¡Upgrading My MacBook- Memory and Hard Drive!

Hi everyone! I recently got this strange idea in my head to upgrade my MacBook! I am planning to buy 2 memory chips (RAM) and getting a 250GB hard drive (My MacBook came with 160GB). There are three problems though.
1) I don't even know if you can upgrade the HD since there is no slot in the bottom
2) I don't know which kind (Manufacturer and Model) of HD to get
3) I don't know which kind (Manufacturer and Model) of SDRAMs to get
So yeah tell me anything that I might find helpful like the best SDRAMs and where to get them.

1. The hard drive can be upgraded. See Hard Drive Replacement DIY.
2. Any 2.5" SATA notebook drive will work. Sizes available from 80 to 320 GBs. Only the Samsung 500 GB drive will fit in a MB. Drive speeds are available in 5400 or 7200 RPM. Manufacturers include Seagate, Hitachi, Western Digital, Toshiba, and Samsung.
3. The 2008 MB models use PC2-5300 DDR2 667 MHz 200-pin SODIMMs. You can install up to 4 GBs. See Memory Replacement DIY.
You can purchase RAM at Data Mem or MacSales.com. Drives can be purchased at any resource that sells them such as:
Data Mem
MacSales.com
Buy.com
NewEgg.com

Similar Messages

I need to upgrade my macbook ram and hard drive pls help

Hi all,
I need to upgrade my macbook's RAM and hard drive as after 3 yrs of use it is showing signs of aging.
I am novice in hardware stuff. I am planning on doing it entirely by myself and on tight budget will need to compare the prices across sellers and buy a suitable peice of kit. Please help
Questions:
1 - How to find out which RAm do I need to buy and what is the maximum I can go on my macbook?
2 - How to find which hard drive to buy and what is the maximum my macbook will support?
3 - Can I buy the SSD drive instead of SATA for this macbook?
Some of the specs are listed below:
Hardware Overview:
Model Name:          MacBook
Model Identifier:          MacBook5,2
Processor Name:          Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed:          2 GHz
Number Of Processors:          1
Total Number Of Cores:          2
L2 Cache:          3 MB
Memory:          2 GB
Bus Speed:          1.07 GHz
Boot ROM Version:          MB52.0088.B05
SMC Version (system):          1.38f5
MANY THANKS FOR READING AND REPLYING TO MY POST
[email protected]

Hi Chefjeegar
Yes that screwdriver kit has the #00 phillips screwdriver that you need to access the RAM and hard drive. You'll also need the Torx driver to change the hard drive. http://www.amazon.co.uk/LINDY-Computer-Technician-Precision-Torx/dp/B0000934GO/r ef=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1348072554&sr=1-1
For a good explanation about RAM look at the page on OWC http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/memory/MacBook/DDR2/
In the UK Amazon or eBay might be your best bet for cheap RAM but read the description and reviews carefully. For a little more expensive but with a better warranty is Crucial UK http://www.crucial.com/uk/
A good resource for working on your MacBook is ifixit.com http://www.ifixit.com/Device/MacBook_Core_2_Duo
Is your external hard drive formatted for Mac? To transfer your current hard drive I like the free application Carbon Copy Cloner. It makes a bootable copy of everything on your hard drive http://www.bombich.com/index.html Check that it's set up right by booting up from the external drive. Put the new drive in your MacBook, then format and partition the new drive. Then use Carbon Copy Cloner to transfer your OS back to the new drive.
Yes, you can put an SSD in the MacBook.

Taking out and replacing memory and hard drive.

Hey so I want to get a macbook pro 13 in. and I want to upgrade it by putting in more memory and a better hard drive, but I want to buy parts from a different site because it is so much cheaper. Is it easy to take out and replace the memory and hard drive of a macbook pro?

