Originally posted by vthoky: Hey, some have mentioned swapping a solid-state drive in to the Mac. How tough is that to do? Can I just get a drive, and clone the existing one by USB? What software is necessary for the cloning?
As for cloning the SSD, use Carbon Copy Cloner which can be found here: https://bombich.com/ There is a 30 day free trial, but I purchased it and use it for backups.
I've already mentioned it, but I suggest potential and existing Mac owners install Coconut Battery which is free: http://www.coconut-flavour.com/coconutbattery/ It provides more detailed information about the health of your battery than you can get from the OS. Chris' web page explains his free app in more detail, but here is a screen grab from my mid 2012 15" MBP:
As you can see, the 5+ year old battery could hold a 6900 mAh charge when it was new, but now can only hold a 6359 mAh charge. The battery was at 87.5% capacity when I made the screen grab, which would have been 92.2% capacity if the battery was new. (Corrected later) The cycle count was 602, but I pay less attention to that after I discovered Coconut Battery since a battery can wear out even with a very low cycle count. (I also went ahead and paid $10 for the upgrade to coconutBattery Plus to check the wear level of my SSD. It's a fairly new SSD, but I was considering donating money anyway.)
More info for you:
If you do not want the optical drive, you can remove it and replace it with a "Data Doubler" and add an additional drive to that MBP: https://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/DDAMBS0GB/ So you could use the SSD as your main drive and use the old hard drive for making backups. That procedure is more complicated than simply replacing drives or a battery.
As an alternative to using Parallels Desktop for running Windows software, you could simply partition the drive and make a dual boot system that will boot to either macOS or Windows.This message has been edited. Last edited by: rh, November 25, 2017 01:44 AM
November 24, 2017, 05:33 PM
vthoky
Ooh, I've got a project coming on! Thank you again.
God bless America.
November 24, 2017, 05:34 PM
sjtill
Look up upgrades and repairs on ifixit.com. That's where I got the instructions for replacing the battery on the Air. That way you can decide ahead of time if it's something you want to take on. BTW replacing the battery was easy following those instructions, and it turns out the tools came with the battery.
_________________________ “Remember, remember the fifth of November!"
I was wanting to mention ifixit.com - the premier DIY repair / tinkering site, but I felt my post had gotten too long. I even just found this pasted link to them https://www.ifixit.com/Store/Tools
OWC's (eshop.macsales.com) batteries also come with the necessary tools for battery replacement. I bought that tool kit from OWC in case a sudden failure occurred that required investigation or if I was in the middle of a project and didn't have the right tool. (They can be bought separately, but those nylon pry tools are handy when replacing a battery.)
ETA: Re: the post above, I gave a direct link to Swappa's current listings for this model earlier. Checking Swappa is much faster than wading through eBay listings.
November 24, 2017, 06:03 PM
just1tym
quote:
Originally posted by rh:
quote:
Originally posted by vthoky: Hey, some have mentioned swapping a solid-state drive in to the Mac. How tough is that to do? Can I just get a drive, and clone the existing one by USB? What software is necessary for the cloning?
As for cloning the SSD, use Carbon Copy Cloner which can be found here: https://bombich.com/ There is a 30 day free trial, but I purchased it and use it for backups.
I've already mentioned it, but I suggest potential and existing Mac owners install Coconut Battery which is free: http://www.coconut-flavour.com/coconutbattery/ It provides more detailed information about the health of your battery than you can get from the OS. Chris' web page explains his free app in more detail, but here is a screen grab from my mid 2012 15" MBP:
As you can see, the 5+ year old battery could hold a 6900 mAh charge when it was new, but now can only hold a 6359 mAh charge. The battery was at 87.5% capacity when I made the screen grab, which would have been 92.2% capacity if the battery was new. The cycle count was 602, but I pay less attention to that after I discovered Coconut Battery since a battery can wear out even with a very low cycle count. (I also went ahead and paid $10 for the upgrade to coconutBattery Plus to check the wear level of my SSD. It's a fairly new SSD, but I was considering donating money anyway.)
More info for you:
If you do not want the optical drive, you can remove it and replace it with a "Data Doubler" and add an additional drive to that MBP: https://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/DDAMBS0GB/ So you could use the SSD as your main drive and use the old hard drive for making backups. That procedure is more complicated than simply replacing drives or a battery.
As an alternative to using Parallels Desktop for running Windows software, you could simply partition the drive and make a dual boot system that will boot to either macOS or Windows.
Thank you rh, I just downloaded it for ny late 2013 15" Retina, gives some good battery info and my mac's history, appreciate it!
This message has been edited. Last edited by: just1tym, November 24, 2017 09:14 PM
Regards, Will G.
