Biggest Hard Drive for upgrade

Hi there,
I'm thinking of upgrading my current mac mini's hard drive and I want to know what the biggest hard drive is that I can put in it. Can i go as high a 1TB?
http://www.unityelectronics.com/product-product_id/4630
Thanks in advance
Bryan

In addition to size and interface, I'd be careful with a system with such a small case
about power consumption (to not overload it) and heat. And of course the two
are generally related. And on size, most of the highest capacity 2.5" drives are thicker,
although there have been some up to 500GB announced (but not out yet as far as I know)
that are thin enough.
The "System Profiler" utility should be able to tell you the model of the existing internal
drive (and the free mactracker app should be able to tell you what a wide range of models
are normally built with, but aside from identifying the model of your system, AFAIK doesn't dig
into its hardware details to confirm that they match its model descriptions). Smartmontools
from macports (free/open source software using the BSD ports packaging and installation scheme)
should be able to identify not only the drive model, but provide quite a bit of drive health info too.
However, installing anything from macports means first downloading the developer tools, and
is slow, since everything has to be compiled.
Once you know the model number of the existing drive, search the web for it until you find the
manufacturer's specs. Look for power consumption, and if available, heat output info. Try to
keep those about the same or lower for any replacement if possible, and you're likelier to stay
safe. All other things being equal, higher RPM drives tend to use more power and run hotter,
although other design differences might overcome that; but other differences (like anything that
gave higher density per track) might also boost sustained transfer rate even at a low RPM, since
the real question is how many bits (after overhead) go past the head in a unit of time, assuming
the interface is not the limitation.
Of course, if one could discover what the system's design specified (assuming it didn't just specify
a part), that would also be an excellent guideline. But I'm too new to Macs to know where (or if)
that info is publicly available (and if it is, would welcome pointers, since I'd love to put a 500GB
drive in mine when they're available and my warrantee has expired).

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Clone Hard Drive for Upgrade & other recommendations...

I have a MB Pro 2.4 GHz Core 2 Duo w/ a 160 GB 7200 RPM Harddrive. I am about out of room and would like to do a HD upgrade. I have a 40GB BootCamp partition w/ Windoze XP installed and run Parallels.
I really don't want to have to reinstall everything. Not even a bit. So, I am wondering if I can get a hard drive and install it in an external enclosure, clone it somehow, and then swap it out. Will that work? And is there a special piece of software I would need to do it?
Also, what is the best recommendation for a new Hard Drive? I'm thinking 500 GB...
OK, thanks for any help...
See 'ya,
John

jumpin' john:
I am wondering if I can get a hard drive and install it in an external enclosure, clone it somehow, and then swap it out. Will that work?
Yes, it will. You can do it either way, this is, you can install the HDD, place the replaced drive in an enclosure and clone, or place the new HDD in an enclosure, format and clone. Test boot, then swap in the drive.
And is there a special piece of software I would need to do it?
Both SuperDuper and Carbon Copy Cloner are both excellent. You can then use either for regular updates. SuperDuper requires registration for $28 to unlock all the features. CCC is donation ware.
what is the best recommendation for a new Hard Drive? I'm thinking 500 GB...
500 GB will take a while to fill up, and will be great. Seagate recently came out with a 500 GB 7200 rpm drive that is available at OWC.
Please do post back with further questions or comments.
cornelius
Message was edited by: cornelius

Biggest Hard Drive for My Mac Pro

I have a Mac Pro model MacPro3,1...Quad-core Intel Xeon...2.8GHz...8 Cores...Bus Speed: 1.6GHz
I want to put the largest hard drive I can in it. I found a: Seagate Barracuda XT ST32000641AS 2TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
I was think about installing it, but I don't know if my computer can handle it...Can it?
I see that Apple sells: 2TB 7200-rpm Serial ATA 3Gb/s hard drive
So I was curious if my Mac could handle a drive at 6.0GB/s or am I limited to 3Gb/s?

There is no need for MacTracker. And there are plenty of reviews out there. Part of which is what you need and your budget.
I suggest this
http://macperformanceguide.com/index_topics.html
And Barefeats

Biggest Hard Drive for my G3?

