Replacing superdrive with a laptop drive or a 3.5" drive.

Is it possible to take out the superdrive and somehow mount a laptop drive in it's place or a low power 3.5" drive? I see that MCE has an "optibay" for laptops who would like to replace their superdrives. I'm just wondering if it's possible to use this on an iMac as well or somehow figure out a way to mount it?
http://www.mcetech.com/optibay/

Hello
This topic should really be in the +*Expanding your Intel-based iMac*+ forum.
Are you wanting to exchange the superdrive of your new 27" iMac for a 3.5" HD? In which case the answer is yes, but remember that it voids your guarantee, as the only user upgradeable part is the memory. You would be much better off adding a large fast external FW800 drive, at least while in guarantee.
If you did decide to upgrade anyway there are links available on how to open up and change a hard drive. But I would look more carefully at mcetech.com as their web page seems to be way outdated. They are offering to sell OS X v10.5.1(Leopard) and the iMac memory upgrades they offer are of 667MHz DDR2 PC2-5300, while the new iMac's use the much faster 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM.
Adam

Similar Messages

Installed SSD & replaced Superdrive with HDD. Magic Mouse now sluggish

It may be a coincedance but since I have installed a SSD (to replace to HDD) drive and replaced the Superdrive (DVD Drive) with the existing HDD (using a HD caddy), my Magic Mouse has been sluggish.
At first it seems that my Mac was overall slow but it seems that it was just getting a bit too hot - when I opened Mac and at same time gave things a clean, I made the fan less efficient and more noisy - its OK now. Still seem to be getting hotter than I remember but it is now summer and my apartment is pretty warm.
The heat is on the left hand side of the keyboard (what would be causing that??) and not on the side where the SDD or HDD is.
Anyway, going back to the mouse. It sluggish and lags a bit. I have tried brand new batteries and same problem.
Any ideas??

I am hving the same issue.
magic mouse with hdd in original place + new SSD in optic drive bay.
OSX is on ssd bay. user on HDD.
Mouse seems to be sluggish when SSD is writing. Dropbox sync + time machine read/write etc.
Any insight on why this is would be great.

Replace Superdrive with internal 160GB ATA HDD

Hello,
I want to rescue some files from some old hard drives I used on my MDD G4. The hard drive in question is a maxtor 160GB ATA/133 HDD. If I recall correctly, I will not be able to connect this as a second hard drive in the G5 without buying a converter. Is it possible to swap out the superdrive and put in my HDD as a temporary way to pull the files off? Has anyone done this?
Thanks

I've not done this, but technically it should be possible if the master/slave jumper setting of the hard drive matches that of the optical drive. The setting should be on the sticky label on the outside of the drive. You'll also need the mounting bracket to hold the drive in place. It may not be the same size at the optical drive's mounting bracket. Easier would be to get a Firewire external hard drive case from http://www.macsales.com/ that supports Parallel ATA.

Can i use a 3rd party superdrive with my Macbook Air?

Hi,
As my title says, Can i use a 3rd party superdrive with my Macbook Air rather than the Apple drive?
Thanks.

Mark Thornton wrote:
Hi,
As my title says, Can i use a 3rd party superdrive with my Macbook Air rather than the Apple drive?
Thanks.
This one works just awesome:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136201&cmre=external_dvd_burner_usb-_-27-136-201--Product

What drive to replace the superdrive with?

A few days ago the superdrive in my Powermac G4 (MDD - 1.42Ghz) decided to start making tons of circular scratches in any disc that is inserted into the computer. I have a feeling it's going to have to be replaced (actually - this is the second superdrive in the computer. First one was replaced under warantee within the first year... but that's not an option anymore...)
So... what drive should I use to replace it? Is it best to stick with whatever is currently in it - or is it possible to replace it with one of the new dual-layer drives found on dealmac? Most of those don't seem to be specifically mac compatible, but often times things like that work anyway. Does anyone have any experience replacing their superdrive with something else? How does iDVD, itunes, etc. work? Thanks!!!

I installed the Pioneer DVR-111D in my MDD G4 and have not had any problems using it in any applications. I moved the OEM Combo drive down to the second bay and use it as the disk source for copying CDs and DVDs.
BTW, IMO, the 111D is a very quiet and smooth operating drive compared to most optical drives I've heard.
Note, you have to remove the 111D's tray faceplate to use it in the MDD G4 as the faceplate will interfere with the opening and closing of the flapper doors on the MDD G4. Not a big deal, just pry it up gently from the bottom with your fingers and it will pop off.
Good luck.
Carl B.

