Macbook Pro + SSD + Optibay

Monopot · 04-02-2012, 6:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jian

Did you try swapping the drives around, so that the SSD resides in the original HDD bay and the mechanical drive in the optibay?

There have been reports of sleep problems when an SSD is mounted in the optibay.

No, but I wanted my HDD in the main HDD Bay so it had the shock absorbancy/sensors along with that.

Uncle Gadget · 19-04-2012, 1:11 PM

Advice please I have a OCZ SSD in my trusty late 2006 C2D MacBook and it flies !!
Anyway I want to remove the SuperDrive now as I never use it and fit an Optibay and large 2nd HDD.
I believe I need a caddy thats 9.5mm is there any UK suppliers for these, eBay has nothing, and not keen on importing if I'm going to get stung for import charges etc. Has anyone done the same on the same machine or of similar age ?

Monopot · 29-07-2012, 10:28 AM

OK, I'm tempted to go back to having an SSD and moving my HDD to the optibay now. After my initial problems on my 2008 MBP with the 60GB SSD, I have since sold that laptop and am now on a early 2011 MBP. Its been fine for now, but I'm starting to study a lot for some certs which require a lot of VMs to be running, so I think I would be better off getting a 240gb SSD for OS and VMs (and possibly iPhoto) and having the rest of my data on my 750GB drive in the optibay.

As I'm in NZ local prices tend to be crazy and its hard to get third party trays like MCE, but basically does anyone have any SSD/tray recommendations for a 2011 MBP? I'm toying with going with OWC again for the Data Doubler and 240GB 6GB/s SSD as its cheaper than just a 240GB SSD locally, but I'm open to suggestions for a decent drive.

And is having VMs on an SSD a good idea? Also toying with upping from 8Gb to 16Gb for that reason as well. Just not going to tell the wife

RobM · 29-07-2012, 12:33 PM

Having VM's on an SSD is fine, I've got a Bootcamp partition of W7, which I then run as a virtual image within Fusion. It's exactly as you'd hope it would be, it runs really well in both Fusion and Bootcamp.

There are a few SSD's that get a lot of love with OSX, the Intel range I've used with superb results and I'm currently using an OCZ Vertex 3 in my 2011 MBP, also with superb results (even after a year+ it benchmarks and runs impressively well). Other people sign praises of Crucials range, others love Samsung. Honestly, stick within these four brands and you can't go wrong. Everyone will be able to show a successful and a horror story for each, that's just the nature of computing.

Don't skimp on the tray though, the cheap and nasty ones tend to be exactly that.

In RAM terms, 8GB is enough for one or two VM's, unless you want them to be particularly performant for every-day use (i.e. more than just learning and testing). However, given how cheap RAM is at the moment, 16GB will allow much greater flexibility for VM use, as it's one of the few things that can genuinely justify extra RAM.

withnail_wine · 30-07-2012, 11:08 PM

I've decided to go for this option for my mid-2009 MBP 13", but need advice on which bay to get.

There's the ebay option: Apple Macbook Pro Optibay 2nd Hard Drive Caddy SATA | eBay

Or this: HDcaddy SATA/PATA - HDcaddy

Or am I missing one? Any help much appreciated.

Pat Flanel · 31-07-2012, 1:20 PM

I got this one hardwrk | SATA adapter kit for MacBook (Pro)
Bit more expensive but I thought it was a good bit of kit.

Monopot · 01-08-2012, 10:38 PM

OK, I ended up going for an OWC Data Doubler with 120Gb 6Gbps SSD and also 16Gb OWC Ram.

I couldn't find decent caddies that would ship to NZ apart from the OWC. I did see a few locally but they were cheap and nasty so didnt want to risk it. I ended up going for the ram to as when I setup the VMs the other day, once I'd got all but one powered on I had hit my 8Gb ram and performance went right down so I thought 16Gb was the way to go.

Hopefully I'll have more luck with the SSD in my new MBP than I did with my 2008 model, but will def put the SSD in the main bay this time.

malk · 06-08-2012, 4:40 PM

Ive just been looking on ebay for an optibay.
I currently use an external 500gb 2.5 drive in a caddy for films in itunes and plex,but,as its external,its a right pain in bum,when i have to move my macbook pro late 2011,so,i was thinking about putting the external drive,into the optibay,for that reason.
I dont use the superdrive,sorry,i have twice,to transfer cd data to itunes,and any case,i think i can get a caddy to fit the cd drive anyway.
My problem is,the ones on ebay,dont say they work for a late 2011,only early,im hoping the early 2011 is the same and i can use it,also,is there any reason,why ebay ones are a tenner,and original optibay are at least double?
Thanks in advance....

