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Early 2011, 13” Macbook Pro 2.3 GHz Core I5. Not so much worried about upgrading the RAM, that seems super simple, just make sure the new memory (I am going Crucial RAM) is plugged in correctly right? I am a little more apprehensive about upgrading to an SSD, as my computer works perfectly fine as is and I would hate to break the HD SATA cable and have to go through fixing that as well and possibly having that start to fail constantly as I have read so much about online. So my question is, any way I can tell if the cable is likely to break by just removing the bottom cover of the MBP without disturbing the SATA cable? Should I just let it be? If my hard drive has failed and been replaced in the past, what are the odds I already have a newer HDD SATA cable or does that mean I am more likely to have a bad HDD SATA? Kinda a why fix what’s not broke type of deal, I only use this laptop for browsing the web and emulating some older games so I am thinking an upgrade to the 8 GB of RAM from 4 GB would be enough (Activity Monitor tells me I am using 3.5 GB when I have 3-4+ Chrome tabs open, and about 3 GB when I am only running RetroArch). Above all I would hate to lose this machine, so give it to me straight, what is the risk I run of messing up the HDD SATA cable if I try to upgrade to a SSD and is it worth it in terms of what I use this laptop for. Thanks in advance for any advice!
As they say you can’t make scrambled eggs without breaking the eggs ;-} The problem is more complex than just lifting the cable out to fit the new drive in. First the 2011 models originally had SATA II (3.0 Gb/s) HD drives. The original cable was only rated to run at SATA II specs! Now you’re putting in a SATA III (6.0 Gb/s) drive into your system. In addition to this the rough surface of the uppercase tended to wear the cable. This is why we need to replace it when you upgrade the drive to a faster drive. So we have a double whammy here and we still haven’t dealt with the issue of the folds of the ribbon cable. So where does that leave us? As a matter of course I replace the HD SATA cable at the same time I upgrade SSD’s in both the 13” and the 15” 2011 models. If you’re so lucky to already have the newer version of the cable as someone had already replaced the drive before then you might get away without changing it. So I would recommend you just make the effort to replace it MacBook Pro 13" Unibody (Mid 2012) Hard Drive Cable And yes! This is not the 2011 version! The 2012 version is a better cable. But before you put it in we want to place a strip of electricians tape on the uppercase when’re the cable crosses over to help protect the cable from the rough aluminum surface. The next issue is the bends and folds. Many people think you can take a knife and bend it around the edge, this will in fact damage the cable don’t do it! We want smooth arc in the bends.
