MacBook Pro 5400 rpm vs. 7200 rpm HDD??

[bayol05]

Hey everyone. As a lot of people on these forums are, I am waiting for the next updated MacBook Pro. I want to get the fastest hard drive I can, but I want to ask the people who use the 7200 RPM HDDs if they can notice a difference, and if so how beneficial is it? Its really not a problem to pay the 250 for the 200GB 7200 option (and I do want to do that thru Apple because I want my hard drive under warranty) but I do recall hearing complaints that the 7200 RPM is louder, etc. So here is the basic question. How much faster is the 7200 and is it worth the upgrade? For background, I do Visual Effects/3D Animation. I use the Mac Pro for most of that and will sometimes use the MBP for that kind of work. Thanks in advance!

[BioChron]

For an everyday user it probably makes little difference, but for someone that deals with the stuff you do, it would probably be worth it to get the faster drive.

[Twe Foju]

well

for speed, it;s obvious 7200 is faster at writing

but seriously, you can barely notice the difference

as for the noise, yes, 7200 is a loottttttttt more noisier

in conclusion, 5400 is a better option ( for me )

i dont know with other people's thought

[Neil321]

Unless you use Final Cut/rendering id say stick with a 5400

[Cloudsurfer]

The difference is minimal. Even if you're playing a game that constantly eats off your hard drive you'll barely notice the difference. 7200rpm is not worth the price difference imho.

[Phil A.]

Wirelessly posted (iPhone: Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU like Mac OS X; en) AppleWebKit/420.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/3.0 Mobile/4A93 Safari/419.3)

my MBP has the 7200 and my wife's has the 5400 but apart from that they are identical. Mine definitely seems faster by a noticable amount.
They're both core duo original ones so it may not make as much difference on the latest ones but personally I'd always go for speed over capacity. That's why I've gone for the SSD option on the Macbook Air that's about to replace my MBP

[angelodmhl]

A 7200rpm drive also generates more hear, and drains battery faster.

[Twe Foju]

A 7200rpm drive also generates more hear, and drains battery faster.

very true, because im also using 7200 HD, and i totally regret it as it makes my MBP alot more heat faster than my friend's 5400 HD MBP

my suggestion is

stick with the default 160 gig 5400

and buy an external HD that runs 7200

that way, is better, you can store your files on the external HD without having to fear for an overheat for your MBP

[Cloudsurfer]

I agree, stick with 5400 rpm. With any luck, the next notebook you get will have SSD as a standard, making this a non-issue.

[Twe Foju]

a little off topic question

can we replace our current MBP HD with the SSD HD in the near future ( or even now? )

[^squirrel^]

Again another vote here for the 5400 drive. I would go for the extra capacity on the internal drive. THe 7200 drive is only good for major tasks such as video editing.

Get yourself a NAT (Network Area Storage) drive.

I'm going to purchase a MBP if they release the new one this century and from the research i've done this is the best option for most people.

[Cloudsurfer]

a little off topic question

can we replace our current MBP HD with the SSD HD in the near future ( or even now? )

Yes, you can. You can buy a separate SSD and put it into an MBP or MB.

[VincentPun]

I vote for 5400rpm. 7200 consumes more power and makes more noise.

[Koolio27]

I'm glad I stumbled upon this thread b/c I'm gearing up to buy a MBP (when they're updated) and was originally going to get the 200GB 7200RPM drive...but I think I'll get the 250GB 5400RPM drive instead.

The MBP will be my desktop replacement (like my current Powerbook is) and I won't be doing any video editing or music recording, etc. I'll just need a lot of space for the digital pics, videos from my camera, etc.

[bayol05]

Right there with ya Koolio, I was going to get the 7200 but all of this info has pretty much changed my mind. Now we wait for these damn updates!

[Consultant]

The difference is minimal. Even if you're playing a game that constantly eats off your hard drive you'll barely notice the difference. 7200rpm is not worth the price difference imho.

If you don't know about something, please don't offer false opinions (plenty of that from windows users that never used macs). For facts, please see benchmarks at barefeat.com or other web sites.