Monopot · 06-08-2012, 10:46 PM

Got my 120GB OWC SSD, Data Doubler and 16Gb ram last night. Put it all in, moving my HDD to the optibay and SSD into the main bay. Was going to clone the drives over but then just went and did a fresh ML install on the SSD which took 9 minutes

I wanted to keep my old HDD bootable in case I need to remove the SSD for warranty etc, so I moved all my docs/photos/music to a folder in the root of the HHD and then used symbolic links to recreate the Music/Movies/Pictures/Documents folders on my SSD. As I had the same username I also didn't have to change any permissions which is a result. I wanted them out of the HDD Users folder just in case it screwed anything up accesing another users folder from another os install.

Only snag I hit was when I opened the app store to download iPhoto etc it said it was already installed, and turns out the app store scans all mounted drives for apps and as it could see my HDD it wouldn't let me install. So all I did was eject the HDD from Finder, open the app store and boom I could download the apps. Once finished I just mounted the drive and away it went. iPhoto/iTunes/iMovie all worked perfectly with the alias, no changes needed. I copied my mail over to the SSD but it didn't work for some reason so I'll just let it redownload as its IMAP, no biggy.

All in all though, from taking the case of to having a new install with all my apps/data working took just under an hour. Pretty chuffed with that!

Now time to move the VMs back

MrSynner · 08-08-2012, 9:34 PM

Anyone out there running Windows via bootcamp on a 2011 Macbook pro with an optibay?

I can't get Windows to install - unless I reconnect the optical drive to the internal sata connection - and it bluescreens and refuses to run if I subsequently remove the drive (with the Mac turned off, of course)

I've read numerous ways of installing bootcamp, including a nifty way of hacking a virtual machine to write to an actual partition rather than a virtual one, but none will stick - the Mac can't see the bootcamp partition if I reboot without an optical drive.

I've got an SSD in the internal bay, and a HDD in the optibay, by the way.

I'm wondering if there is an issue with my el-cheapo Ebay special optibay?

RobM · 09-08-2012, 8:16 PM

I had the exact setup you mention working a treat on a 13" Macbook Pro, but I had a 'proper' OptiBay, not a ripoff version. I had OSX and applications on an Intel SSD, then Bootcamp and bulk-storage (media, mainly) on the HDD in an OptiBay. It worked a treat

MrSynner · 09-08-2012, 8:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RobM

I had the exact setup you mention working a treat on a 13" Macbook Pro, but I had a 'proper' OptiBay, not a ripoff version. I had OSX and applications on an Intel SSD, then Bootcamp and bulk-storage (media, mainly) on the HDD in an OptiBay. It worked a treat

Ah, that indicates that it is the optibay at fault. Which optibay is the proper one - the MCE tech one?

Also, did you install bootcamp before or after installing the optibay?

RobM · 09-08-2012, 10:09 PM

I bought the MCE Tech one, yeah. It's not exactly a cheap product, but it's not unreasonable and you rarely hear of them going wrong (the MCE Tech ones, I mean).

I installed bootcamp after the Optibay and during the setup, when choosing the drive to use to create the partition, I just chose the HDD in the Optibay, set my size and off I went. As simple as it sounds, I just did exactly as you'd expect and hope to do - it was just a case of choosing one of two drives to use.

nigelbb · 10-08-2012, 6:46 PM

I don't see why the Optibay would make any difference to whether Bootcamp works or not. It's a purely passive device that holds the disk in place.

bpsmith · 10-08-2012, 8:52 PM

Perhaps it's not the optibay that's the issue, but something to do with the cable and/or SATA port that is normally used by the optical drive?

RobM · 10-08-2012, 9:07 PM

Cheap quality components and 'cheap' construction can cause problems. It may well be a simple design, but I'm sure we've all witnessed crap quality external HDD caddies that haven't performed and connected consistently - this is no different in many ways.

Not all components are created equal.

nigelbb · 11-08-2012, 6:26 AM

External HDD caddies are not passive devices the Optibay devices are. While it's possible that the socket/wiring that the disk plugs into & passes through to the external plug is defective it's very unlikely.

Azzin · 06-12-2012, 11:08 AM

Thread resurrection alert!

I've got a June 2012, 2.9Ghz i7 MBP and I'm after a daddy to replace my optical drive and put my existing 750 gig drive in, so I can fit an SSD.

The problem I'm having, is that I can't seem to find a caddy that specifically says it's compatible with my MBP.

Any suggestions on which one to get?

I'd like to get it from Amazon if possible, to take advantage of Amazon Prime next day delivery.