If I Replace my SuperDrive with a Hard Drive or Solid State Drive. Will it void my warranty? i have a brand new macbook pro 13" entry level

I jus bought a brand new macbook pro 13" entry level
If I Replace my SuperDrive with a Hard Drive or Solid State Drive. Will it void my warranty?
Or is it possible to change it as I`ve said and put the extra hdd in the optical drive if its done somewere like bestbuy?

LowLuster, greetings:
LowLuster wrote:
It will void your warranty if Apple finds out that you have made this modification. But if you ever have a need to use the Apple warranty you should put the optical drive back in before taking it to an Apple store for the warranty work.
This is contrary to the terms of use:
8. Keep within the Law
1. No material may be submitted that is intended to promote or commit an illegal act.
Ciao.

I have a MacBook Pro 15.4" 2.53GHz Core 2 Duo (A1286) - Mid 2009 MC118LL/A and I think the MATSHITA DVD-R UJ-868 is going out. Should I replace it with the exact same drive or is there a better one that is compatible?

I have a MacBook Pro 15.4" 2.53GHz Core 2 Duo (A1286) - Mid 2009 MC118LL/A and I think the MATSHITA DVD-R UJ-868 is going out. Should I replace it with the exact same drive or is there a better one that is compatible?

I went to my local Apple store last weekend with a similar issue on my 2007 C2D MBP and they quoted me a price of around £60 (excluding VAT) to replace the optical drive. That's about the same price as the external optical drive a bought for my RMBP.
Alternatively you could just buy a 3rd party external drive if you want to save cash but note that the external Apple superdrive is not compatible with MacBooks with built in optical drives.

Adata sp900 sdd 128-GB ssd, optibay optical drive to replace superdrive, and 16 GB upgrade for macbook pro mid 2012.

Hello everyone,
Thank you in advanced for all of the support. This is my first post to the communities. I just bought a 2.9 GHz core 17 processor MacBook pro mid 2012 13" with 8 GB of RAM and I am in the process of upgrading it. When I bought the MacBook pro originally, I was told that I would never mac out the performance because I do not do a lot of photo/video editing. This is true, but I am an academic researcher and tend to multitask often, having 20+ safari tabs open, SPSS (a statistical program), full screen mail app, full screen calendar app, and preview, iTunes open all at the same time. I often get slow performance and error messages that state low memory. This is why I am interested in upgrading the laptop. I am getting ready to go to medical school and I want to have a powerful laptop. I also want to future proof because I plan on having a dual boot system to mac OS and windows OS.
Because I know I will be maxing out the performance of the computer, I want to take full advantage of upgrades, especially now because the cost of the components is reasonable at the moment. The following are the proposed upgrades:
1. Upgrade my current 8-GB ram (2x4-GB) with 16-GB ram (2x8-GB). I plan on using crucial RAM.
Crucial 16-GB Ram: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008LTBJFW/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&coli d=2B1KHELSPJPNN&coliid=IYGJWGQDH8LV0&psc=1
2. Replace my optical drive with a hard drive. I will place a SSD into my current hard drive position and then install my current HDD into the optical drive bay with the optibay optical drive caddy. I am doing this because I plan to use the SSD as the boot drive and my current HDD as my backup and files drive. I am putting the SDD into the HDD because I have read it is better to place it in this bay for performance. I will put the other HDD in the optical drive because the performance of that one will not be as important.
Adata SSD: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008LTBJFW/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&coli d=2B1KHELSPJPNN&coliid=IYGJWGQDH8LV0&psc=1
Optibay Optical Drive Caddy: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0058AH2US/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pd_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&coli d=2B1KHELSPJPNN&coliid=I3GI8MGWAKXY79
My questions:
1. Is the listed RAM appropriate and sufficient for my MacBook pro?
2. Is the listed SSD appropriate and sufficient for my MacBook pro?
3. Is the listed Optical Drive Caddy appropriate and sufficient for my MacBook pro?
4. Is there still a firmware problem that does not allow for SATA 3 (6Gb/s) support in the optical drive?
5. Would it be easier to format the new SSD outside of the MacBook using a SATA to USB adapter?
6. Does working on any of the listed components void my AppleCare (I plan on keeping all of the original components so I can replace them, if I ever need to see apple support)?
7. What is the best way to put Mavericks onto the SSD to make this my boot drive?
8. What is the best way to make all of my files remain on the HDD, but link to the SSD with the operating system?
9. Has anyone ever successfully upgraded to 16-GB RAM and used their optical drive for a secondary hard drive?
10. Is there any miscellaneous advice for this project?
Please feel free to give partial answers. I know this was a lot of information, but I wanted to be efficient in my post. I am very appreciative of everyone who will contribute.
Thank you!

rmichaud91 wrote:
Hello everyone,
I just bought a 2.9 GHz core 17 processor MacBook pro mid 2012 13" with 8 GB of RAM
16 GB of RAM is the best you can do.
The optibay HD will null and void your warranty.