7200rpm vs other drives
http://barefeats.com/hard96.html
http://barefeats.com/mbcd7.html

For example, 7200rpm 200gb drive is about 1.6 times the speed of 5400rpm 160gb drive! 60% faster is not barely noticeable.


A 7200rpm drive also generates more heaT, and drains battery faster.

No that's just speculation. Things are done faster on the 7200rpm drives, so heat dissipation and energy usage is about the SAME. Compare the specs and please read some reviews first.

[noodle654]

Choose size over speed. Thats how I roll

[thinkband]

If you don't know about something, please don't offer false opinions (plenty of that from windows users that never used macs). For facts, please see benchmarks at barefeat.com or other web sites.

7200rpm vs other drives
http://barefeats.com/hard96.html
http://barefeats.com/mbcd7.html

For example, 7200rpm 200gb drive is about 1.6 times the speed of 5400rpm 160gb drive! 60% faster is not barely noticeable.




No that's just speculation. Things are done faster on the 7200rpm drives, so heat dissipation and energy usage is about the SAME. Compare the specs and please read some reviews first.

Thanks for clearing that up. So do you think the 7200 upgrade is worth it? For me, I don't care about the battery life so much, two hours doing basic photo or internet browsing would be ideal for me. When I tried to open up final cut pro at the applestore it literally took like 30 seconds. I was kinda in shock since, it is a pro machine after all. I am assuming that laptop had a 5400rpm drive.

Would I notice a difference doing photoshop work, or light video editing with imovie/final cut express? I really wanted the faster drive because my current windows computer takes forever to boot up as well as opening programs, and more than anything, I just want stuff to open up faster :( hehe.

[Consultant]

Thanks for clearing that up. So do you think the 7200 upgrade is worth it? For me, I don't care about the battery life so much, two hours doing basic photo or internet browsing would be ideal for me. When I tried to open up final cut pro at the applestore it literally took like 30 seconds. I was kinda in shock since, it is a pro machine after all. I am assuming that laptop had a 5400rpm drive.

Would I notice a difference doing photoshop work, or light video editing with imovie/final cut express? I really wanted the faster drive because my current windows computer takes forever to boot up as well as opening programs, and more than anything, I just want stuff to open up faster :( hehe.

7200rpm drives do not significantly impact battery life.There are tons of info on the web site I listed, just read up on the info there. Faster read = shorter time needed to open app / file.

The Apple Store demo laptops all comes with default drives, 5400rpm. If you want 7200rpm you can either get built to order or do it yourself (but if you are asking this question, then you probably want to get built to order).

If money is no issue, then get 1 or 2 external bus powered firewire 800 raid disk as file / scratch disk. (I use the Lacie Little Big Disk). If you have that, you would need to back up like anything sitting on raid arrays.

[El Phantasmo]

quick question... lets say i have a 5400rpm on my (future) MBP and an external FW400 7200rpm drive.... if i set up photoshop to use the FW drive as scratch disk, will i get better performance than using the internal drive?

[Consultant]

quick question... lets say i have a 5400rpm on my (future) MBP and an external FW400 7200rpm drive.... if i set up photoshop to use the FW drive as scratch disk, will i get better performance than using the internal drive?

In general, having a dedicated drive for scratch will improve performance.

However, Firewire 400 will limit your external drive speed to same speed if not slower than your internal. Firewire 800 will not have the issue. For a pro, a few hundred dollars on a faster drive is worth it.

You can go with eSATA too but those are not bus powered, so eSATA with desktop drive(s) would be a good desktop setup.

[bayol05]

Ok ok. How about this: Bottom line, is the 7200 upgrade worth the price?

[El Phantasmo]

Firewire 400 will limit your external drive speed to same speed if not slower than your internal.

cool! thanks for the answer..

i had been wondering the speed difference between those two for a while...

[CrackedButter]

Choose size over speed. Thats how I roll

I roll the opposite way.

