macbook pro 13 inch mid 2012 hard drive: actual maximum thickness possible?

[Inspirited]

The "official" maximum thickness is 9.5mm. However, I've heard that (and I believe I've used) a 12.0 or 12.5mm thick drive in one of these without problems. Can anyone verify this from knowledge or experience?

 

[Calculagator]

I've installed one that was probably 11 or 12mm. I think it may have caused a little bulging of the bottom case. It was very snug, but it did fit. I don't have it anymore, so I can't tell you the exact size.

 

[Inspirited]

I've installed one that was probably 11 or 12mm. I think it may have caused a little bulging of the bottom case. It was very snug, but it did fit. I don't have it anymore, so I can't tell you the exact size.

Calculagator, I've helped so many friends and family upgrade so many hard drives that I've lost the comfort of certainty in this important issue. If I remember correctly, I once put a 12.5mm thick hard drive in one of these, but left out the plastic stick-on lifting tab to save a (small) bit of precious space. It worked, I believe, without distorting the back in any way.

Right now, though, I'm needing to upgrade my own machine from 2TB to 3TB and this question arises again. That's why I'm reaching out to you and to all others who may have knowledge of this to respond. I believe a definitive answer here might benefit many of us.

Thanks, Inspirited

 

[ffg7]

why are you upgrading to a 3tb as can do that as an external hd?

 

[Inspirited]

why are you upgrading to a 3tb as can do that as an external hd?

I'm using a MacBook Pro because its self-contained and portable. If I require an external HD to carry part of my data I lose much of the essence of the MacBook Pro and then need something like a stable table or desk on which to work. What might provide a little flexibility would be a large capacity flash drive(s) and/or SD-type cards. All these solutions make the computer harder to operate.

 

[ffg7]

then where do you save the backup of your data?

 

[Inspirited]

then where do you save the backup of your data?

I generally keep two complete Time Machine backups on external 3 1/2" format hard drives, currently each 4TB.

 

[Inspirited]

Perhaps I didn't understand your last question, ffg7. I haven't actually used flash drives or SD-type cards to extend my data capacity, and haven't attempted to figure out whether there's a way Time Machine would include whatever I might have on them. In any case, to avoid this type of clumsy setup, I'd rather just install a larger capacity hard drive.