Need advice about replacing desktop, with laptop?

I need to replace my old desktop. Know nothing about laptops! Would like to clear my spare room of computer desk and junk! Would a laptop serve the same purpose, as a desktop?
I'm a retired lady and mainly use my computer for email, internet surfing and some games.
I would not use for traveling.
How would I connect to my broadband? Can I plug in without relying on battery? Can I still use my printer?
In other words, can I use a laptop just as use my desktop?
Solved!
Go to Solution.

Hi Patsy. I am confused on why so many are trying to steer you away from the laptop when it sounds like that is just what you are wanting. Personally, I think you would love a laptop. Like you I don't travel all that often, but the biggest advantage of the laptop for me has nothing to with travel and everything to do with the mobility of it within my own home. If I want to lay on the couch and play on the internet, go outside on the patio and read an article or sit in bed and play a game on the computer or watch a DVD, it is no problem. I have had my laptop about a year now and it is hands down more convenient than the desktop in my study.
In answer to a few of your questions, yes a laptop would work with your internet in exactly the same way as the desktop, BUT you would need to purchase a wireless router in addition to the laptop. This router is what allows you to be wireless in your home. You can then plug in anywhere in the house or work off the laptop battery, whichever you so choose. The printer is the same way. You could hook the printer directly to the router or if the printer has wireless capabilities, it could be recognized by your router and be wireless too, meaning it simply needs to be plugged in and not connected to anything else and you could still send documents straight from your laptop to it.
As for computers, if you ever see a poster start talking in detail about graphics cards, more than likely they are high-end gamers. In other words, not simple computer games but very graphic intense games that call for really good graphics cards. From what you describe your use as, which is very similar to mine, you are just wanting it for internet/email, basic computer games and maybe some word processing abilities. Most laptops you get today will probably have a graphic card that supports all you need. The following is just my opinion on laptops based on needs that sound close to mine, so hopefully I won't get jumped on too much by other computer experts. I would encourage you to avoid taking the cheapest route with a laptop. That isn't to say avoid a good deal, just go for a good brand. In my opinion the good brands do not include Toshiba (just personal experience based on several people who have gotten one in the last couple of years and reading up on them before buying) or Gateway (although I think they may have been purchased by Asus as was eMachine, so the quality might be better now. They use to be crap!). I would stick with HP or Dell myself. I have a Dell, which again high end gamers are not as fond of because they have an integrated graphics card. For what you would use it for, a Dell would be more than fine, and they have been around a long time for a reason! That is what my old desktop is too, and they have always responded to my issues, even when not under warranty anymore with that desktop. As for what to look for, you should be able to get a decent laptop for $400-$550, maybe cheaper, but get a little more to the laptop and it will last you a little longer. I would look for something that is a Core2Duo versus simply Dual Core. Try to go for at least 3GB memory, 4GB is better. As to the size of the hard drive, if you mainly just save pictures and documents like me a 160GB hard drive is more than enough, but if higher, even better. The huge retailer that starts with W, which apparently can't be written here, has some good deals on both HP & Dell, and they offer relatively cheap extended warranties. Which by the way, I would highly encourage an extended warranty on a laptop. Here are 2 other good deals I just came across on good laptops {Links removed per Community Guidelines} The 2nd deal has a bigger hard drive and a 17" screen versus a 15.6". The bigger screen means it is going to be a little heavier though. I originally wanted the bigger screen myself, but ended up going with the 15.6" as it was just easier to lug around. They are so close in weight though, I don't know that it would matter that much to some. As to hooking all this stuff up, such as configuring your router, printer etc. If you know anyone that is good with computers it is usually a pretty simple task for them. Most of kids in high school can do it with their eyes closed now. If you don't know anyone, Best Buy has a service called the Geek Squad that will come and do it for you. Have no idea the cost there, but I do know it doesn't have to be purchased at Best Buy for you to buy that service.
Anyway, I know I wrote you a book, but I hope this info help. I really think you will be more than pleased with a laptop once you get the purchase and setup out the way anyhow! Good luck, Leigh.

