main hard drive bay and optibay at SATA 3 (6Gbps).main hard drive bay SATA 3 (6Gbps) and optibay SATA 2 (3Gbps) or.
Post 2011 models however, came in two flavours, either: In models pre-2011 both the main hard drive and optibay SATA data link speeds complied with SATA 2 specifications, being 3Gbps. The critical distinction between 15″ and 17″ (non-Retina) Macbook Pro’s manufactured before and after 2011 lies in the SATA data link speeds of the main hard drive bay and the optical drive bay.
Caddy for macbook pro 2011 hard drive install#
If you own a post-2011 Macbook Pro with SATA 3 implemented in both the main hard drive and optibay the most hopeful option for stable performance is to install your SATA 3 SSD/hard drive in the main hard drive bay and a SATA 2 SSD/hard drive in the optibay. However, caution needs to be applied if you own a 15″ or 17″ (non-Retina) Macbook Pro manufactured from 2011 onwards. This is accomplished by installing a Solid State Drive (SSD) in the main hard drive bay and either a SSD/hard drive in the optibay. In general, this is a popular mod which boosts most (non-Retina) Macbook Pro’s average overall performance close to that of the later Retina Macbook Pro’s series, without the need to pay the exorbitant price of buying brand new Retina Macbook Pro.
This comes as a general caution for modders who are looking to add a hard drive caddy to install an additional hard drive in place of the existing Superdrive (‘optibay’) in non-Retina 15″ and 17″ Macbook Pro’s.