I have a 40 gig hard drive but really would like something with more capacity, what are the benifits or drawbacks to changing it and is it going to be cost prohibative?
I have a 40 gig hard drive but really would like something with more capacity, what are the benifits or drawbacks to changing it and is it going to be cost prohibative?
The drawback to changing it is that it may be a pain in the arse to change, but I think that's about it. [The process looks pretty straightforward to me, but only do what you're comfortable with. No use in destroying your laptop, though you'd have my respect if there was shrapnel.]
The benefit is having more space for files, and possibly a faster one with higher rotational speed that might use slightly more power. You can also get an enclosure for your old 40 gig drive to have as a backup solution or just extra capacity.
I don't think it would be cost prohibitive, especially if you do it yourself. You can easily get an 80 gig drive for around a hundred. Of course, cost goes up with capacity.
I have a 40 gig hard drive but really would like something with more capacity, what are the benifits or drawbacks to changing it and is it going to be cost prohibative?
The greatest benefit, IMO, would be the increased speed a 5400 RPM ( or 7200 RPM) drive gives to a laptop.
I would check into buying a new drive and then shopping around for an authorized apple specialist to install it -- should be around $50 or so -- plus the cost of the drive.
If you choose to install yourself, be careful. I stripped one of the screws in the battery bay and ended up drilling it out. Another area of frustration were the clips securing the top assembly to the base. It is pretty straightforward, though.
Comments
Note that changing the hard drive on the 12" PowerBook is somewhat complicated: http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/53.11.0.html
Originally posted by infomark
I have a 40 gig hard drive but really would like something with more capacity, what are the benifits or drawbacks to changing it and is it going to be cost prohibative?
The drawback to changing it is that it may be a pain in the arse to change, but I think that's about it. [The process looks pretty straightforward to me, but only do what you're comfortable with. No use in destroying your laptop, though you'd have my respect if there was shrapnel.]
The benefit is having more space for files, and possibly a faster one with higher rotational speed that might use slightly more power. You can also get an enclosure for your old 40 gig drive to have as a backup solution or just extra capacity.
I don't think it would be cost prohibitive, especially if you do it yourself. You can easily get an 80 gig drive for around a hundred. Of course, cost goes up with capacity.
[Edit in brackets]
Originally posted by infomark
I have a 40 gig hard drive but really would like something with more capacity, what are the benifits or drawbacks to changing it and is it going to be cost prohibative?
The greatest benefit, IMO, would be the increased speed a 5400 RPM ( or 7200 RPM) drive gives to a laptop.
I would check into buying a new drive and then shopping around for an authorized apple specialist to install it -- should be around $50 or so -- plus the cost of the drive.
If you choose to install yourself, be careful. I stripped one of the screws in the battery bay and ended up drilling it out. Another area of frustration were the clips securing the top assembly to the base. It is pretty straightforward, though.