Btw, thanks Consultant for the info, I was going to chime in myself and nullify that false information myself. :)

[Consultant]

cool! thanks for the answer..

i had been wondering the speed difference between those two for a while...

In theory,
Firewire 400 max speed is 49 MB/s
Firewire 800 max speed is twice as fast
In practice it's a little slower. So just look up your internal drive speed for comparison.


Ok ok. How about this: Bottom line, is the 7200 upgrade worth the price?

Yes, if you are a specific type of user. Read the article!

No, if you are only web surfing, checking email, and doing basic things.

[RHD]

If you are doing video effects and 3D the faster drive makes more sense. That is what I am getting as I do 3D and Rendering.

If it's loud and it's hot then it just is.
I'll turn the music up and take my jumper off.

[Ryox]

This helped clarify things for me.
Hope it helps.

http://www.barefeats.com/5472.html

[ntrigue]

Yes, you can. You can buy a separate SSD and put it into an MBP or MB.


On the contrary, a member experienced critical sleep and wifi issues.

[thinkband]

That link is very good. Here's my take:

If you do___Video editing, highly demanding tasks, 7200 rpm makes a significant difference, but expect it to run hotter and it'll be louder.

If you do___anything photoshop and less, 5200rpm will be fine for you, since the drive does not make that much difference.

[bijou]

This evening I upgraded the 5400 120 gig drive with a 200 gig 7200 Hitachi drive.
WOW, this thing is fast!:D

BTW, the upgrade is pretty easy. Just don't mix up the screws and you're in business.

[ChaosAngel]

This evening I upgraded the 5400 120 gig drive with a 200 gig 7200 Hitachi drive.
WOW, this thing is fast!:D

BTW, the upgrade is pretty easy. Just don't mix up the screws and you're in business.

Any benchmarks?

[redAPPLE]

so how LOUD is LOUD?

is there a significant difference?

[djejrejk]

I upgraded my 2.33 mbp from a stock 120gb 5400rpm drive to a Hitachi 7k200 (200gb 7200rpm). It was a great upgrade in terms of storage space and speed. The speed boost was very noticeable and the effects on battery life were not noticeable. Also, the drive is still very quiet,.. on a rare occasion, I can hear the drive spinning,.. but its not very noticeable.

I would recommend the upgrade to anyone.

[Azmordean]

Ok, sorry to resurrect this thread.. but the "is it worth the price" dilemma has hit me. The problem I have is this - if I take a stock base model, I can get it from MacMall - no tax and a $150 mail in rebate.. the total price ends up being $1850.

If I want the 7200RPM hard drive, then I have to go BTO through Apple. No mail in rebate, yes tax, total price is like $2200. So for me its not a $100 upgrade, its $350. Thats a chunk of change. On the one hand, I tell myself its not even close to worth it. On the other, I know hard drives to be a huge bottleneck speed wise, and it has been my experience that 7200rpm drives make things substantially snappier, even for everyday tasks. Note however that I am NOT a pro, though I do use my computer for sometimes intensive things, such as gaming.

I'd love to save the cash, but I don't want to regret it and gimp my new computer over 350 bucks. Thoughts?

[skemmuni]

Macworld just made a test:

"Another optional feature, the 200GB, 7,200-rpm hard drive, proved to be a big help in our disk-intensive tests. For example, the customized MacBook Pro was 14 percent faster than the standard 2.5GHz system when unzipping a compressed 2GB file and 22 percent faster when duplicating a 1GB folder in the Finder. A faster hard drive will definitely help when copying and manipulating large files and folders, or if your system is running low on memory or working on projects too big to held in memory. The downside to this 7,200-rpm option is, of course, its lower capacity than the 250GB drive that comes standard on the MacBook Pro as well as its $50 boost to your price tag."

http://www.macworld.com/article/132600/2008/03/mbpro_bto.html (http://www.macworld.com/article/132600/2008/03/mbpro_bto.html)

[Cave Man]

And also see this:

http://www23.tomshardware.com/storage25.html

You should seriously consider the Samsung or WD 320 gig drives.

