First time set-up and HDD to SSD advice (MBP 13")

Question

Hello.So, earlier this week I ordered the MBP 13 non-retina (Model #:A1278). It arrived yesterday. I haven't turned it on yet, and I know all about changing completely the first time for battery conditioning. I'm planning on using it for school this fall. Do you as a community have any favorite software for academic use (free or not)? Are there any programs, utilities, etc. that would benefit my mac that you recommend downloading. Second topic: I want to put in an SSD instead of the stock 500GB 5400rpm one. I bought this[1] earlier this year and never used it in my PC as planned. So, I'll clone the HHD to the SSD immediately after first time set up, right? I'd like to put the stock HDD back in with a caddy. There's a bunch of talk describing MBP's with year and time of year (late-2009, mid-2012, etc.). I have not seen mid-2013 once. Would this one[2] work in the most recent MDP 13 non-retina; the reviews don't specify. Thanks! Please leave any others things worth sharing.

Answer 1

Office 2011 is an essential for the university. A backup drive and backup software. Develop a backup strategy and stick to it.
Basic Backup
For some people Time Machine will be more than adequate. Time Machine is part of OS X. There are two components:
1. A Time Machine preferences panel as part of System Preferences;
2. A Time Machine application located in the Applications folder. It is
     used to manage backups and to restore backups. Time Machine
     requires a backup drive that is at least twice the capacity of the
     drive being backed up.
Alternatively, get an external drive at least equal in size to the internal hard drive and make (and maintain) a bootable clone/backup. You can make a bootable clone using the Restore option of Disk Utility. You can also make and maintain clones with good backup software. My personal recommendations are (order is not significant):
  1. Carbon Copy Cloner
  2. Data Backup
  3. Deja Vu
  4. SuperDuper!
  5. Synk Pro
  6. Tri-Backup
Visit The XLab FAQs and read the FAQ on backup and restore.  Also read How to Back Up and Restore Your Files. For help with using Time Machine visit Pondini's Time Machine FAQ for help with all things Time Machine.
Although you can buy a complete external drive system, you can also put one together if you are so inclined.  It's relatively easy and only requires a Phillips head screwdriver (typically.)  You can purchase hard drives separately.  This gives you an opportunity to shop for the best prices on a hard drive of your choice.  Reliable brands include Seagate, Hitachi, Western Digital, Toshiba, and Fujitsu.  You can find reviews and benchmarks on many drives at Storage Review.
Enclosures for FireWire and USB are readily available.  You can find only FireWire enclosures, only USB enclosures, and enclosures that feature multiple ports.  I would stress getting enclosures that use the Oxford chipsets especially for Firewire drives (911, 921, 922, for example.)  You can find enclosures at places such as;
  1. Cool Drives
  2. OWC
  3. WiebeTech
  4. Firewire Direct
  5. California Drives
  6. NewEgg
All you need do is remove a case cover, mount the hard drive in the enclosure and connect the cables, then re-attach the case cover.  Usually the only tool required is a small or medium Phillips screwdriver.
While your computer is in warranty do not make any internal hardware changes. The minute you open the case your warranty and service support flies out the window. If you wish to use an SSD then put it in an external Thunderbolt caddy like the Seagate caddy.