Can I use external 2.5 inch HDD to replace my macbook internal storage?

javadhashemi · Jan 20, 2015

Hi all. Your help is needed and appreciated. I want to replace the internal HDD of my mac with a 2 Tb high capacity 2.5 inch HDD. The internal HDD I found on amazon.ca is this one which is sold for $162.
My question is what are the downsides of buying an external 2.5 inch HDD like this one for $104, taking the HDD out of its USB3 enclosure and installing it internally on my mac?

It is much cheaper and I know that 2.5 inch form factors with height of 9.5mm and 12.5mm will fit my laptop.

P.s. I was not able to find the tech spec of the internal HDD they use inside the enclosure so I couldnt make a side by side comparison. Thus asking for your help

Solandri · Jan 20, 2015

Yes you can do it, with two caveats (three actually, but you've already eliminated the third).

1. Most WD external 2.5" drives don't have a SATA interface. WD uses a different circuit board on these drives with a USB interface. Most technies recommend avoiding these drives even for use as exteranl storage. If the USB interface develops problems, your data is just gone. With regular 2.5" external drives (a regular SATA drive inside a USB enclosure), you could always pop the drive out and plug it into a SATA port on a desktop as a last ditch effort to recover your data.

2. Some Macbooks and iMacs use a proprietary connector for the HDD temperature sensor. Instead of reading the temp directly from the drive over the SATA port like everyone else does, Apple decided to put their own sensor on the drive. If you put in a drive without this sensor, the fan ends up running at full (noisiest) speed. There were some work-arounds in the past, but I don't know if they still work. If there are no work-arounds, you will have to buy a replacement drive from Apple. This is part of the vendor lock-in you bought into when you bought an Apple product.
https://www.ifixit.com/Answers/View/85991/replace+the+hard+drive,+how+do+I+connect+Hard+Drive+thermal+sensor

3. 2.5" drives come in 5mm, 7.5mm, 9.5mm, and 12.5mm thicknesses. You've already ascertained that your laptop can take any size up to 12.5mm so you're safe on this front.

javadhashemi · Jan 20, 2015

Solandri :

Yes you can do it, with two caveats (three actually, but you've already eliminated the third).

1. Most WD 2.5" drives don't have a SATA interface. WD uses a different circuit board on these drives with a USB interface. Most technies recommend avoiding these drives even for use as exteranl storage. If the USB interface develops problems, your data is just gone. With regular 2.5" external drives (a regular SATA drive inside a USB enclosure), you could always pop the drive out and plug it into a SATA port on a desktop as a last ditch effort to recover your data.

2. Some Macbooks and iMacs use a proprietary connector for the HDD temperature sensor. Instead of reading the temp directly from the drive over the SATA port like everyone else does, Apple decided to put their own sensor on the drive. If you put in a drive without this sensor, the fan ends up running at full (noisiest) speed. There were some work-arounds in the past, but I don't know if they still work. If there are no work-arounds, you will have to buy a replacement drive from Apple. This is part of the vendor lock-in you bought into when you bought an Apple product.
https://www.ifixit.com/Answers/View/85991/replace+the+hard+drive,+how+do+I+connect+Hard+Drive+thermal+sensor

3. 2.5" drives come in 5mm, 7.5mm, 9.5mm, and 12.5mm thicknesses. You've already ascertained that your laptop can take any size up to 12.5mm so you're safe on this front.

Thanks Solandri for your response. Regarding to your comment 1, is it only WD or it's an issue with others brands such as seagate? Do you know how the external HDD's tech specs compare to internal units? I mean the cache, rpm, etc

Solandri · Jan 21, 2015

javadhashemi :

AFAIK, only WD does this.

Do you know how the external HDD's tech specs compare to internal units? I mean the cache, rpm, etc

Usually the external drives are 5400 RPM. Cache can vary. I don't know of any web resource which tells you which drive is used inside of an external enclosure. You have to search the web for people who've actually opened theirs up and reported what they found.

For the most part, the manufacturers do just take a regular internal drive off their assembly line, stick it in an enclosure, and sell it as an external drive. I think that's what you're really asking.

javadhashemi · Jan 22, 2015

I think I found the answer. I found a video on youtube in which a guy cracks open a Seagate 2Tb portable expansion drive. The model number of the hdd can be seen on it and gladly it is a samsung momentus ST2000LM003 which is exactly what I was looking for. Just ordered the expansion drive from amazon for $115.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGerAyesQZY

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Can I use external 2.5 inch HDD to replace my macbook internal storage?

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