Most MacBook and MacBook Pro users are unaware of a great way to upgrade an internal hard drive. My MacBook came with a standard 5400 RPM 80 Gigabyte drive. I recently wanted to import my photo library and have it with me at all times which required over 20 GB (which I didn’t have).
On Black Friday this past year, Staples put a Western Digital 120 GB “pocket” drive on sale for 49.99. I purchased this drive, used some drive cloning software, and switched the two. Now I have an extra 80 GB to store my files plus I have a USB 2.0 spare drive which is perfect for backing up most of my valuable data.
Here’s the steps to upgrade:
- Purchase an external 2.5″ SATA drive. I like the western digital drives because of how easy it is to open the plastic case. Be sure you chose a SATA (or serial ATA) drive and not an older IDE drive.
- Look up your computer on ifixit.com for a tutorial on how to switch the drive (MacBooks are much easier to upgrade than the MacBook Pro).
- Download Super Duper or Carbon Copy Cloner to transfer all files from one drive to another.
- Switch the drives and select your new startup disk so there isn’t a slight delay when the computer starts up and looks for a previous drive.
Enjoy the extra space!
