Do I need any special model/brand of HD/CPU to upgrade a MBP?

[Injury]

So I was hoping to buy an iMac in the summer... but when I started looking at prices I realized that the iMac I WANT is not the iMac I want to pay for. Rather than plunk down $2000-$2500 for the iMac I'd want, I think It'd just be better if I did a small upgrade of my Mac Book Pro, starting with the hard drive.

How easy is the upgrade for both the Hard Drive and CPU?

What are the possibilities of upgrading the CPU? Would there be enough of a jump to make it worth it?

Can I use any 2.5" SATA HD, or do I need certain types? Will I need to start a fresh install, or will I be able to "clone" my HD?


Here are the basic specs of my MBP, if that helps any. It is NOT the all-aluminum uni-body.

Model Name: MacBook Pro
Model Identifier: MacBookPro3,1
Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed: 2.2 GHz
Number Of Processors: 1
Total Number Of Cores: 2
L2 Cache: 4 MB
Memory: 2 GB
Bus Speed: 800 MHz

 

[Parasitic]

The CPU is soldered in so you can't upgrade that.

Memory is your ordinary SODIMM DDR2 stick. I recommend getting a set of 4GB (2GBx2) matched sticks for maximum compatibility.
As far as replacing the hard drive goes, it may void your warranty because of the complexity involved...but you can still do it. Make sure you have the right screw drivers and get SATA2 2.5" hard drives. It needs to be the standard height (9.5mm) version. I recently upgraded my stock 160GB Fujitsu to a 320GB 5400rpm WD Scorpion Blue and now to a Hitachi 7k320 7200rpm drive and I like the Hitachi.

You can clone your drive with SuperDuper first, then you won't have to reinstall everything fresh. To do that however I'd recommend getting an external USB enclosure. I had an issue where Leopard installer wouldn't recognize the WD drive during install so my only recourse was to clone the drive, but that issue went away with my Hitachi.

 

[Injury]

Thanks for the input. Ordered the parts last night... I was expecting it to set me back a couple hundred $$$ but I got a 500GB HD and 4GB Memory for about $130 shipped. Rad!

 

[Parasitic]

Originally posted by: Injury
Thanks for the input. Ordered the parts last night... I was expecting it to set me back a couple hundred $$$ but I got a 500GB HD and 4GB Memory for about $130 shipped. Rad!

Upgrading the memory is easy, simply take out the battery and unscrew the two tiny screws holding the memory cover and replace.

Here's some instructions on the hard drive:
http://www.extremetech.com/art.../0,2845,2119528,00.asp

Are you going to clone the drive with SuperDuper?

 

[vjbelle]

As has been mentioned the best HD choice is one of the fast Hitachi drives. I replaced mine - not difficult at all but TAKE YOUR TIME!

This does not void your warranty - but anything that gets busted along the way will come out of your pocket.

Go to ifixit.com - they have a complete tutorial on how to take apart your MBP and replace the HD.

 

[xanis]

Like another poster said, you can't upgrade the CPU because it's soldered on, so just forgettabout it.

The RAM is EXTREMELY easy to upgrade. Any DDR2 SO-DIMM will work. I suggest a 4GB (2x2GB) set of Corsair. Got it for about $15 back on Black Friday, but you should be able to find a pretty decent deal as well. For the actual upgrade all you need to do is pop out the battery, remove the RAM cover, and take out / put in the RAM.

For the HDD, any 2.5'' SATA should do. I bought a 250GB Seagate Momentus 7200RPM drive for my MBP and it works great. The installation isn't hard, it just takes patience and care. There are tons of guides online on how to do it, but I found that the one on ifixit.com was the best.

Good luck!

 

[secretanchitman]

i had this same 2.2Ghz mbp as well. dont worry about hdd warranty...you dont void it (believe me, i sent mine in with the replaced hdd to applecare AND the genius bar and none of them cared) at all.

hdd replacing usually takes 20-30 minutes, and be sure you have a torx T6 and a phillips #00 screwdrivers.

 

[Injury]

Originally posted by: Parasitic

Originally posted by: Injury
Thanks for the input. Ordered the parts last night... I was expecting it to set me back a couple hundred $$$ but I got a 500GB HD and 4GB Memory for about $130 shipped. Rad!

Upgrading the memory is easy, simply take out the battery and unscrew the two tiny screws holding the memory cover and replace.

Here's some instructions on the hard drive:
http://www.extremetech.com/art.../0,2845,2119528,00.asp

Are you going to clone the drive with SuperDuper?

I intend to do it that way, but if it ends up getting screwy and I have to do a fresh install I'm not going to get too upset.

 

[Injury]

Just wanted to say that I upgraded this afternoon and everything went mostly well. I ended up just using the backup from time machine. My external seemed to be on the verge of crapping out and I had to restart the restore... but all is good now. WHOO!