[andrewdale]

Macworld just made a test:

"Another optional feature, the 200GB, 7,200-rpm hard drive, proved to be a big help in our disk-intensive tests. For example, the customized MacBook Pro was 14 percent faster than the standard 2.5GHz system when unzipping a compressed 2GB file and 22 percent faster when duplicating a 1GB folder in the Finder. A faster hard drive will definitely help when copying and manipulating large files and folders, or if your system is running low on memory or working on projects too big to held in memory. The downside to this 7,200-rpm option is, of course, its lower capacity than the 250GB drive that comes standard on the MacBook Pro as well as its $50 boost to your price tag."

http://www.macworld.com/article/132600/2008/03/mbpro_bto.html (http://www.macworld.com/article/132600/2008/03/mbpro_bto.html)

I like seeing that. Considering I'm frequenly copying audio recordings that can be upwards of 5-10GB per song.

[johnellisdm]

something i've noticed with my new mbp with the 7200 drive: it seems to get very very hot.

some history:

a while ago (2 years) i got a mbp with a 7200 drive. it was very very hot when running.

i traded it to a friend for a mbp with a 5400 drive (larger memory capacity) and it was only very hot.

now, i got the latest mbp (2.6ghz) with the 7200 and again, it is very very hot when running.

i'm guessing it is the drive, cause i heard that this new processor (penryn) is supposed to run much cooler. i also have an LED backlight, which is also supposed to be cooler, but this thing is not... it is much hotter than the one with the 5400 drive in it.

it is quick, though

[tmoney468]

I've posted this before but I went from a 100GB 7200 drive to a 320GB 5400 drive (Samsung) and my computer is actually faster than it was before. It all depends on what you need it for I guess, but my guess is that the highest capacity 5400 drives will be about as fast as the 7200 drives...the 7200 drives will have an advantage but probably not that much.

[alphaod]

The general uses the 200GB 7.2k is not much faster than the 250GB 5.4k, but for random seeks, the difference is noticeable.

[Neil321]

I've posted this before but I went from a 100GB 7200 drive to a 320GB 5400 drive (Samsung) and my computer is actually faster than it was before. It all depends on what you need it for I guess, but my guess is that the highest capacity 5400 drives will be about as fast as the 7200 drives...the 7200 drives will have an advantage but probably not that much.

Basically its down to the number of platters & data density,the 320GB has two platters the 7200 has
three,so therefor the data is denser over two platters = better performance

[Nichod]

hmmm. a 7200 RPM HD shouldn't generate that much heat. Most have a similar heat rating. Personally I think 7200 should be standard in the Pro models.

[jjahshik32]

hands down 7200rpm unless you only care about storage (but thats what external hdd is for) :D

[Azmordean]

hands down 7200rpm unless you only care about storage (but thats what external hdd is for) :D

Yah, some of my more computer geek buddies said it was worth it.. So I'm gonna go for it. Rather pay some extra cash than constantly be thinking, I wish I had that 7200rpm drive :)

[jjahshik32]

Yah, some of my more computer geek buddies said it was worth it.. So I'm gonna go for it. Rather pay some extra cash than constantly be thinking, I wish I had that 7200rpm drive :)

With a 7200rpm drive multitasking, extracting, opening, searching, etc... will be heavily felt my friend! :D

I rather have a smaller faster drive (work horse) to get the job done fast so I can connect to the firewire 800 external drive (1tb) to just transfer it into. Plus the 7200rpm drives these days comes in 200-250gb which I think is plenty.

[GotPro]

I've posted this before but I went from a 100GB 7200 drive to a 320GB 5400 drive (Samsung) and my computer is actually faster than it was before. It all depends on what you need it for I guess, but my guess is that the highest capacity 5400 drives will be about as fast as the 7200 drives...the 7200 drives will have an advantage but probably not that much.

That's comparing apples to oranges.

Your 100GB 7200RPM drive was a few generations old, and the new 320GB 5400 Drive is brand new...