I have a Blue & White G3 Yosemite desktop, with a 350MHz CPU, 576MB of RAM and it's Revision 2 of the G3's. I am wondering if there is a limitation to the space the computer will recognize, or can I throw a 250GB hard drive in this thing, and it'll be fine. I ask because I thought I read somewhere that it will only read up to 128GB of hard drive space. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you.

Only two. Most basic ATA controllers only support a maximum of two drives.
I'm not familiar with the B&W hardware but most Mac towers have room for an optical drive and another drive running from a separate bus. When the computers were new some users installed a ZIP drive in the extra bay. Obviously you can install a third hard drive that would run as a slave to the optical drive (which MUST be set as the master.) Because the optical drive is a slow device you will notice a degradation in performance for any hard drive connected to the same bus as the optical drive.

Trouble removing hard drive for upgrade in Mac Pro

I have a 2008 Mac Pro and have read how to install new drives. The problem I am having is getting one of the drive bays, drive bay 1, to release. It seems like I can remove the other drive bays OK, but that one is stuck but good. After looking inside, do you think it may be blocked somehow with the part that stands up vertically inside the case next to drive bay 1? I was wondering if anyone else had issues with this bay or the cages release? The others seem to slide out OK.
Thanks for any thoughts on this.

That's a good tip actually
In most cases, I can get the HD trays out of the Mac Pro without any problem. However, sometimes tray 1 (which sits on top of the fan) can be very snug. Using fingers on the rear of the HD along with the other hand pulling from the front tab is the best way I have found to remove the tray without placing too much tension on the front of the tray.
The Mac Pro front tray lip can only accept so much pull pressure before the lip starts to bend which actually makes the tray even harder to remove. Using a few fingers on the rear of the HD provides a more balanced force for removing the HD.
Have fun!

Biggest hard drive for MDD G4

What is the biggest capacity had drive that will work in a Mac like mine?
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Your friend in Mac OS X,
Jose

48-bit, but what's 6-bits anyway?
Even WD still insists, and refuses to amend its docs on G4's to state that QS 2002 and later, like MDDs, don't need an ATA/133 PCI to use drives larger than 128GB.
500GB drives have gotten to be $145 and popular.

Can anyone make a recommendation on the purchase of an external hard drive for my Macbook Pro? I am currently using OS 10.6.8 because I can't upgrade until I clean out my start up disc space. I have a ton of pictures to transfer. Thanks!

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best options for the price, and high quality HD:
Quality 1TB drives are $50 per TB on 3.5" or $65 per TB on 2.5"
Perfect 1TB for $68
http://www.amazon.com/Toshiba-Canvio-Portable-Hard-Drive/dp/B005J7YA3W/ref=sr_1_ 1?ie=UTF8&qid=1379452568&sr=8-1&keywords=1tb+toshiba
Nice 500gig for $50. ultraslim perfect for use with a notebook
http://www.amazon.com/Toshiba-Canvio-Portable-External-Drive/dp/B009F1CXI2/ref=s r_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1377642728&sr=1-1&keywords=toshiba+slim+500gb
2.5" USB portable High quality BEST FOR THE COST, Toshiba "tiny giant" 2TB drive (have several of them, LOT of storage in a SMALL package) $117
http://www.amazon.com/Toshiba-Canvio-Connect-Portable-HDTC720XK3C1/dp/B00CGUMS48 /ref=sr_1_4?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1379182740&sr=1-4&keywords=2tb+toshiba
*This one is the BEST portable external HD available that money can buy:
HGST Touro Mobile 1TB USB 3.0 External Hard Drive $88
http://www.amazon.com/HGST-Mobile-Portable-External-0S03559/dp/B009GE6JI8/ref=sr _1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1383238934&sr=8-1&keywords=HGST+Touro+Mobile+Pro+1TB+USB+3.0+7 2 00+RPM
Most storage experts agree on the Hitachi 2.5"
Hitachi is the winner in hard drive reliability survey:
Hitachi manufacturers the safest and most reliable hard drives, according to the Storelab study. Of the hundreds of Hitachi hard drives received, not a single one had failed due to manufacturing or design errors. Adding the highest average lifespans and the best relationship between failures and market share, Hitachi can be regarded as the winner.

