Does Apple sell a 2TB hard drive for a mid 2012 MacBook Pro 13" laptop?

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Level 1

9 points

Does Apple sell a 2TB hard drive for a mid 2012 MacBook Pro 13" laptop?

I'm tired of fighting my MacBook Pro for HD space. It came with a tiny 128GB hard drive. I've been using an external, but it's less than a perfect solution. So, I have three questions:

1.) Does Apple sell a 2TB hard drive for the mid 2012 MacBook Pro 13" screen laptop?

2.) If so, would an Apple store install it for me?

3.) If not, can I purchase an after market 2TB hard drive which will fit without modifications and which an Apple store or other computer pro can install for me?

Thanks!

iMac, iOS 8.0.2

Posted on Mar 22, 2016 3:46 PM

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Answer 1

SeaPapp

Level 7

26,492 points

Mar 22, 2016 4:10 PM in response to azpaul2

Apple doesn't but everyone else does. You need a 2.5" SATA drive like this http://www.amazon.com/Seagate-Drives-2-5-Inch-Internal-STBD2000102/dp/B00MBLX332

Replacing the drive isn't hard https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/MacBook+Pro+13-Inch+Unibody+Mid+2012+Hard+Drive+Rep lacement/10378

If you're not up to doing it yourself don't let just anyone do it, take it to an AASP.

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Answer 2

Limnos

Level 10

427,385 points

Mar 23, 2016 8:48 AM in response to azpaul2

A bigger drive certainly makes sense if you have a 128 GB. I don't know the specifications for that model Mac or what exactly is in there right now. 128 GB I would think probably a SSD. A 2 TB will not be a SSD and will slow down your computer. You can buy bigger SSDs but nothing like 2 TB. I'd step back an analyze the situation. What are all these files? If they are your last 15 years of holiday photos do you really need them on your computer all the time? Might it not make more sense to buy two archive drives (one for backup) and put them on an archive drive? The same goes for things like movies (not unless you really are a person who watches Star Wars IV every week for the past 40 years). If you're heavy into huge video file processing then a notebook setup isn't really ideal for that, you need multiple big drives.

I'd say you could do an upgrade to a 250 GB or even slightly large SSD for the kind of money that would make sense for a 4 year old computer (don't forget that in about a year your computer officially becomes vintage in Apple's book and support starts disappearing), without the speed loss of a HDD. Spend the savings on external archive drives. I like docking stations where I have 2 x 4 TB bare drives that can be easily swapped out on a stand; I only pay for one "enclosure". I have the Voyageur from macsales.com with a couple of WD HDDs.

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Answer 3

K Shaffer

Level 8

35,992 points

Mar 23, 2016 11:27 AM in response to Limnos

The idea of a 2 TB SSD such as OWC Mercury series offers (cost near $650) could be a bit much

to consider for the vintage of the computer; they do exist. The macsales site has other examples.

2.0TB Mercury Electra MAX 6G 2.5-inch 7mm SATA 3.0Gb/s Solid-State Drive

From a page at OWC one can enter and choose the model build-year etc to see what comes up:

http://eshop.macsales.com/MyOWC/

This covers the general MacBook Pro (13-inch Mid 2012) with sub-note for i7 instead of i5 CPU:

http://eshop.macsales.com/MyOWC/Upgrades.cfm?sort=pop&model=450&type=InternalDri ves

However be that as it may, as you suggest a smaller one (or two) may be a better idea; and to

consider the kind of backups one may require with such large primary internal drives, adds cost.

If money and time were no objects to consider, we'd each have a planet of our own...! 🙂

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