Just make sure the RAM you're buying is brand name and match the specs of your macbook.
Getting cheaper RAM modules sometimes cause issues with the way your Macbook peforms. Learned that lesson when I decided to buy Kingston Value RAM. Had nothing but trouble.
Stick with brands like Crucial ( which I use ), Corsair, Mushkin, Kingston (non value) and from OWC.
As for the hard drive, stay away from Western Digital Blue edition, some macbooks have issues with them.
Also make sure you buy an external USB enclosure so you can clone your drive before you intall it and install your old drive in the USB enclosure and use it as your backup drive.
If you're technically capable, it quite easy swapping out the RAM and Hard Drive.
Do the clone first before you do anything else. That way, when you're done the clone, you just have to open up your macbook once to do the swap.
Good luck and hope everything goes smoothly for you.
Post back if you need a hand or have any questions.

Can I put a MacBook processor and hard drive in a PowerMacG5?

I have a late 2008 MacBook that is showing its age and wear. The battery is worn out and the keys and mouse sometimes stick. I also have a PowerMac G5 which has an older operating system, but great working keyboard, mouse, and monitor. Can I put the processor and hard drive of the MacBook into the PowerMac and have a desktop version of the MacBook.

I have an older black MacBook 2007 era and use a Henge Dock when I want to connect it to my TV with a wireless keyboard/trackpad.
you would have to check to see if this is compatible with your particular model:
http://hengedocks.com/pages/vertical-macbook
an alternative is a stand, which would allow you to use the laptop display, in addition to another external display, on your desktop:
http://store.griffintechnology.com/elevator
PS- I have replaced the battery in my MacBook twice now, if it starts to swell up it can interfere with the trackpad button, causing it to register the button as being held all the time, which interferes with an external mouse as well. you can find replacement batteries here, an Apple store may not have them in stock.
http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/Apple/Laptop/Batteries
to hook up the monitor, you will need one of the appropriate adapters, not sure what knid your MacBook uses, my older one has the miniDVI, they make adapters to go to standard VGA or DVI monitors, there were a few different video ports on the MacBooks, you can lookup the specs of yours at www.everymac.com if you are not sure what the plug type is.

Brand new i7 - Memory and Hard Drive Very Slow

I just purchased a new brand New Mac Book Pro 15" i7 2.67 Ghz system with 8 GB of memory (1067 Mhz) and 500 GB 7200 RPM (I wanted to do the 512 GB solid state but way too pricey at $1300). I installed Windows 7 64 bit with boot camp.
I am not impressed with the speed, it is about the same speed as my 2.5 year old Lenovo Core 2 Duo T7800 2.60 Ghz laptop - although I upgraded this the lenovo laptop had a 128 GB solid state drive as the boot drive, and a 500 GB as the 2nd drive, and 8 GB of 667 Mhz.
Also the battery only lasts for 2 hours with Windows... and there is no way to swap in a different battery, is there? I have long flights 5 hrs and now I won't be able to work for much of it...
anyway, is there anything we can do to make this machine quicker? I am thinking of returning this and going back to Lenovo. I would like to start using OSX but I am a windows developer so I need a fast windows machine.
thanks
dan

...anyway, is there anything we can do to make this machine quicker?
Yes — Put a solid state drive in it. Then your comparison with the Lenovo will have some meaning. It doesn't have any now, because you're comparing a conventional hard drive to a SSD.
Regarding battery life: Apple's battery life testing is all done running OS X. Windows is an energy hog, and you can't hope for anything approaching Apple's maximum run-time estimate if you're using Windows. To get the longest running time possible, turn off wifi and BlueTooth, disconnect all bus-powered peripherals, dim the display as far as you can stand, turn off keyboard backlighting, don't use the optical drive, and if you're browsing the web, avoid sites with Flash content. Avoid very demanding applications, too, because in addition to forcing the CPU/GPU to use a lot of power, they also generate extra heat and thus require the fans to run faster, using still more battery power.
An airline power adapter might be a worthwhile investment if you tend to be on flights and in seats where power outlets are available. Failing that, you may want to look into an external auxiliary battery pack, because you can't swap internal batteries:
http://www.batterygeek.net/Batterygeeknet_MacBook_MacBook_Pro_Battery_Packss/78.htm
http://www.hypershop.com/HyperMac-External-MacBook-Battery-and-Car-Charger-s/91. htm
http://www.quickertek.com/products/macbookprocharger.php
In OS X, you can improve battery life further by using gfxcardstatus to prevent apps from automatically invoking the more powerful, energy-hungry NVidia GPU.