November 24, 2017, 07:20 PM
rh
I figured that a screen grab along with an explanation of coconutBattery would attract more attention than just a link. I'm glad that I was helpful. (It works with iOS devices such iPhones and iPads too.)
I don't recall it being mentioned that the cost of new battery is around $100 at OWC or ifixit.com, which is why this discussion about the condition of the battery is so relevant to the value of a used MBP.
November 24, 2017, 09:21 PM
just1tym
quote:
Originally posted by rh: I figured that a screen grab along with an explanation of coconutBattery would attract more attention than just a link. I'm glad that I was helpful. ( It works with iOS devices such iPhones and iPads too.)
I don't recall it being mentioned that the cost of new battery is around $100 at OWC or ifixit.com, which is why this discussion about the condition of the battery is so relevant to the value of a used MBP.
Adding my iPhone too, thanks again!
Regards, Will G.
November 24, 2017, 10:53 PM
rh
Will, your edited post which added a screen grab has made me notice that I posted misinformation in a previous post when I tried to explain the meaning of the percentage bar graph below coconutBattery's "Design Capacity". The "89.2%" in the graph of your MBP is actually the Full Charge Capacity divided by the Design Capacity (or abbreviated by me, the FCC-DC ratio.) Specifically for your MBP, 7526/8440 = .8917 which is 89.2% So your battery is holding 89.2% as much of a charge as it did when it was manufactured.
Posted again for maximum clarity in this correct explanation, my mid-2012 MBP is holding 92.2% as much of a charge as it could when it was manufactured. (6359/6900 = .9215 or 92.2%)
So both of our batteries are holding up pretty well, holding charges at around 90% of what they once could. This seems like the best primary metric to use when shopping for used Apple devices with the cycle count seeming only useful when it's very high or else maybe very low such as on this other MBP of mine.
Notice that the replacement battery that I installed earlier this year is holding more of a charge than the original battery did. That's not a bug, it just means that I got lucky. This is explained on coconutBattery's website in the FAQ.
So sorry about the misinformation that I posted, which I will correct later tonight. I'm sure glad that you edited your post to include that screen grab which made me recognize that misinformation.
Among edits made and added: "At no cost to you" coconutBattery's documentation does not explain the second bar graph, which is why I did not understand its meaning and significance until interaction here.This message has been edited. Last edited by: rh, November 25, 2017 01:38 AM
November 25, 2017, 09:59 AM
striker1
I just checked mine with coconutBattery.
RB
Cancer fighter (Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma) since 2009, now fighting Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma.
Nice! If you buy three, shipping is free as well. Easy decision. Need small gifts for inquisitive nephews as well as one for an SSD I want in my ancient aluminum MacBook.
Nice! If you buy three, shipping is free as well. Easy decision. Need small gifts for inquisitive nephews as well as one for an SSD I want in my ancient aluminum MacBook.
So, not only did I order three tool kits, but just now from macsales.com the 60GB Mercury Electra 3G 2.5-inch 7mm SATA 3.0Gb/s Solid-State Drive. This 2008 aluminum-bodied MacBook may finally start moving out of 1980s-speed. Seriously, it has been chugging along slower and slower with each successive OS upgrade.
I have Snow Leopard on disc so I did not get the "kit", just the drive. I'll start fresh, download the files I need.
Thanks, Jon, for buying this pre-1880s fiddle from me. Nice having some coin in the PP account for a change!
November 29, 2017, 01:21 PM
muddle_mann
I got a apple refurbed macbook pro and didn't know that it was the last one in the lineage that is user upgrade-able. All the ones after had soldiered on and memory on board with no upgrades.
Then again I tried to sell a refurb iMac 27" with a quad core chip with specs not far off the new 27" iMacs and paid $1400 for it and the price got down to $400 and still no one wanted it...
— Pissed off beats scared every time…
- Frank Castle
November 29, 2017, 09:19 PM
rh
If Apple does not support a product, only tinkerers (including those who might not even give it Internet access) or "poor desperate people" will want it.
The MBP that started this topic is still supported by Apple, and it has USB 3.0 ports.
A deal may have already been made, but the same model MBP with with 16 GB of memory, 2 SSDs already installed, and 2 chargers is currently for sale on swappa for $515: https://swappa.com/listing/view/LQMO90075
ETA: notice conversation on swappa
"Hello, $380 serious offer" with reply of "No thank you."
$515 is a good and fair price for that MBP. (Swappa gets $15, so the seller is wanting $500 for it.)
ETA: That was such a fair price that someone has already bought that MBP for $515!This message has been edited. Last edited by: rh, November 30, 2017 04:02 AM
This message has been edited. Last edited by: 
