MacBook Pro Retina Display 13 Inch Questions

As the title says I got a few questions about this specific model.

1. Can I replace the flash storage for a bigger flash storage? Or even a hard drive to save money? And if so which HDD's and SDD's would be compatible?
2. Also should I get a very low amount of ram (4 GB) and upgrade to 8? Is it worth effort? Or should I just get the 8 GB directly.
3. Lastly and most importantly will and of these upgrades void the warranty? If so can I get squaretrade? And if I did get squaretrade would the warranty for them be voided as well?

 

1) No. IIRC, the SSD is sealed in and glued down to the motherboard. So if you want the rMBP 13, I'd suggest buying it with the biggest SSD drive you can afford.
2) Same situation with the SSD
3) Since you can't upgrade a rMBP yourself, you can't void the warranty via upgrades.

 

Isn't that for true of the Air instead of the rMBP13? I found this video but I don't know if they refreshed their lineup recently and if the new ones were soldered. I don't remember reading they did. I don't keep up with Macs much. If an upgrade is possible though, from the looks of that video, it would most likely void warranty.

 

Pretty sure the RAM is soldered on the rMBP13, just like the 15 and the SSD is probably the same proprietary format that would be insanely expensive to buy aftermarket, see: http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/MacBook+Pro+13-Inch+Retina+Display+Late+2012+Teardown/11225/1.

 

Alright thanks guys! Especially thanks to you Jarhead! I'll make sure the rMBP has all the specs I need.

 

1. The SSD in the rMBP is upgradable, but it's a propriety format. The only sources to buy replacements are places like eBay that sell 2nd-hand original equipment parts or from Other World Computing. OWC's drives are new, but they're expensive and use the typically unreliable SandForce chipset.

2. As mentioned previously, the RAM is soldered on and cannot be changed later. The only way to upgrade is to order it when you purchase the machine. However, this is not the case with the 13-inch Retina model. All versions come with 8 GB as standard, and there are no additional capacities available.

3. I know the SSD on the 15-inch rMBP is considered a user-serviceable part, so changing it would not void the warranty. The location and design of the SSD on the 13-inch model is different and a bit harder to access, so there could potentially be an issue. I would strongly recommend purchasing AppleCare, which will extend the hardware warranty to 3 years from 1 and phone support to 3 years from 90 days. You can purchase AppleCare at any time during the first year of ownership, but keep in mind the extension is retroactive to the date or purchase. So if you bought the computer August 1, 2013, but didn't buy AppleCare until July 1, 2014, your warranty would be valid until July 31, 2016. Another issue to bear in mind is that AppleCare does not cover accidental damage. For this, I would see if you can take out a "personal items" policy on your homeowner's or renter's insurance. The price will be dependent on what you paid for the notebook. For my MBP, I'm paying about $30/year from State Farm, though we have all our insurance through them (homeowner's, car, etc).

 

OK, so the best route & cheapest route would be to just get everything I need on the 13" rMBP?

 

Basically. I checked up on the SSD being a CRU, but the drives are not standard format and still cost too much considering the upgrade hassle.

 

OK, thanks for letting me know jarhead!

 

OWC drives are certainly new but are truly reliable. Sandforce had a fault perception earlier which no longer exists! You will need to experience like I have done to understand my words

 

SF is still an unreliable pos as ever

 

I know it's just a sample size of one and that it doesn't make a good statistic, but my Intel 330 (SF-2281) has had no issues since buying it last summer. Though it runs Intel firmware, which might have an effect. Can't say the same for 2nd-gen SF drives from the "me-too!" SSD makers though.