# SSD and Optibay



## Benito (Nov 17, 2007)

I am finally taking the plunge and upgrading my 2007 MBP. I am going to add an Intel X-25 80G SSD into the optical bay. One question I have for you guys who have done this is this, I wonder if I can keep the OS and apps on my currently installed HD in addition to putting the OS and apps on the SSD, yet set my MBP to boot from and use the SSD to lauch the apps and OS. The HD would then be used as the file system. The reason to keep the OS and apps as a back up on the HD would be if there ever was a failure of the SSD. Now I do have an extra ext HD that came with the MBP originally that I have in an enclosure, so I suppose that I could just Carbon Copy the SSD to that ext HD and in the event of SSD failure I could use that. But I though it would be cool to be able to keep the OS and apps where they are already as the back up.

What do you guys think, is that a stupid idea? I have lots of space on the HD at the moment with 200 G free so space isn't an issue.


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## screature (May 14, 2007)

I see no reason why you can't do it as you have outlined.


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## Andrew Pratt (Feb 16, 2007)

I wouldn't bother keeping a copy of the OS on the HD...just use time machine or Carbon to copy the data to an external drive. Depending on what you store where you might also be able to use the HD to be your time machine drive copying from the SSD.


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## Benito (Nov 17, 2007)

The main reason to consider keeping a copy of the OS and apps on my internal HD is to be able to get back up and running quickly in case of the SSD failing while at work. I use my MBP at home and at work, and it is mission critical to be able to keep working while at work. My Time Machine backups won't help me if the SSD crashes at work, while the internal HD will as I could boot from that if the SSD crashes.

I've ordered the Optibay and just picked up the Intel X-25M 80G SSD. I hope to do this install upon delivery of the Optibay. I'm very excited to see what kind of performance boost I can give my 2.5 yr old MBP.


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## Andrew Pratt (Feb 16, 2007)

I saw huge gains when I switched to an SSD in my similar vintage MB Pro when I had it. I never saw any crashes though and felt the SSD was as or stable then any platter based drive.


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## Benito (Nov 17, 2007)

I'm quite hopeful that it will keep me happy for a while at least until the next update on the MBP. My one concern about reliability was triggered by a friend's OCZ ssd that recently crashed. I'm hoping that when I'm running Windows and it crashes I can reboot it quickly. That is probably the biggest benefit to me about the SSD.


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## screature (May 14, 2007)

Benito said:


> The main reason to consider keeping a copy of the OS and apps on my internal HD is to be able to get back up and running quickly in case of the SSD failing while at work. I use my MBP at home and at work, and it is mission critical to be able to keep working while at work. My Time Machine backups won't help me if the SSD crashes at work, while the internal HD will as I could boot from that if the SSD crashes.
> 
> I've ordered the Optibay and just picked up the Intel X-25M 80G SSD. I hope to do this install upon delivery of the Optibay. I'm very excited to see what kind of performance boost I can give my 2.5 yr old MBP.


That is pretty much what I figured must be the case for you to want to do this. To have a "self contained" back up plan. Depending on one's needs, your's being a truly mobile situation, this can be a really good plan... for others, not so much, i.e. for those who use their laptop as a desktop replacement.

Please report back. It will be interesting to see your results.


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## fyrefly (Apr 16, 2005)

I would just say to put the hdd in the optical bay and the SSD in the hard drive spot. The opical drive in those 2007-era MBPs is PATA. So the SSD will not help you as much, whereas the hdd will not be hindered that much by being place on the slower IDE-based PATA bus the optical drive was on.


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## Benito (Nov 17, 2007)

fyrefly said:


> I would just say to put the hdd in the optical bay and the SSD in the hard drive spot. The opical drive in those 2007-era MBPs is PATA. So the SSD will not help you as much, whereas the hdd will not be hindered that much by being place on the slower IDE-based PATA bus the optical drive was on.


Really? Are you sure? I was really hoping to be able to leave the HDD in its current place and put the SSD in place of the optical drive. I had heard that the HDD only has that motion detector that parks the head when it is in its current position and not in the optical bay.


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## screature (May 14, 2007)

Regrettably Benito fyrefly is correct. I just checked Mactracker and indeed the optibay connection in the 2007 models is Utra ATA/100 not SATA (this is even true of early 2008 models, the optibay only has a SATA connection beginning in late 2008). Sorry I didn't catch this detail earlier myself.

You are correct as to where the sudden motion sensor is and in later model Macbook Pro the optibay is the preferred spot to put a SSD. Also, regrettably this would mean that without an adaptor (SATA to Ultra ATA) you couldn't swap your main drive into the optibay either.