Adding Memory and Hard drive

I have an original MacBook Pro, running 2.33 GHz with 2 GB Ram and 160 GB hard drive. I am looking to add memory and I was wondering if anyone knows how much my book is upgradable to. And I was also wondering if it's possible to put a bigger hard drive in. When I look at Apple memory, my MacBook Pro isn't even listed. Thanks.

You can get some idea of the "level of ease/difficulty" involved in replacing the HD from http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Mac/MacBook-Pro-15-Inch-Core-2-Duo/Hard-Drive-Replac ement/115/10/Page-1 or http://www.powerbookmedic.com/Manuals/15-inch-macbook-pro-manual.pdf
It is certainly harder than with a MacBook, or with the very latest model of MBP, but it is not too bad. Certainly easier than with an iBook or some of the PowerBooks , for example, as long as you proceed carefuly and cautiously, keep track of where the screws came from and *use the right tools*.
Cheers
Rod

HP 3270nr Notebook Memory and Hard Drive

Wanted to know if anyone out there has tried installing more than 8GB of memory on the 3270nr? I have tried looking online and contacting HP customer support and was unsuccessful in determining if this notebook could be upgraded to 16GB of memory. I have tried Crucials website as well and they do not have the proper specifications for this notebook.
Also how many drives do we have to install hard drives on? I was thinking of installing an SSD but as you know they are expensive. Wanted to get one to have the OS load from and anything that needs to load ASAP while saving the original HD that came with this notebook.
This question was solved.
View Solution.

Hi,
Is it an Envy 17-3270nr ? If yes you can use information from the following link:
http://www.crucial.com/upgrade/HP+-+Compaq-memory/Envy/Envy+17-3270nr-upgrades.html
Crucial also shows you the information about SSD. You can buy from them or use the information (including price) to buy elsewhere. Here is its specs:
http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/Document.jsp?lang=en&cc=us&taskId=120&prodSeriesId=...
Regards.
BH
**Click the KUDOS thumb up on the left to say 'Thanks'**
Make it easier for other people to find solutions by marking a Reply 'Accept as Solution' if it solves your problem.

Extending memory and hard drive space

I would like to wait for the next gen Intel to come out before upgrading my one year old power book. I understand there will be the Core 2 duo coming out in new Macs. i will wait. In the mean time I would like to increase my memory and internal hardrive space, cheaply so programs are not running so slow when more than one or two are open. My question are:
1. How much more mem can I add to the 512mb I already have? I know I have two slots and only one is being used.
1. a. Is this something I can do myself? If so, is there a apple article on how to do this.
1. b. What is the cheapest I can buy and where do I Order. ( I would appreciate link)
2. How much more internal Hardrive space can I add? It says I currently have total of 74 gb with 71 gb being used.
2.a. Do I really need to increase intranal hardrive space if I just increase memory? Will memory be enough to take care of sluggishness?
2.b. if I increase my internal Hard drive will this be like getting new computer and have to but all my stuff back onto new and larger hard drive.? or is there an extra slot to add another hard drive.
2.c. Same as 1, a & B
powerbook g4 1.5gh, 512 mb sdram Mac OS X (10.4.4)
powerbook g4 Mac OS X (10.4.4)
powerbook g4 Mac OS X (10.4.7)

