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Replace optical drive with ssd

Hello there,

I know this subject has been discussed, but I would like to find the proper tutorial for the macbook pro A1226.

Different models have their own here but not mine.

Is there anything I should know/be concerned about ? Or is there a model that is close enough to the one I got ?

By the way, I've been told that in such a case (keeping the old hdd and adding a ssd) the HHD drive should replace the optical drive, and the SSD should be put where the HDD was, so the performances will be better.

Is that true ?

Thanks in advance !

Update (12/09/2015)

A little time went by, but here I come back to give a feedback..

So I put the old drive where the optical drive should be, and installed a SSD instead. Sure, I don't use all of the SSD capacities but it surely gave this mac book pro a boost, plus additional storage.

If you have the proper tools work with, I would say all that process was easy. Before opening it, I wasn't so sure how I would remove the optical drive, etc. as I could not find any tutorial for the model I own, but it went just fine as there isn't so much big differences between two similar models.

Sure, I could enjoy a new laptop with better performances, etc. but with 220-230€, I was able to install a smoothly running Mavericks and all the apps I need run also more flowing. And learn one thing or two in the process...

Thanks for your help guys.

Unibody Laptop Dual Drive Image

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Unibody Laptop Dual Drive

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Hey Fabien,

The connections that are in your MacBook for the HDD and the ODD (optical drive) are a bit different. Your HDD uses SATA 2 (3Gbps) and your ODD uses PATA (0.13Gbps).

This is probably why you have heard to put your SSD where your original HDD was, and put your old HDD in ODD bay with a mounting bracket. (by the way, the mounting bracket you have listed is for a unibody MacBook and is probably incompatible with your model).

However, as you can see from the speed differences between SATA 2 and PATA, PATA is extremely slow comparatively. I think you'd be much happier installing the SSD where your HDD is, and then putting your HDD in an external enclosure and connecting it using USB. While USB 2.0 (0.48Gbps) isn't super fast, it's still significantly faster than PATA. This way, you don't have to fool with your ODD (the cable management around it can be tricky in your MacBook)

You can find super cheap enclosures for your old HDD online like the one below:

http://amzn.com/B00E362W9O

Hope this helps!

Adam

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Correction: This system has a SATA I (1.5 Gb/s) SATA port. Sadly, there are not many SSD's that will run at this slower I/O (mostly used now). Unless the manufacture specs the drive in writing to work at SATA I, I would not recommend you install the drive.

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Instead of using an external USB case look for a FireWire external case.

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Frankly, I think you'll be happier looking at getting a newer model that has a faster CPU & SATA ports if you want to really gain performance Vs trying to fit a SSD in this system.

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Thanks for catching my error, Dan. Didn't realize that system only had a SATA 1 connection to the HDD.

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No biggy ;-} Just take the time to verify off of EveryMac that way you can't go wrong (see link I posted in Q).

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