If you'd put a NEW 7200RPM state of the art drive in your machine that had an OLD 5400RPM drive in it... the difference would have been even that much more.

As platters get denser, the throughput increases.

So you can't compare 5400/7200 RPM drives from different drive generations... only CURRENT generations.

[tmoney468]

That's comparing apples to oranges.

Your 100GB 7200RPM drive was a few generations old, and the new 320GB 5400 Drive is brand new...

If you'd put a NEW 7200RPM state of the art drive in your machine that had an OLD 5400RPM drive in it... the difference would have been even that much more.

As platters get denser, the throughput increases.

So you can't compare 5400/7200 RPM drives from different drive generations... only CURRENT generations.

So I can't compare different generations, but it's OK for you to do it in your post? I was just speaking from personal experience that for me I noticed an increase in performance when I upgraded my drive. I know all about platters and density.

Back to the topic, Samsung announced a 250 GB 7200 drive with their new line so that should be available sometime (all though I don't know if apple will make these available).

[gonwk]

Hi folks,:)

Thanks for lot of great input ... I want to aim my Q to all but also hope to hear from "Consultant" and "GotPro" ...

I am just getting ready to order a brand new laptop ... so I assume the manufacturer uses the latest Generation HD ...

BTW, both drives Cost the same so $$$ is not a factor here (getting discount).

With that in mind which one these 2 HD will give me the BEST performance in dealing with Video Editing

A) 250GB SATA Hard Disk Drive [5400 rpm]
B) 200GB SATA Hard Disk Drive [7200 rpm]

Thanks,

G!:confused:

[bart rijksen]

I have a 7200 200gb and it is so nice and fast. It rocks. I just use it for basic stuff, but it is awesome. I don't really notice any more noise, it is the same as the dell laptops we have, and i don't really notice the temp increase

[GotPro]

Let's just put it this way.

I recently got my new MacBook Pro with the 7200RPM hard disk.

My "boss" who is the head of the IT department (I support ~300 Macs for the University of Texas System) had the almost identical 15" MacBook Pro, save with the 5400RPM hard disk.

After playing around with mine... he has a 7200RPM hard disk sitting on his desk waiting to be installed.

He's pissed he didn't order it with the faster drive.

:-)

[WorldIRC]

I just put a 500gb drive in my laptop! Because of the drive density, the thing flies compared to the 320

[gonwk]

Hi folks,

@ GotPro ... THANKS ... UT guy ... Longhorns all the way (Austin campus).

I guess due to my choices ... I am jumping at the 7200 one.

Thanks everyone,

G!:)

[Cave Man]

Let's just put it this way.

I recently got my new MacBook Pro with the 7200RPM hard disk.

My "boss" who is the head of the IT department (I support ~300 Macs for the University of Texas System) had the almost identical 15" MacBook Pro, save with the 5400RPM hard disk.

After playing around with mine... he has a 7200RPM hard disk sitting on his desk waiting to be installed.

He's pissed he didn't order it with the faster drive.

:-)

1. What size is the 5400?
2. Have you breached the 80% capacity yet?

[Cave Man]

I just put a 500gb drive in my laptop! Because of the drive density, the thing flies compared to the 320

How many platters in your 500 gig? Has to be at least 3 since saturation seems to be about 170 gigs per platter on a 2.5" drive.

[Cave Man]

I guess due to my choices ... I am jumping at the 7200 one.

If you're doing principally video work, I'm not so sure that's a wise decision. Your biggest issue is the size of DV files, not hard drive speed. Plus, video uses a lot of sustained writes, where the higher density drives excel.

[gonwk]

Hi

@ Cave Man ... I think with this reply I am hearing you Loud & Clear :D ... going with the 320GB ... also Tom's Hardware rates it #1.

My only Q ... let's say I am too cheap and I go with the 250GB becuase it is $100+ cheaper ... how hard is it to swap to 320GB or even 500GB at a later date and have my OS installed since the darn OS now comes on the HD and not as a Stand-alone install DVD or CD!?!?