Hi 10smom
1. Up to 2GB, consisting of a 1GB in each each slot.
1a. Yes, see this link for instructions.
1b. Cheapest memory is not necessarily the best option to choose, although buying online will probably get you the best deal. You should choose memory that is the most compatible. A lifetime warranty is also something to look out for. Amongst the brands favoured by people are Crucial, Kingston and Samsung although I have tended to use Crucial.
2. Currently the largest capacity hard drive for notebook computers is 160GB, although I'm not sure if the limit for your PowerBook is 128GB. However a significant factor of your PB's current "sluggishness" is due to the fact that the internal drive is almost full. You need to either delete or archive off (and then delete) a lot of files. Normally the recommendation is to keep between 10%-20% of free space.
2a. Increasing both will help, but you can always start with just a memory upgrade (plus it's easier to do). See point 2 and 2b regarding the "sluggishness".
2b. Yes, but not quite. If and when you purchase a new drive, also purchase an external FireWire drive enclosure to house the spare drive. You can clone the data from one drive to the other prior to installation into your PB. After installation you can then re-clone in the opposite direction. If all is well you can then carry on using the newly upgraded PB as though nothing has happened. As an added bonus you can use the old drive (with the external enclosure) as a backup drive.
2c. Up to 128/160GB. Manufacturers to choose from are Hitachi, Seagate, Western Digital, Samsung, Fujitsu and Toshiba. A hard drive upgrade will invalidate the Apple warranty (if it has not already expired) - but online instructions are available here for the hardy. Otherwise you can get an Apple Authorised Service Provider to do the installation for a relatively small fee. There is no second drive bay, but purchasing an external FireWire drive enclosure serves that purpose.
15" 1.25GHz/12" 1GHz PBs, 2xPPC Mac minis, 12" iBook G4, Mac OS X (10.4.6) Cube, 2xTAMs, iPods 2G/4G, iPs, AEBS, AX

Memory and Hard Drive replacement

I have a MacBook 2.1, Intel Core2 Duo Processor, 1.5 GB RAM and am thinking of adding more RAM and changing out the Hard Drive to a bigger size. Can anyone tell me the max RAM that can be installed and the Max Hard drive size?

These are good online stores for Mac compatible RAM
OWC http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/memory/MacBook/DDR2/ - They offer Mac tested RAM at very good prices.
Crucial Memory http://www.crucial.com/ - good place to buy RAM from all over the world. They also have an excellent memory selector that allows you to choose memory based on your computer's model
Data Memory Systems http://www.datamemorysystems.com/apple-memory.asp - another good, cheap place to buying RAM if you live in the U.S.
Here are instructions on replacing RAM in a MacBook with a removable battery. http://homeoffice.consumerelectronicsnet.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=44404
http://eshop.macsales.com/installvideos/macbook_13_09_unibody_mem/
If you don’t have the tools to open up the MacBook OWC has a set for $5.
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/TOOLKITMHD/
For a new hard drive try Newegg.com http://www.newegg.com/Store/SubCategory.aspx?SubCategory=380&name=Laptop-Hard-Dr ives&Order=PRICE
Or OWC for regular hard drives and SSDs http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/hard-drives/2.5-Notebook/
Here are instructions on replacing the hard drive in a MacBook with a removable battery. http://creativemac.digitalmedianet.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=45088
To transfer your current hard drive I like the free application SuperDuper. It makes a bootable copy of everything on your hard drive http://www.shirt-pocket.com/SuperDuper/SuperDuperDescription.html You'll need a cheap SATA external hard drive case. Put the new drive in the case then format and partition the new drive and clone your old drive to the new one. Check that it's set up right by booting up from the external drive. Then replace your old hard drive with the new one and put your old one in the external case.
Here's a cheap SATA external hard drive case on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Vantec-NexStar-2-5-Inch-External-Enclosure/dp/B002JQNXZC/r ef=pd_cp_pc_0
You can put two 2gb RAM sticks in your model 2,1 but it can only use 3,3gb. This is a hardware limitation and cannot be changed.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3_GB_barrier
http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/macbook_pro/faq/macbook-pro-core-2-duo-3-g b-memory-limitation-details.html
OWC tests have found that there is a slight speed increase with having two 2gb sticks in rather than one 1gb and one 2gb. Your model is in the gray lines at the bottom of the graph. http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/Memory_Benchmark/Apple_MacBook/

Memory and hard drive space.

Hi,
i was wandering how i can find out how much memory im using, and how much hard drive i have left, or have used. Because im thinking of buying two more movies from itunes, but i dont want to make my macbook slow or anything like that.