Cheers.

bpsmith · 06-12-2012, 6:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Azzin

I'm after a daddy to replace my optical drive and put my existing 750 gig drive in

Cracked me up that did. :-)

Azzin · 06-12-2012, 7:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bpsmith

Cracked me up that did. :-)

Haha, didn't notice that!

bpsmith · 06-12-2012, 7:17 PM

Predictive text at its best. :-)

Azzin · 10-12-2012, 8:29 AM

I went for this one in the end:

Akasa N Stor 2.5 inch Slimline SATA Optical Disk SATA HDD Adapter: Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories

dazpazz · 11-12-2012, 7:37 PM

Have you put the SSD or the HDD in the caddy??

Azzin · 11-12-2012, 8:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dazpazz

Have you put the SSD or the HDD in the caddy??

Not yet....

Azzin · 21-12-2012, 3:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Azzin

I went for this one in the end:

Video Link: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B005J2IS30/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00

Which it would appear is the wrong one, as its too deep/not thin enough.

Azzin · 21-12-2012, 3:15 PM

So now I need to find one that does fit....

malk · 21-12-2012, 5:11 PM

Im having the same problem with an optibay,
The ones on ebY seem to be for early 2011 mbp,im on a late 2011.
I thought the only difference was hdd size in mbp,320gb- to 500 gb on the late 2011 mbp.
Any ideas?

Azzin · 21-12-2012, 5:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by malk

Im having the same problem with an optibay,
The ones on ebY seem to be for early 2011 mbp,im on a late 2011.
I thought the only difference was hdd size in mbp,320gb- to 500 gb on the late 2011 mbp.
Any ideas?

I've arranged a return for mine and ordered this one:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/..._ya_os_product

withnail_wine · 27-12-2012, 8:02 PM

All those in the know... do you think I can trust this caddy?

APPLE 9.5mm SATA Hard Drive HDD caddy F MacBook Pro13" 15" 17" 2nd HDD CADDY | eBay

I have a mid-2009 MBP 13". It's listed in the compatibility list, but are these cheaper variants too cheap?

Azzin · 29-12-2012, 1:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Azzin

I've arranged a return for mine and ordered this one:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/..._ya_os_product

I can now confirm that this one works fine.

Just fitted it and all's good.

10-12-2012, 8:29 AM	#112
Azzin Eminent Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Thanks: Gave 4,947, Got 2,052 Posts: 20,075	I went for this one in the end: Akasa N Stor 2.5 inch Slimline SATA Optical Disk SATA HDD Adapter: Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories Last edited by Azzin; 04-01-2013 at 10:28 AM.
	Quote

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19-04-2012, 1:11 PM	#92
Uncle Gadget Prominent Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Somerset Thanks: Gave 407, Got 220 Posts: 3,032	Advice please I have a OCZ SSD in my trusty late 2006 C2D MacBook and it flies !! Anyway I want to remove the SuperDrive now as I never use it and fit an Optibay and large 2nd HDD. I believe I need a caddy thats 9.5mm is there any UK suppliers for these, eBay has nothing, and not keen on importing if I'm going to get stung for import charges etc. Has anyone done the same on the same machine or of similar age ?
	Quote

29-07-2012, 10:28 AM	#93
Monopot Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Auckland, New Zealand Thanks: Gave 374, Got 185 Posts: 2,459	OK, I'm tempted to go back to having an SSD and moving my HDD to the optibay now. After my initial problems on my 2008 MBP with the 60GB SSD, I have since sold that laptop and am now on a early 2011 MBP. Its been fine for now, but I'm starting to study a lot for some certs which require a lot of VMs to be running, so I think I would be better off getting a 240gb SSD for OS and VMs (and possibly iPhoto) and having the rest of my data on my 750GB drive in the optibay. As I'm in NZ local prices tend to be crazy and its hard to get third party trays like MCE, but basically does anyone have any SSD/tray recommendations for a 2011 MBP? I'm toying with going with OWC again for the Data Doubler and 240GB 6GB/s SSD as its cheaper than just a 240GB SSD locally, but I'm open to suggestions for a decent drive. And is having VMs on an SSD a good idea? Also toying with upping from 8Gb to 16Gb for that reason as well. Just not going to tell the wife
	Quote

