kills me when they see a minor transition reported and then race out to replace their drives.

Mar 10, 2016 11:03 AM in response to ZV137

I looked into this a little bit more, more out of curiosity than anything else. The problem's I've encountered with SMART when attempting to use it with non-OEM devices are as follows:

Each SMART parameter has an ID, and the ID may mean one thing to one vendor, and something else to another (i.e. they are not necessarily standardized). Some of the very basic IDs such as failure status seem to be the only ones that are "standardized."
In some cases, especially on SSDs variations in firmware cannot guarantee consistency
Variation or updates in firmware may cause SMART to report only default values
A fair number of the SMART parameters are non-critical

If Apple were to have maintained "keeping up with SMART" it would be in a proverbial never ending game of catch-up, probably to provide info on hardware they'll never even use themselves.

Mar 10, 2016 11:12 AM in response to MrWilliams201

I purchased a new 480gb SanDisk SSD for $130. (Amazon) I've never had any problems with it.

Csound1

Level 9

60,009 points

Mar 10, 2016 11:18 AM in response to Chief Problem Solver

How long have you had it?

Mar 10, 2016 11:23 AM in response to Csound1

About 3-4 months. Not long, but it's never given me any trouble.

Csound1

Level 9

60,009 points

Mar 10, 2016 11:31 AM in response to Chief Problem Solver

So you can vouch that they last at least 3 to 4 months, thanks.

Mar 10, 2016 12:23 PM in response to MrWilliams201

A few comments:

1. I upgraded my 2009 MBP to an SSD and it absolutely transforms the computer. Do it, if you can. Watch the deal-sites; or consider a low-end Crucial drive.

2. You will need to enable TRIM - look it up and get a free utility liek TRIm enabler.

3. The 2009 MBPs did have some defective SATA cables. Mine was, and it only showed its ugly face when i connected my SSD. It would not support timing on the faster interface. new cable, fixed. Thanks to Clintonfrombirmingham.

The slowest SSD is vastly faster than the fastest traditional drive. I will admit you are pushing the lower limit of 500 GB SSDs with your budget.

Csound1

Level 9

60,009 points

Mar 10, 2016 12:34 PM in response to Grant Lenahan

2. Is not the same, it only applies if you use 10.10.1 and 2, nothing else needs 3rd party intervention, OS X has it's own trim enabler from 10.10.4 onwards.

3. is quite common, so much so that I recommend always replacing the cable (you have to be able to reach it to change the drive)

ZV137

Level 1

54 points

Mar 13, 2016 12:02 PM in response to Csound1

Csound1 wrote:

So you can vouch that they last at least 3 to 4 months, thanks.

Do you know something about SanDisk (now part of WD apparently) the rest of us don't know??? I've had a SanDisk in one of my systems for over two years. No problems, and it was low cost as well.

Csound1

Level 9

60,009 points

Mar 13, 2016 12:13 PM in response to ZV137

I know that they can last as long as 3 to 4 months, according to you.

Mar 16, 2016 10:33 AM in response to R.K.Orion

SMART detects events after the fact. In some cases, like a drive overheating or beginning to do so it might be helpful, but too often "after the fact" means after the drive croaked, which is why some people never see those "SMART warnings" show up at all when a drive dies.

ZV137

Level 1

54 points

Mar 18, 2016 5:59 PM in response to Csound1

I think you're mixing me up with another poster. I've had a SanDisk SSD in one of my systems for nearly 2 years without problems.

Hard Disk Drive Replacement Options