Hey,
Theres numerous ways to find out how much Hard Drive space you have. A more in-depth look at your HD can be found by accessing Activity Monitor and then Clicking on Disk Usage. You can also see how much RAM you have available by looking at the System Memory panel. You can also see how much available Hard Drive space you have by opening Finder and the amount you have Free will be at the bottom of the window. Another way to show info is to use your Desktop to show how much total space your Hard Drive has and how much you've used by Right Clicking the Desktop> Click on Show Item Info> and then under Macintosh HD it should display the info.
-Tom

Can't purchase Mountain Lion. Upgraded my Macbook (memory and OSX). I have a black Macbook (2009) will it work?

Can't purchase Mountain Lion. Upgraded my memory and OSX. I have a black Macbook (2009) will it work?

The Black Macbook was for Sale between 2006 and 2008.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MacBook
To Upgrade to Mountain Lion... Your Mac must be one of the following models:
iMac (Mid 2007 or newer)
MacBook (Late 2008 Aluminum, or Early 2009 or newer)
MacBook Pro (Mid/Late 2007 or newer)
MacBook Air (Late 2008 or newer)
Mac mini (Early 2009 or newer)
Mac Pro (Early 2008 or newer)
Xserve (Early 2009)

Toshiba Tecra 9100 Mix Memory and Hard Drive Size

Hello.
I have here an old Laptop Toshiba Tecra 9100 is it possible to Mix or Use DDR400 (PC3200) with Current Memory DDR266 (PC2100) or can i replace all memory and use all Slot DDR400(PC3200) since Tecra 9100 supports only DDR266 (PC2100) 2.5v while DDR400 (PC3200) is 2.6v? how about DDR333 (PC2700)since it has 2.5v
Second the Hard Drive is Dead can it support 120Gb or 320GB Mobile HDD PATA since current HDD now is 70GB.
Thank You

Hello.
I have here an old Laptop Toshiba Tecra 9100 is it possible to Mix or Use DDR400 (PC3200) with Current Memory DDR266 (PC2100) or can i replace all memory and use all Slot DDR400(PC3200) since Tecra 9100 supports only DDR266 (PC2100) 2.5v while DDR400 (PC3200) is 2.6v? how about DDR333 (PC2700)since it has 2.5v
Second the Hard Drive is Dead can it support 120Gb or 320GB Mobile HDD PATA since current HDD now is 70GB.
Thank You

Memory and Hard drive

Ok, I ordered a 750GB hard drive and 8 GB of ram (4 x 2GB). I have my Mac Pro on a good working surface and the cover is off. Currently I have one 250 GB drive in bay one, and 2 GB of ram (4 x 512MB) occupying Ram Slots A1, A2, B1, B2.
After dealing with my first adventure dropping a small screw driver bit into the memory bay area and having to fish it out. My heart sank when I stopped hearing the thing rattling around and I feared it got lodged somewhere and I'd have to take it in to have a tech find it. Then as I was giving up I spotted it. Now, I'm ready to perform the surgery.
Hard Drive
First off I put the new hard drive in. I had an existing 250 GB hard drive installed in bay one. I moved this drive to bay 2 and and put the new 750 GB drive in bay one. I'm thinking that bay one would be the default boot drive so I want my 750 to be the startup disk. I'm also thinking that I can boot up from the software install discs that came with the Mac Pro to format and load a fresh copy of OS X and the included software. Am I thinking this out right or should I keep the 250 in bay one and have the 750 in bay 2?
RAM
Looking at the riser cards A1, A2, B1, & B2 all have a 512 MB chip in them. A3, A4, B3, & B4 are all empty. Knowing that Memory needs to be in groups of two (ex. A1 & A2). I could install the 4 chips I have in A3, A4, B3, & B4. I'm wondering if I should put the 2GB chips in slots A1, A2, B1, & B2 and have the 512 MB chips in A3, A4, B3, & B4 because it seems like I should have the largest RAM first. According to the manual you fill them in this order: A1/A2, B1/B2, A3/A4, then B3/B4.
Also I pulled both risers out and they look identical right down to the part number tags. Are they the same and it doesn't matter which one goes in slot A and which one goes in slot B or is there some way of telling them apart that I have not found yet?