Thanks,

G!:)

[Concorde Rules]

7200!

The power difference is <1W at normal usage and just over > 1W when starting up.

Only reason to get 5400 is if you need more space!

[tmoney468]

7200!

The power difference is <1W at normal usage and just over > 1W when starting up.

Only reason to get 5400 is if you need more space!

Or if you get the 500Gb, 5400 RPM drive, you would get it for speed AND space.

[fourthtunz]

very true, because im also using 7200 HD, and i totally regret it as it makes my MBP alot more heat faster than my friend's 5400 HD MBP

my suggestion is

stick with the default 160 gig 5400

and buy an external HD that runs 7200

that way, is better, you can store your files on the external HD without having to fear for an overheat for your MBP

Yeah, what he said! You'll get more speed writing to a non system drive, it'll probably be cheaper than what you'd pay for the upgrade to the 7200 and your battery will last longer when you aren't chained to the wall.
:D

[Cave Man]

Yeah, what he said! You'll get more speed writing to a non system drive, it'll probably be cheaper than what you'd pay for the upgrade to the 7200 and your battery will last longer when you aren't chained to the wall.
:D

Unless he gets an eSATA card he will not have better performance than his internal drive. It is a 1.5 mbps SATA, vs. max 800 mbps FW800. It doesn't really matter if the drive is 7200 rpm or not - the bottleneck is the external's controller.

[Cave Man]

My only Q ... let's say I am too cheap and I go with the 250GB becuase it is $100+ cheaper ... how hard is it to swap to 320GB or even 500GB at a later date and have my OS installed since the darn OS now comes on the HD and not as a Stand-alone install DVD or CD!?!?

I replaced my MBP hard drive in about 20 minutes. Not hard, you just have to take your time. Keep the screws in an ice tray for each step of the process and follow the video from MacSales.com to do it.

Cloning the drive is easy, too, provided you have an external enclosure or a Universal Drive Adapter. Just download Carbon Copy Cloner (free) and it will make a bootable clone of your current drive onto the new one.

[alphaod]

Yeah, what he said! You'll get more speed writing to a non system drive, it'll probably be cheaper than what you'd pay for the upgrade to the 7200 and your battery will last longer when you aren't chained to the wall.
:D

I'd get the internal drive, but that's me; I carry my iTunes library around; don't want to plug a drive in everytime I want to listen to some tunes.

[gonwk]

Hi folks,

@ Cave Man - when is your B'Day ... I am going to get you a present for all the HELP you have been giving us (ME) ... THANKS A BUNCH for all of you r help & specifically for the TIP on how to change out my HD.

G!:)

[fourthtunz]

Unless he gets an eSATA card he will not have better performance than his internal drive. It is a 1.5 mbps SATA, vs. max 800 mbps FW800. It doesn't really matter if the drive is 7200 rpm or not - the bottleneck is the external's controller.

Yeah, i don't have the latest rendering times with the 7200 rpm internal drives but usually for video/3d you go with an external drive. Same for protools but he didn't mention that. I guess it depends how serious he is about video/3d etc.
If he's not that serious he may want to check out the top of the line macbook.
almost the same processor right? It also depends how much jing he wants to spend, my last 10 or so macs have been refurbs, very nice way to go imo.

[fourthtunz]

I'd get the internal drive, but that's me; I carry my iTunes library around; don't want to plug a drive in everytime I want to listen to some tunes.

Well when he mentioned video editing/3d my inclination was to go with the external drive. Best of both worlds go big 5400 and if that doesn't handle his needs get an external drive. Yeah if he's got a big music/video collection he'll want the big drive. I don't keep alot of movies on my internal HD but that's me. With the 8 gig dvds being as cheap as they are, I just offloaded some movies onto a couple of those and load them back on the drive if I get the urge to watch a movie I have it with me.

[Cave Man]

If he's not that serious he may want to check out the top of the line macbook.
almost the same processor right? It also depends how much jing he wants to spend, my last 10 or so macs have been refurbs, very nice way to go imo.