How to upgrade my internal hard drive for macbook 5,2 from 160GB to 1TB?

Hello,
I wonder if you can please help me out.
I wonder, is it possible to upgrade my internal hard drive for macbook 5,2 from 160GB to 1TB?
Thanks,

There's only one 9.5mm high 1tb drive around http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Samsung/HNM101MBB/
With a video on replacing the hard drive http://eshop.macsales.com/installvideos/macbook_13_mem_hd/

I have just upgraded from a Macbook to a Macbook Air. I have been using a iomega external hard drive for Time Machine, which use a Firewire. However, Macbook Air's do not have a Firewire port and i cannot find an adaptor anywhere. Can anyone help?? Thanks

I have just upgraded from a Macbook to a Macbook Air. I have been using a iomega external hard drive for Time Machine, which use a Firewire. However, Macbook Air's do not have a Firewire port and i cannot find an adaptor anywhere. Can anyone help?? Thanks

There has never been a reliable firewire ---> USB adapter suitable for external high speed storage. This was a major issue when the MacBooks lost the firewire port a number of years ago (Apple subsequently brought it back).
The only high speed port on the Air is the ThunderBolt port. There are external ThunderBolt drive options out there, but they're somewhat more expensive than traditional USB/FireWire options.

OS is Mountain Lion, upgraded no problems, used an external Hard drive for my time machine, now my iPhoto will not show any of my photo's or ay new ones I import! Help please!!

OS is Mountain Lion, upgraded no problems, used an external Hard drive for my time machine, now my iPhoto will not show any of my photo's or ay new ones I import! Help please!!

Do you get this window when you hold down the Command+Option keys and launch iPhoto?
If not then you're not holding down both keys long enough.
OT

How to prepare hard drive for installaton of PSE 13 upgrade

I would like to install PSE 13 upgrade on a notebook where I have PSE 5 installed. How should I prepare the hard drive for the installation? Should I uninstall PSE 5 before installling PSE 13? I have found that uninstall programs leave files behind does Adobe have a cleaning tool?
The notebook is a Dell, Latitude E6400, Intel Core 2 Duo CPU 2.27GHz 2 GB RAM
32-bit operating system, Windows 7 Ultimate Service Pack 1

KCav45 we do have the CC Cleaner Tool available at Use the CC Cleaner Tool to solve installation problems | CC, CS3-CS6. The most which it would remove from Photoshop Elements 5 would be the licensing files. Even for Photoshop Elements 13 the uninstaller must be run first and only the licensing files are affected.
I would recommend running the uninstaller available through the Programs and Features Control Panel to remove the Photoshop Elements 5 installation. Your photos should not be affected.
I did find Use Backup, Restore to move catalog | Organizer | Elements 6 or later although I am unsure if it is relevant for Photoshop Elements 5. If you have questions regarding transferring the photos, and any tags or organization you have done, to Photoshop Elements 13 I would recommend posting in the Photoshop Elements forum at Photoshop Elements. The community in that forum will be more familiar with the topic of moving your photos.

What is the best upgrade hard drive for a A1342?

What is the best upgrade hard drive for an A1342 (white macbook)?

Absolutely. I put a Samsung 840 in my early 2009 white macbook and it is the best computer upgrade I've ever done. I've also put an OWC SSD in my late 2009 iMac and highly recommend their drives. http://eshop.macsales.com

I have a 2008 Mac Book Pro partitioned running windows and are running out of drive space. Can I upgrade hard drive for more capacity?

I have a 2008 Mac Book Pro partitioned running windows and are running out of drive space. Can I upgrade hard drive for more capacity? I purchased a faster drive initially, but has 200 GB capacity. I am running out of room and would like to upgrade for more space if possible.
Can anyone suggest an alternative?

You don't need to partition your drive to run Fusion, only if you want to run Bootcamp.
If you have space on your Windows partition, I would suggest you backup your Windows partition, and then, delete the partition using Disk Utility.
You can now restore your virtual machine to a single volume or repartition if you prefer.
I would consider upgrading to a unibody MBP (used, refurbished will do) just to be able to access the HD. Opening the pre-unibody MBP is not something you would want to do.