Looks like I have it right. My empty slots were A3, A4, B3, and B4. I figured performance wise it was best to put the highest capacity chips in the first two groups of slots A1/A2 & B1/B2 then moving the stock 512's to A3/A4 & B3/B4.
A1 - 2 GB
A2 - 2 GB
A3 - 512 MB
A4 - 512 MB
B1 - 2 GB
B2 - 2 GB
B3 - 512 MB
B4 - 512 MB
I take it that with the hard drive the boot up process will locate the drive with the OS on it and boot from that.
Here goes the true test, time to plug it all back in and hit the power button. I can't wait to see the difference it will make going from 2GB to 10 GB
Thank you so much.
The first link was more helpful than the second. The OWC page shows the stock two memory modules installed in A1 and B1, as I understand it that wouldn't work because the pairs don't run across the risers. The second image is what the stock configuration should look like with the two chips in A1 & A2.

Memory and hard drive for hp envy 700 010 vt

I want to increase my memory from 8G to 16 GB. I prefer to use non-hp memory in the interest of saving money. Additionally, I would like to add a second 1 TB hard drive in some tiype of simple RAID configuration such as a simple disk mirroring system.
Does anyone know just what memory I should get? Does the mother board have room for an additional 8GB RAM or must I purchase 16GB RAM and throw away (or sell) the original 8GB RAM.
Same question for a second 1TB hard drive. Does Win 8.1 allow for this and does the envy desktop mother board allow for this?
Sorry for these questions but hp documentation at this level is essentially non-existant and I haven't tried to break in to the case to try to answer these questions. I realize hp often uses outside mother boards such as ASUS and I might be lucky and find information elsewhere.
thanks

This is how I configured RAID 1 on mine:
How to configure RAID without backup-restore and without difficult procedures:
1 - Install your new disk in the computer if you don't have 2 already -at least same size as the original one)
2 - Disable User Account Control: go to control panel - Action Center - change User Accounts Settings (left menu) and put the slider at the bottom --> reboot required
3 - Download Intel Raid Storage Technology from :
https://downloadcenter.intel.com/confirm.aspx?httpDown=http://downloadmirror.intel.com/23496/eng/Se...
(This won't install when UAC is enabled)
Reboot - you will have Intel Rapid Storage Technology in the task bar and in "All Applications"
4 - In All Applications, find "Command Prompt", right-click and choose to open it with Administrator privileges : type "msconfig" - in "Boot"-tab, check "Safe Boot" adn click OK.
5 - Reboot computer - enter BIOS with "Escape" - change BIOS settings in Drive Options from AHCI to RAID - save settings and boot
6 - Open "Intel Rapid Storage Technology" : under status, you will have the possibility to create a custom volume and to preserve the data on the orginal disk - the process of syncing the disks will take some time.
7 - When 100%, enter msconfig again, remove the "Safe Boot" check and you can reboot your pc
8 - You can put UAC back in the original position.
SUCCESS !!

HT201250 I recently replaced my 2009 Macbook Pro's hard drive. I had the Apple store upgrade the OS to Mountain Lion while it was being repaired. I want to restore all of my old files and data, if I restore from Time Machine, will it revert to the old O

I recently had to replace my 2009 Macbook Pro's hard drive. I had the apple store upgrade the OS to Mountain Lion while it was in being repaired. I want to restore all of my old data and files. If I perform a restore from Time Machine, with a date prior to having the hard drive replaced, will it revert back to the old OS?

No, it won't revert to the prior OS X but you you may have third party apps installed that were compatible with Lion that may not be compatible with Mountain Lion.
App Compatibility Table - RoaringApps - App compatibility and feature support for OS X & iOS
After you restore from TM, check HD > Incompatible Software

¡Upgrading My MacBook- Memory and Hard Drive!

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