Hi, I bought an iPad and was so impressed by Safari that I replaced Chrome with it on my Windows XP Toshiba laptop and now when I use Safari the icons on the screen continue to flicker until I come out of Safari. Is there a cure other than using a Mac

Hi, I bought an iPad and was so impressed by Safari that I replaced Chrome with it on my Windows XP Toshiba laptop and now when I use Safari the icons on the screen continue to flicker until I come out of Safari. Is there a cure other than using a Mac

When I use find file http://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/30073/find-file (which does tend to find files that "Finder" can't), it's not coming up with any other itunes library files that have been modified in the past week, which I know it would have been - unfortunately, I don't have a very recent backup of the hard drive. It would be a few months old so it wouldn't have the complete library on it....any ideas? I'm wondering if restarting the computer might help but have been afraid to do so in case it would make it harder to recover anything...I was looking at this thread https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4211589?start=0&tstart=0 in the hopes that it might have a helpful suggestion but it's definitely a different scenario.

ITunes library stored on an external hard drive which is connected to my airport extreme, I wish to share my iTunes library over my network, I can do this with my laptop, but not with my iPad, can anyone tell me if it is possible

I have my iTunes library stored on an external hard drive which is connected to my airport extreme, I wish to share my iTunes library over my network, I can do this with my laptop, but not with my iPad, can anyone tell me if it is possible

You can't connect directly to the external drive, but should be able to use iTunes Home Sharing via the laptop.
http://support.apple.com/kb/PH1453

How do I combine an iTunes library on an external hard drive (laptop) with an iTunes library on an external hard drive on my PC?

How can I combine the iTunes library on an external hard drive (hooked to laptop) with the iTunes library on an external hard drive (hooked to PC) so that both external HD's and both laptop and PC have all the music on each one?

no need to create a secondary library - too troublesome, IMHO. you can spread your library over as many drives you can connect to your Mac (wired or wirelessly):
iTunes > preferences > advanced.
point iTunes media folder location to the external
on the same tab, ensure the copy files ... when adding option is checkmarked
okay out of preferences
highlight the content to be moved in iTunes and right-click
select consolidate files from the pop-up menu
wait for the process to finish
when done, you may delete the original files from your boot drive.
alternatively, you could move the whole shabang to the external HD:
copy the entire iTunes folder (not just the iTunes music or media folder) from <MacintoshHD>/users/<yourname>/music to the external, launch iTunes while holding the option(⌥) key, click on choose library when prompted, and select the iTunes folder you copied to the external.
when done, be sure to point iTunes media folder location to the external so that new additions to your library will be put there. also, you need to make sure the external is mounted on your desktop before you fire up iTunes.

My Macbook Pro was stolen, and I have replaced it with a Macbook Air. New hard drive is too small for a Time Machine restore. How do I restore my more-expensive apps (ie iWorks) on my new Macbook without repurchasing them?

My Macbook Pro was recently stolen, and I have replaced it with a Macbook Air. I attempted to simply do a restore from the Macbook Pro's Time Machine backup, but since the new Macbook Air's hard drive is significantly smaller, a Time Machine restore was not possible. I even tried to choose only settings or only my User Profile (option) when restoring, but the backup was still too large to do a restore onto the new machine. How do I restore my more-expensive apps (ie iWorks) onto my new Macbook without repurchasing them? Also, I reaad somewhere that if you went to the Mac App Store and attempted to repurchase the app and clicked BUY, it would simply alert you that you have already purchased the app (and trigger a re-download)... NOT THE CASE... So I just dropped another $19.99 for a second copy of Pages... Not my intention....
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
LM

you should get a usb backup drive as well. time machine has limited use in my eyes. it saves things. but older things can be errased ad space drops without telling you
nothing beats data redundancy. 2 saves is. 1. and 1 is none
im personally not fond of time machne though i use it only for a recovery parameter for a mac
id never ever myself consider time machine a genuine data backup tool. though most do consider it as such
drive clones such as superduper and carbon copy cloner can clone your entire drive for emergency recovery. and you can boot from them as well o. another mac

Mac Pro 3,1 - did my hard drive die? And what should I replace it with?