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## Benito (Nov 17, 2007)

Wow that sort of sucks. Is getting an adapter something that is possible and doable?


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## Benito (Nov 17, 2007)

MCE OptiBay Hard Drive for (non-Unibody) MacBook/MacBook Pro 15-inch: MCE Technologies Online Store

That is the Optibay that I ordered. It is supposed to be specific to the non unibody MBP. I wonder if it has a converter to allow a SATA HD to be installed and connected to the computer via a PATA connection. It doesn't say that anywhere, but it would make sense.


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## screature (May 14, 2007)

Benito said:


> Wow that sort of sucks. Is getting an adapter something that is possible and doable?


Yes such adaptors do exist, here for example: SATA & eSATA STUFF (scroll about 1/8 of the way down the page to see what you are looking for). The biggest concerns would be fitting into the optibay and power connections. You will have to wait and see what is provided with the kit to know what is possible and if any of these products are required. Good luck.


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## fyrefly (Apr 16, 2005)

The Optibay people have a PATA outside/SATA inside Optibay model - it's listed here:

MCE OptiBay Hard Drive for (non-Unibody) MacBook/MacBook Pro 15-inch: MCE Technologies Online Store

The same as the link you provided. So if it's made for the Non-Unibody models, it should be fine...?

There's also the cheaper NeoModus alternative: (also SATA inside and PATA outside).

Optical Bay HDD Caddy to replace Slot-Loading Optical,9.5,PATA [OBHD9-SATA-NF] - $42.00 : NewmodeUS, Hard Drive Caddys for Notebooks


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## Benito (Nov 17, 2007)

Thanks screature and fyrefly for your help. Yes that is the optibay that I ordered so I should be fine. I might know today as the optibay is on route and is in fedex Mississauga as of Saturday.


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## Benito (Nov 17, 2007)

Just in to work and the OptiBay was here already, talk about fast service. So it does appear to be the case the the OptiBay I ordered has the converter built in, so I have nothing to worry about except getting this done.

Thanks again for the advice and help guys.


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## screature (May 14, 2007)

Benito said:


> Just in to work and the OptiBay was here already, talk about fast service. So it does appear to be the case the the OptiBay I ordered has the converter built in, so I have nothing to worry about except getting this done.
> 
> Thanks again for the advice and help guys.


Good news Benito.  Pleased to be of any help, let us know it if you are pleased with the results Ok?


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## Benito (Nov 17, 2007)

Will do for sure. I'm quite excited about this latest upgrade. I still love my 2007 MBP although I have to say that I have been very tempted by the newest MBP's and their multitouch gestures which mine doesn't support. But hopefully I'll add some major speed to my old MBP and keep it going until at least the next round of MBP upgrades. This is definitely the longest I've ever kept a laptop or any computer for that matter.


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## fyrefly (Apr 16, 2005)

That's great news Benito!

Interested to hear how you like the upgrade - as I've been considering the same for an old 2007 MBP (2.2Ghz) that I've relegated mostly to chillin on a shelf  -- Still my fav keyboard of all time - love the mushy-feel!

My original point about putting the SSD in the SATA-bus Hard Drive slot and the Hard Drive in the Optibay still stands - as the SSD will still be severely hamstrung by the PATA bus that the Optical Drive (and now Optibay) is on.


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## Benito (Nov 17, 2007)

fyrefly, it sounds like you have the same model MBP that I am using and upgrading. The keyboard is just one of the things I love about my MBP. But I do covet the improved battery life and multitouch gestures of the newer MBPs.

Yes I agree, I will have to use the SSD in the normal bay and put the HDD in the optibay as it won't be hampered by the PATA connection.


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## Benito (Nov 17, 2007)

OK the installation of the SSD and the HDD went smoothly. Everything is now physically in place. The only problem I ran into was that the optical drive doesn't quite match the enclosure that they sent me. One of the screws to hold it in place doesn't line up with the spot in the optical drive itself. As well, the cover that finishes off the enclosure over the DVD slot doesn't fit. I might have to contact MCE about that part and see what is wrong.

Now I am moving files off my HDD, essentially all of my user files and then I'm going to clone the HDD to the SSD. Wish me luck.


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## fyrefly (Apr 16, 2005)

Good Luck Benito! Glad to hear the progress is good so far!


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## Benito (Nov 17, 2007)

Thanks, I'll probably screw something up. The cloning is now happening. The I'll move files back onto my HDD.


