Click on the First Aid tab, followed by Verify Disk Permissions.Click on Options and select GUID Partition Table in the next window.Click on the SSD icon, followed by the Partition tab and select "Partition 1" from the Partition Layout.Go to Applications > Utilities and open the Disk Utility.Connect the SSD to your Mac using the SATA-to-USB cable.
You can download CleanMyMac X for free, here.Ĭloning the hard drive can be done with a tool such as SuperDuper! or Carbon Copy Cleaner, or with Apple’s own Disk Utility program. This will clear your system of any junk files so that they’re not transferred over unnecessarily.
To perform a MacBook Pro SSD upgrade you’re first going to need to clone your existing hard drive so that the new one runs like clockwork when it’s installed.īefore you do this, you should use CleanMyMac X to perform a Smart Cleanup. SSD aside, here’s what you’ll need to fit your new hard drive: Samsung, SanDisk, Crucial, KingSpec, and Transcend are standout brands. You’ll typically find that brand name SSDs rank the highest.
See what the experts and other users say about SSD performance and reliability. The greater the capacity of an SSD, the more it will benefit Mac performance. The former is cheaper and capable of holding more information but the latter is more reliable.Ĭapacity - Get as much space as you can afford. Memory - MLC (multi-level cell) and SLC (single-level cell) are the two options available. Something in the range of 500MB/s and above is good, although actual speed will be about a third less than what’s advertised. The higher the speed, the better the performance. Read/write speed - SSDs are rated on their reading and writing speed. To reap the benefits of an SSD, you need a drive that’s up to the task. What to consider when choosing a MacBook Pro SSD
If, however, you’re noticing any of the following issues, an SSD upgrade will most certainly help: That might be the only fix you need (this way junk that is clogging up your system, such as old files, images, apps, duplicates and iPhone backups will be cleared away). If your system feels a bit sluggish, try running CleanMyMac X first to clean away any resource-hogging junk. If you only really use your Mac to browse the web and do some word processing, your current hard drive is probably fine. Do I really need to upgrade my Mac hard drive?įitting a solid state drive in your MacBook Pro is a quick and simple way to boost performance but an upgrade might not always be needed.
It’s also surprisingly easy, even if you don’t know your way around the insides of a Mac. Swapping out your old hard drive for a modern SSD is surprisingly affordable and results in 5X better performance: a reputable 500GB MacBook SSD can be had for around $150, while 1TB options are available for around $300 - both considerably cheaper than a new MacBook. But to help you do it all by yourself, we’ve gathered our best ideas and solutions below.įeatures described in this article refer to the MacPaw site version of CleanMyMac X.
In addition, you need a SATA to USB drive adapter in order to transfer the data from your present HDD to the new SSD.So here's a tip for you: Download CleanMyMac to quickly solve some of the issues mentioned in this article. We recommend you use antistatic tools for installing the SSD wearing an antistatic wrist strap will enhance safety. The preparations and tools required for replacing a MacBook (Pro) drive are identical to those necessary for any other system (see our general upgrading tutorial for notebooks): you need to work on a clean, electrostatic-free surface.
Mac users will need to download similar cloning software – we chose the shareware tool SuperDuper! and describe the cloning process in more detail using this tool.
The main difference to upgrading a Windows system is that the Samsung 850 PRO SSD (256GB) we chose comes with Windows migration software that guides the user through the cloning process (copying the Windows system plus the data to the new SSD).