Hi,
I inherited my late husband's 2008 Mac Pro (3,1 model) which had 2 x 500GB hard drives in it and 6GB of RAM. I filled the remaining hard drive bays with 1TB drives (I take a lot of video so needed the extra space). The boot drive was partitioned 50/50 in Boot Camp. I've upgraded the RAM to 10GB and I am currently running Lion.
Today, while doing something as innocuous as scrolling down a web page, the bottom half of my screen went black and the top half began flashing wildly. When it stopped after several seconds, the mouse would not respond and I could not click on anything. If flashed a bit more, and then I had mouse control back but could not click on anything - web links, applications, finder. After waiting patiently but getting nowhere, I powered the machine down manually, and when I re-started it, it failed to boot. The chime sounded, the apple appeared, and the little revolving wheel, but at the point where the screen would normally go blue then display the desktop, it just went white. The fans spin, but otherwise it's very silent.
I tested with a second display, got the same issue. I tried booting to recovery mode but it went back to the white screen. I could start in target mode, and there were no issues with flickering screen, so I don't think it's the graphics card. Then I tried browsing to the hard drive over the network, but it wasn't showing on the PC network page, nor could I connect to it via the home theater system, which I can normally do as the streaming app launches on start-up. I am assuming this means the drive has failed? It's the original, and we bought the machine when they were new to the market, so is a good 5 years old. It contains not only the boot drive but my documents, photos, websites, selected videos, all of which are backed up on the Time Capsule, and I was in the process of uploading to cloud backup as well (although not very far along, due to data cap and slow international upload speeds). I had no warning it was about to do this, but then I guess sometimes you don't!
Assuming I need to replace the drive, would it be worth replacing it with an OWC Mercury Electra 480GB SSD in an Icy Dock sled? Or would that be overkill for such an old machine? Would getting a standard 7200 WD Caviar HDD or similar give me enough of a speed boost? Obviously I am rather enamoured with the idea of a blazing fast SSD but I'd have to import it (not available locally) so I don't want to shell out all that money unless it's really going to make a massive difference.
Is there anything else I would need to know about using an SSD over a HDD? I assume I would fire it up the normal way - install it, boot from my Snow Leopard install disc (I downloaded Lion from the App Store) format it, clean install SL, then re-update to Lion, then restore my Time Machine backup? Am I likely to experience any weird issues due to it being an SSD? I see talk online of firmware problems and something called TRIM that I don't know anything about. If it's most likely that I can install it and rock on as normal, then I'm pretty keen, but if there's a reasonable probability of it being temperamental, I probably wouldn't be willing to deal with that (and therefore go the HDD route instead). Therefore I am very keen to hear people's opinions and experiences.
Sorry for the terribly long ramble. The more I have researched this, the more questions it raises! All advice gratefully accepted. Thanks!

more than likely it is your video card. If it is ATI 2600XT, tell it bye-bye. The card is barely used at all in TDM or Safe Boot Mode. The 2600 and Lion and the issues with that card, even if it seems okay, is not.
Depending on Windows OS as to how it mounts and sees your Lion HFSX (there is a nice HFSX driver from Paragon, and an NTFS driver for Lion too)
480GB SSD is overkill for any system unless you are pushing CS6 2-3GB images and then for scratch. All you need for a boot drive is about 100GB.
If you have an SSD now, then 1) you need to do a full image backup and restore (regularly as maintenance), and 2) TRIM Enabler
Save Lion and you can always do a clean Lion install w/o going back to SL - but you might want to keep SL (dual boot) and handy if you run into anything you still need that required PowerPC/Rosetta
FBDIMM RAM dies, Amazon has $32 kits of 4GB. And having all 8 DIMM slots filled improves things. If you need or want to and feel 16GB isn't overkill.
SSD and issues are always possible. you should not just go along. not without a clone image. And you should have another drive w/ TRIM Enabler so that you can do a repair and "trim" what is needed.
Clone a system with CCC regularly. Bootable. And can also be used by Setup Assistant.
Install Lion over a heavily used SL system and there are likely remnants of old things that get in the way and left in there and not removed.

Hi,I have recently replaced by hard drive with a ssd. My old hard drive has all my iTunes stuff.i would like to install only iTunes programme on the ssd with all the content on the old hard drive. How do I do it?

Hi,I have recently replaced by hard drive with a ssd. My old hard drive has all my iTunes stuff.i would like to install only iTunes programme on the ssd with all the content on the old hard drive. How do I do it?

Install iTunes.
Once install, hold SHIFT and launch iTunes.
When prompted, point iTunes to the correct location for the iTunesLibrary.itl file which should be in the iTunes folder under <user>/Music on the old drive.

Replacing superdrive with a laptop drive or a 3.5" drive.

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for