Upgrading the Hard Drive for better performance?

hello i have the new 17 inch macbook pro i couldn't wait to special order from apple so i settled with the stock model from the apple store. I am looking into buying a hard drive that runs at 7200rmp. i was wondering if it is possible to buy the exact drives that they put into the mbp? it is really important that the hard drive is best quality i can get. i want the seagate momentous 500gb @7200 but they are not available anywhere i look. I also have been reading that seagate drives tend to fail. Does anyone know of a really good hard drive that i can buy?
is a ssd going to be that much better in terms of performance? i manly do video editing and music creation with my mac.
so my question is what is the one of the bes hard drive for my unibody macbook pro that will be fast and reliable?
thanks

I too am suspect of Seagate drives. If you want a 500 GB, 7200-rpm drive, I would wait for another manufacturer to introduce one.
I think that Hitachi drives are your best bet. They have been proven very reliable, and Apple has been using them a lot in their new products. I have noted links to some good ones for you to check out.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822145228
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10008894
Read this article before you invest in SSD.
http://lenovoblogs.com/insidethebox/?p=141

Bigger hard drive for PB 12"?

hey all,
I've got a lovely PB12" 1.33 w/superdrive, which I use as my real portable machine, keeping my MBP 17" C2D for serious work.
I'm using the PB more and more for downloading podcasts and videos. also it holds my ever-expanding itunes library (which I share over my wireless network with other machines) and my photos. I don't want to use the MBP to hold my itunes library (which is currently about 25GB) because I need to keep its system drive as empty as possible for the high performance I need for my pro work.
so, the PB only has a 60GB hard drive, and it's starting to get harder and harder to keep it from getting too full and running into performance issues. currently I manage to keep about 8GBs free, but sometimes it gets down to as low as 2GBs before I do a clean up.
since I love this machine so much and want to hang on to it.. does anyone know what the options are for putting in a bigger hard drive for this model? I'd love to put in the very biggest capacity it can take! what am I looking at? 100GB tops, or more?
if anyone has had experience upgrading the system drive in a PB12", I'd love to hear about it..
cheers..

thanks cornelius.. I'm still going to double check with the apple tech tomorrow on the phone, just to be absolutely super sure.. I wouldn't want to buy a 160GB drive only to find out that oops, the PB12" 1.33 was the only mac since 2002 that had a bootROM drive limitation at 128GB, uh, sorry we kind of forgot to mention that in our tech document.
that said, I seriously doubt that will be the case. am still trying to get used to the idea of having 100 extra GBs of space internally on this great little machine..! it's going to be awesome.
as for the RAM upgrade.. I'm still really not sure. the thing is, performance for me on this machine is not really a major issue. it's only a 1.33Ghz G4 with a 167Mhz system bus after all.. my MBP 17" C2D is my performance machine, and I've streamlined it to give me every drop of power it can for working with logic pro (I'm a music composer/producer). the only time my PB gets a little sluggish is when I have say safari, itunes and iphoto open all at once. one of them has to be shut down otherwise I get spinning beach balls of irritation. but it's really not a big deal.. I just have to remember to quit apps when I'm not using them. and as I said earlier, I bought the ifreemem app, which really works fantastically to reset the RAM after I've switched around too many apps, and I get back to normal performance right away. btw, I'd highly recommend that app to anyone. so even though I know that boosting it to the max 1.25GB RAM that this machine can have would be a little nicer, it's not absolutely necessary for me right now. however, I'm really looking forward to not having to constantly archive videos and music and podcasts and photos off this machine just to keep enough free drive space so that it doesn't turn into a complete slug. also, I didn't realise the drive it currently has is only 4200rpm, so moving up to a 5400rpm perpendicular drive is going to be another bonus in terms of performance. I'm totally keeping this machine for a few more years now.. I'd considered replacing it with a macbook, but for not even a couple of hundred bucks this machine is going to be an even better little personal laptop for a while to come..
thanks again to everyone for all the advice.
all the best
antonio

Biggest Hard Drive for upgrade

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