SSD by stefan @ 2012-10-18
The OWC DIY Kit is compatible with the latest Mid-2012 non-Retina Macbook Pros and helps us install an additional disk drive by replacing the Apple SuperDrive. The kit also incorporates a high-performance SSD from the same manufacturer (SandForce powered) and for $39.99 extra we can also have the Super Slim USB 2.0 Enclosure for the removed SuperDrive.
At first I would like to thank OWC for offering their OWC DIY Kit and SuperSlim USB 2.0 External Enclosure for testing and reviewing.
"Other World Computing (OWC) has been providing quality hardware products and support to the computer industry since 1988 and features one of the largest online catalogs of computer, iPod, and iPhone enhancement products through its e-commerce portal www.macsales.com. As an Apple Certified Developer, OWC also provides extensive US based technical support for Macintosh users around the world as well as Internet access via www.fastermac.net and www.owc.net."
The kit from OWC contains a white cardboard box with the Data Doubler, one Manual Addendum document, a 120GB SSD, one OWC Value Line SuperSlim USB 2.0 Enclosure and the OWC 5-Piece Mini Toolkit:
Let's take a closer look first at the SSD; the model that is shipped with a kit is a Mercury Extreme Pro 6G, inside a transparent plastic enclosure; from the package, we can learn that the product was built in USA from domestic and imported parts:
The SSD body is fully metallic and the two parts are held together with 4 Torqx screws; as expected, one of the screws is covered with a warranty sticker:
On the back side, we'll see the sticker with the product code name and serial number, the power rating, total capacity, supported standard and firmware revision:
After the SSD has been opened, we can expose the drive internals:
On one of the sides, we'll only see 4 NAND Flash chips installed:
The Toggle NAND Flash chips are manufactured by SanDisk, with the SDZNPQBHER-016GT code name and are built on a 23nm process:
On the back side of the PCB we will discover an additional of 4 NAND chips, along with the controller:
The SSD controller is a SandForce SF-2281:
As we have mentioned before, the Data Doubler is included in a separate cardboard enclosure, with the company logo on top:
To aid the installation, we also get the OWC 5-Piece Mini Toolkit:
Inside, besides the main product, we will also get the necessary screws (and some extra), along with an Installation Manual:
The Data Doubler has a more spartan look compared to the MCE Optibay and its chassis is painted all blue:
The SATA connection converts the HDD/SSD electrical contacts to the compatible ones of the removed optical drive:
When reviewing the MCE Optibay, we have seen that the installed HDD or SSD was held fixed by four screws, two on each side; with the Data Doubler, the drive gets fixed on only one side:
The supplied SSD can be installed really easy, by simply sliding it into the SATA connectors:
With the included screws, we'll keep the SSD secure onto the Data Doublers' chassis:
To be able to perform the desired modifications, we first have to place the Macbook Pro on a soft surface (to avoid scratches of the aluminum finish) and the bottom side facing up:
After removing the 10 tiny Phillips screws, the bottom cover can be raised, for revealing the internals:
The area we are now interested in is the one with the optical drive; this must be removed in order to install the MCE OptiBay:
With a plastic spudger tool, we must first remove the two data and power cables that are fixed onto the PCB (we do not have to apply a lot of force when performing this operation and must be very careful not to touch the lateral SMD components:
Another cable coming from the Wireless and Bluetooth module must be removed in order to access the first Torqx screw which holds the drive into place:
The module which we were talking about before must also be removed and is held two extra Phillips screws (one longer than the other):
Finally, we have to remove the remaining two Torqx screws residing on the left side; then we can lift carefully the optical drive assembly, without touching any other components:
The SuperDrive has some components pre-attached which must be removed and re-mounted onto the Data Doubler; we are talking about the SATA Data + Power adapter and a small metallic adapter held with two black screws:
After removing the metallic piece from the optical drive, we can install it, along with the SATA connector, onto the Data Doubler:
Carefully, we will have then to slide the assembly into place, not to damage any data transmission wire:
We will fix then the Data Doubler with the two screws on the side, but not with the original ones, but the longer screws located into the package. These screws must not be tightened at first, because we'll see that the Data Doubler tends to lift on the opposite side and it will be a little hard to fix the third (and final) screw:
The third screw we mentioned earlier will be fixed with the help of the small metallic piece we have installed on the Data Doubler:
The final step would be to fix the rest of the data cables onto the motherboard:
OWC also supplies with the kit the Value Line SuperSlim enclosure; this one also comes in a separate cardboard box, with a photo of the product on the top:
By reading further on the box, we can learn of the compatible disk drive units that can be installed; also here we'll get to see the logos of the compatible platforms:
On one of the package sides, we get to see the full list of Specifications, the Operating Environment conditions, along with the System Requirements and Package Contents:
The bottom side of the box will show an additional photo of the product which describes the ports, along with a small product description:
The enclosure is kept fixed inside with foam material:
Besides the main product, we will also find inside an USB 2.0 cable, necessary mounting screws and a small Assembly Guide:
The Assembly guide tells us the exact steps that we must follow for a successful installation:
The USB enclosure is all-black, which in our opinion gives it a more professional look than the one from MCE:
The front comes with the slot loading opening:
On the back side if the enclosure, we will find the DC-IN and USB ports:
The bottom side of the unit comes with 3 rubber feet (one is removable and covers the screw to fix the top portion of the enclosure) and a central sticker:
To open up its chassis, we only have to slide the top side to the front and lift it up carefully:
On the back side of the unit we will see the PCB with the connectors:
To install the drive we have just removed from the Macbook, we have to slide it into the SATA connector:
The drive must be further fixed with 3 screws to the chassis of the SuperSlim enclosure; on some revisions of the optical drive, we will see the laterals covered by a slim aluminum tape so we have to either remove this tape or screw through it:
Finally, we have to install the last screw on the bottom of the unit and apply the rubber foot on it afterwards:
The SSD does not arrive in a formatted state, so we get the initialization error when we first start up the Macbook:
To prepare it for use, we can always erase it and partition with the Disk Utility:
Next, we can use the SSD in this state or choose to install a fresh copy of Mountain Lion on it.
To test out the SSD performances in Mac OS X, we have ran the Disk Speed Test utility, along with the AJA System Test:
The SSD was also tested on a Windows environment, with some well-known utilities:
Right after inspecting each component from the DIY kit, we have looked for the installation steps inside the provided manual; besides the written documents, we also get very well explained videos on Youtube for most Macbook models available on the market, but also previous generations. Before buying the kit, we can also take a look on the OWC website page and see if the product we are looking for is fully compatible for our computer.
The kit is also shipped with the necessary screw drives and a spudger for safe removal of the power/data ribbon cables.
The kit we have supplied includes one 120GB Mercury Extreme Pro 6G SSD, which can be used successfully as a boot drive and is powered by a SandForce 2281 Series controller with 7% over provisioning.
The OWC Super Slim USB 2.0 Enclosure can be purchased separately and will house our removed Apple SuperDrive, so it can be used on other systems or even the same Macbook by using the included USB 2.0 Y cable; most SuperDrive units can be powered from a single USB port, but some will need the secondary port connected when burning disks.
Some users would be tempted to ask if the drive installed into the Data Doubler will be as well fixed as inside the MCE Optibay, considering that the product from MCE uses screws on both sides of the SSD; the answer is yes, since after installing the two screws, the drive does not move at all and should not induce vibrations to the other components of the chassis (in case we have installed a HDD inside the Data Doubler).
Regarding the supplied warranty, we have a 5-year for the SSD, 1-year for the Data Doubler and another 1-year for the Super Slim Enclosure.
Let's wrap it up and check the prices; the OWC DIY Bundle (including the previously mentioned SSD) is available for about $219.99 and the OWC SuperSlim USB 2.0 Enclosure can be had for $39.99. Both products can be acquired from the online shop of OWC.
Price update!
The OWC DIY Kit: Data Doubler + 120GB OWC Mercury EXTREME Pro 6G SSD Drive Bundle + 5 Piece Toolkit is now $199.99. The SuperSlim USB 2.0 External Enclosure is now $33.99. To be eligible for these new prices, you have to sign up for the"OWC Reader Specials".
I would like to thank again to OWC for making this review possible!