29-07-2012, 12:33 PM	#94
RobM Distinguished Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Thanks: Gave 1,133, Got 2,065 Posts: 12,725	Having VM's on an SSD is fine, I've got a Bootcamp partition of W7, which I then run as a virtual image within Fusion. It's exactly as you'd hope it would be, it runs really well in both Fusion and Bootcamp. There are a few SSD's that get a lot of love with OSX, the Intel range I've used with superb results and I'm currently using an OCZ Vertex 3 in my 2011 MBP, also with superb results (even after a year+ it benchmarks and runs impressively well). Other people sign praises of Crucials range, others love Samsung. Honestly, stick within these four brands and you can't go wrong. Everyone will be able to show a successful and a horror story for each, that's just the nature of computing. Don't skimp on the tray though, the cheap and nasty ones tend to be exactly that. In RAM terms, 8GB is enough for one or two VM's, unless you want them to be particularly performant for every-day use (i.e. more than just learning and testing). However, given how cheap RAM is at the moment, 16GB will allow much greater flexibility for VM use, as it's one of the few things that can genuinely justify extra RAM.
	Quote

30-07-2012, 11:08 PM	#95
withnail_wine Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Northampton Thanks: Gave 5, Got 13 Posts: 323	I've decided to go for this option for my mid-2009 MBP 13", but need advice on which bay to get. There's the ebay option: Apple Macbook Pro Optibay 2nd Hard Drive Caddy SATA \| eBay Or this: HDcaddy SATA/PATA - HDcaddy Or am I missing one? Any help much appreciated.
	Quote

31-07-2012, 1:20 PM	#96
Pat Flanel New Member Join Date: Sep 2011 Thanks: Gave 5, Got 5 Posts: 22	I got this one hardwrk \| SATA adapter kit for MacBook (Pro) Bit more expensive but I thought it was a good bit of kit.
	Quote

01-08-2012, 10:38 PM	#97
Monopot Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Auckland, New Zealand Thanks: Gave 374, Got 185 Posts: 2,459	OK, I ended up going for an OWC Data Doubler with 120Gb 6Gbps SSD and also 16Gb OWC Ram. I couldn't find decent caddies that would ship to NZ apart from the OWC. I did see a few locally but they were cheap and nasty so didnt want to risk it. I ended up going for the ram to as when I setup the VMs the other day, once I'd got all but one powered on I had hit my 8Gb ram and performance went right down so I thought 16Gb was the way to go. Hopefully I'll have more luck with the SSD in my new MBP than I did with my 2008 model, but will def put the SSD in the main bay this time.
	Quote

06-08-2012, 4:40 PM	#98
malk Senior Member Join Date: May 2008 Thanks: Gave 232, Got 101 Posts: 1,677	Ive just been looking on ebay for an optibay. I currently use an external 500gb 2.5 drive in a caddy for films in itunes and plex,but,as its external,its a right pain in bum,when i have to move my macbook pro late 2011,so,i was thinking about putting the external drive,into the optibay,for that reason. I dont use the superdrive,sorry,i have twice,to transfer cd data to itunes,and any case,i think i can get a caddy to fit the cd drive anyway. My problem is,the ones on ebay,dont say they work for a late 2011,only early,im hoping the early 2011 is the same and i can use it,also,is there any reason,why ebay ones are a tenner,and original optibay are at least double? Thanks in advance....
	Quote

06-08-2012, 10:46 PM	#99
Monopot Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Auckland, New Zealand Thanks: Gave 374, Got 185 Posts: 2,459	Got my 120GB OWC SSD, Data Doubler and 16Gb ram last night. Put it all in, moving my HDD to the optibay and SSD into the main bay. Was going to clone the drives over but then just went and did a fresh ML install on the SSD which took 9 minutes I wanted to keep my old HDD bootable in case I need to remove the SSD for warranty etc, so I moved all my docs/photos/music to a folder in the root of the HHD and then used symbolic links to recreate the Music/Movies/Pictures/Documents folders on my SSD. As I had the same username I also didn't have to change any permissions which is a result. I wanted them out of the HDD Users folder just in case it screwed anything up accesing another users folder from another os install. Only snag I hit was when I opened the app store to download iPhoto etc it said it was already installed, and turns out the app store scans all mounted drives for apps and as it could see my HDD it wouldn't let me install. So all I did was eject the HDD from Finder, open the app store and boom I could download the apps. Once finished I just mounted the drive and away it went. iPhoto/iTunes/iMovie all worked perfectly with the alias, no changes needed. I copied my mail over to the SSD but it didn't work for some reason so I'll just let it redownload as its IMAP, no biggy. All in all though, from taking the case of to having a new install with all my apps/data working took just under an hour. Pretty chuffed with that! Now time to move the VMs back
	Quote