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## Benito (Nov 17, 2007)

Up and running now. A bit of a screw up on my part, no surprise really about that. But this is fast! Thanks again for all your help guys.


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## Benito (Nov 17, 2007)

Now I wonder if doing a fresh install of SL might have been more optimal in terms of performance. I've read that people say they can do a cold boot in 8 secs. My old 2.2 gHS coreduo MBP from 2007 is currently taking a full 30 secs to boot from the Intel SSD. Booting from my old HDD 7200 rpm took about 45 secs.

If I did do a fresh install onto the SSD, do you think it would improve performance? As well, is there then a way to use migration assistant to get my apps and programs from my HDD in the computer or from an ext HD? Or, does migration assistant only work when getting files from another Mac?


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## screature (May 14, 2007)

Glad to hear that things are up and running... maybe not as fast as you would like...

You can always try a fresh install, it could make things a little faster, I doubt it would decrease your boot time by 22 seconds though.

You can use migration assistant for an external drive migration, or from any other drive that has OSX on it. MA doesn't care where your files/apps are as long as they are on a boot disk. In the original set up of the migration process choosing a drive to migrate from will be one of your choices.


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## Benito (Nov 17, 2007)

Thanks for that info on MA, I've never used it and will next time I get a new computer. I think I'll leave things as they are right now, everything works. The only thing I'll do is to clean the excess stuff off my HDD.


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## lang (Jun 9, 2010)

*Completed install*

I completed an Optibay install over the weekend in a 15" i7, using an Intel X25-M G2 80GB in the optibay and left the stock 500GB in the hard drive.

Went smooth with no hardware or fitting issues at all. 

A few details:

- Used CCC to copy the system and applications over (at first, I relocated portions of the user folders - including the libary folder - but saw no significant gains in performance and move them back to the mechanical drive).
- Moved the swap file from the SSD to the mechanical drive also. No noticeable performance hit. (Considered moving the log files but don't feel it's worth the effort).
- Disabled hibernation. No longer having sleep issues. (only downside is that the system won't write the memory to disk when the battery is exhausted but I don't let that happen unless I'm reconditioning).

(Can provide links to sources if wanted).

Other benefits (for fear of cross-posting) are seemingly better battery (actually saw the time prediction jump up over 10 hours at one point) and less heat.


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## screature (May 14, 2007)

lang said:


> ...Other benefits (for fear of cross-posting) are seemingly better battery (actually saw the time prediction jump up over 10 hours at one point) and less heat.


These are two benefits that SSD manufacturers claim so it is good to see that you are receiving them in the real world. It does just make sense that a SSD would be both cooler and and use less energy than a standard mechanical HD.

It should be quieter as well... did you notice that?

P.S. Your are going to have to change your Custom User Title after you have been here a while... or are you planning on just visiting?


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## mkolesa (Jul 22, 2008)

_"You can use migration assistant for an external drive migration, or from any other drive that has OSX on it. MA doesn't care where your files/apps are as long as they are on a boot disk."_

just to clarify, MA will also work from a time machine backup, which isn't bootable.


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## screature (May 14, 2007)

mkolesa said:


> _"You can use migration assistant for an external drive migration, or from any other drive that has OSX on it. MA doesn't care where your files/apps are as long as they are on a boot disk."_
> 
> just to clarify, MA will also work from a time machine backup, which isn't bootable.


OK, yes that is true. (Time Machine back ups were not part of the equation being discussed, so that is why it was not referenced/memtioned.)


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## Benito (Nov 17, 2007)

I've been using my new setup for about a day at work. It is nice to have a snappier computer with apps that open quickly. Now working on the battery only, I have to say that my MBP is showing less available time on my battery, the system seems to be using more power overall even with the disc settings set to sleep if a disk is not in use.


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## lang (Jun 9, 2010)

screature said:


> These are two benefits that SSD manufacturers claim so it is good to see that you are receiving them in the real world. It does just make sense that a SSD would be both cooler and and use less energy than a standard mechanical HD.
> 
> It should be quieter as well... did you notice that?


The noise level before the tweaks (with just the mechanical drive installed) was already very low. Much quieter than the SR 15" MBP I passed down to my wife. But as the SSD is silent, no noise increase with the two installed vs the one. Perhaps a decrease because the HD head doesn't travel as much. But as my tests aren't scientific, who knows... (have chosen to not obsess over benchmarks and measurements and focus more on usability, aesthetics and perception).



screature said:


> P.S. Your are going to have to change your Custom User Title after you have been here a while... or are you planning on just visiting?


Already done, and hope to be around for some time


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