08-08-2012, 9:34 PM	#100
MrSynner Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Thanks: Gave 14, Got 45 Posts: 326	Anyone out there running Windows via bootcamp on a 2011 Macbook pro with an optibay? I can't get Windows to install - unless I reconnect the optical drive to the internal sata connection - and it bluescreens and refuses to run if I subsequently remove the drive (with the Mac turned off, of course) I've read numerous ways of installing bootcamp, including a nifty way of hacking a virtual machine to write to an actual partition rather than a virtual one, but none will stick - the Mac can't see the bootcamp partition if I reboot without an optical drive. I've got an SSD in the internal bay, and a HDD in the optibay, by the way. I'm wondering if there is an issue with my el-cheapo Ebay special optibay?
	Quote

09-08-2012, 8:16 PM	#101
RobM Distinguished Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Thanks: Gave 1,133, Got 2,065 Posts: 12,725	I had the exact setup you mention working a treat on a 13" Macbook Pro, but I had a 'proper' OptiBay, not a ripoff version. I had OSX and applications on an Intel SSD, then Bootcamp and bulk-storage (media, mainly) on the HDD in an OptiBay. It worked a treat
	Quote

09-08-2012, 10:09 PM	#103
RobM Distinguished Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Thanks: Gave 1,133, Got 2,065 Posts: 12,725	I bought the MCE Tech one, yeah. It's not exactly a cheap product, but it's not unreasonable and you rarely hear of them going wrong (the MCE Tech ones, I mean). I installed bootcamp after the Optibay and during the setup, when choosing the drive to use to create the partition, I just chose the HDD in the Optibay, set my size and off I went. As simple as it sounds, I just did exactly as you'd expect and hope to do - it was just a case of choosing one of two drives to use.
	Quote

10-08-2012, 6:46 PM	#104
nigelbb Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Thanks: Gave 14, Got 499 Posts: 5,169	I don't see why the Optibay would make any difference to whether Bootcamp works or not. It's a purely passive device that holds the disk in place.
	Quote

10-08-2012, 8:52 PM	#105
bpsmith Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Thanks: Gave 21, Got 621 Posts: 6,921	Perhaps it's not the optibay that's the issue, but something to do with the cable and/or SATA port that is normally used by the optical drive?
	Quote

10-08-2012, 9:07 PM	#106
RobM Distinguished Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Thanks: Gave 1,133, Got 2,065 Posts: 12,725	Cheap quality components and 'cheap' construction can cause problems. It may well be a simple design, but I'm sure we've all witnessed crap quality external HDD caddies that haven't performed and connected consistently - this is no different in many ways. Not all components are created equal.
	Quote

11-08-2012, 6:26 AM	#107
nigelbb Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Thanks: Gave 14, Got 499 Posts: 5,169	External HDD caddies are not passive devices the Optibay devices are. While it's possible that the socket/wiring that the disk plugs into & passes through to the external plug is defective it's very unlikely.
	Quote

06-12-2012, 11:08 AM	#108
Azzin Eminent Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Thanks: Gave 4,947, Got 2,052 Posts: 20,075	Thread resurrection alert! I've got a June 2012, 2.9Ghz i7 MBP and I'm after a daddy to replace my optical drive and put my existing 750 gig drive in, so I can fit an SSD. The problem I'm having, is that I can't seem to find a caddy that specifically says it's compatible with my MBP. Any suggestions on which one to get? I'd like to get it from Amazon if possible, to take advantage of Amazon Prime next day delivery. Cheers.
	Quote

06-12-2012, 7:17 PM	#111
bpsmith Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Thanks: Gave 21, Got 621 Posts: 6,921	Predictive text at its best. :-)
	Quote

11-12-2012, 7:37 PM	#113
dazpazz Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Great Torrington Thanks: Gave 93, Got 278 Posts: 1,265	Have you put the SSD or the HDD in the caddy??
	Quote

21-12-2012, 3:15 PM	#116
Azzin Eminent Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Thanks: Gave 4,947, Got 2,052 Posts: 20,075	So now I need to find one that does fit....
	Quote

21-12-2012, 5:11 PM	#117
malk Senior Member Join Date: May 2008 Thanks: Gave 232, Got 101 Posts: 1,677	Im having the same problem with an optibay, The ones on ebY seem to be for early 2011 mbp,im on a late 2011. I thought the only difference was hdd size in mbp,320gb- to 500 gb on the late 2011 mbp. Any ideas?
	Quote

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Macbook Pro + SSD + Optibay

27-12-2012, 8:02 PM	#119
withnail_wine Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Northampton Thanks: Gave 5, Got 13 Posts: 323	All those in the know... do you think I can trust this caddy? APPLE 9.5mm SATA Hard Drive HDD caddy F MacBook Pro13" 15" 17" 2nd HDD CADDY \| eBay I have a mid-2009 MBP 13". It's listed in the compatibility list, but are these cheaper variants too cheap?
	Quote