I agree. For video or photo work, I'd buy the middle MacBook and with the savings off a MBP, pick up the Samsung 500 gig internal drive ($300), a 24" external display ($350), and bluetooth keyboard and mouse ($100). Alternatively, instead of the bigger internal, buy a 1 TB firewire drive. Editing video on a laptop can be challenging because of the small screen size.

Of course, if he's planning on using Motion or Color, then gotta go with a MBP.

[fourthtunz]

I agree. For video or photo work, I'd buy the middle MacBook and with the savings off a MBP, pick up the Samsung 500 gig internal drive ($300), a 24" external display ($350), and bluetooth keyboard and mouse ($100). Alternatively, instead of the bigger internal, buy a 1 TB firewire drive. Editing video on a laptop can be challenging because of the small screen size.

Of course, if he's planning on using Motion or Color, then gotta go with a MBP.

Since you're on the subect...I haven't yet loaded final cut onto my macbook just use the G5,( I haven't done much video lately) but how is final cut on a macbook? Kinda on topic..which esata card do you recommend?
Anyhow, this guys has lots of opinions and options!:D
Peace

[Cave Man]

I have a MBP and FCE, but had a MB prior and FCE ran just fine on it. The MBP is faster, but only by virtue of its processor (2.4 gHz C2D vs. 2.0 gHz C2D).

[beck]

I just upgraded my hard drive today to 7200 and i can noitce a nice speed bump. I've always felt my mbp is a touch slugish, this has helped it along, worth it imo

this is what i got this: http://www.span.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=16013

Its probably quieter than the stock hard drive. I don't do many demanding things with my computer either but still feel it was worth it for the snappyness

[wrongrobot]

I found it difficult NOT to put the 7200 RPM drive into the MBP. Why compromise performance, even modestly, on the drive that houses your OS?

[SamoanDude]

I got the 7200 RPM for my Macbook, and can't even tell the difference. But I love the extra storage capacity :)

[GotPro]

I just upgraded my hard drive today to 7200 and i can noitce a nice speed bump. I've always felt my mbp is a touch slugish, this has helped it along, worth it imo

this is what i got this: http://www.span.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=16013

Its probably quieter than the stock hard drive. I don't do many demanding things with my computer either but still feel it was worth it for the snappyness

A 7200 RPM drive will most definitely make the computer "snappier".

The problem that some on here have is they are apparently comparing today's 5400 RPM drives to yesterday's 7200 RPM drives.

Doesn't work.

A much denser "current" 5400 RPM drive will seem faster than an older 7200 RPM drive that has been bogged down with an installed OS that is a few years old now.

However, if these same people had replaced their "old" 7200 RPM drive with a 5400 RPM drive from the same ERA or generation of drives, there would be no speed increase.

When considering a 7200 vs 5400 RPM drive, it must always be within the context of same-generation drives.

I was chided earlier for comparing a 7200 RPM new generation drive to older 5400 RPM drives... however my point was just that... that it's fools gold to do so. And to further illustrate that point... I simply pointed out that a CURRENT 7200 RPM drive would make an older 5400 RPM drive look like a bad monkey doing a math problem... which, although not said, but inferred... meant that you can't compare generational drives. If you are going to replace your drive with newer technology, then compare only drives of that generation.

7200 RPM drives will ALWAYS be a better choice for a boot drive than a 5400 RPM drive... IF the goal is to have a snappy, speedy boot OS drive.

Obviously, everyone's goals are not the same. If space is the ultimate deciding factor for you, then a larger 5400 RPM drive is the wise choice.

Me, personally?

I'd rather have a current, fast 7200 RPM 200 Gig Boot Drive (as I do) and for storage, maybe connect a 2 TB Raid 0 Lacie drive through FW800 if I needed a ton of space! ;-)

[WorldIRC]

How many platters in your 500 gig? Has to be at least 3 since saturation seems to be about 170 gigs per platter on a 2.5" drive.

5 platters..12.5mm.. Only fits in MBP 17" but b/c that's what I have, I was able to get it instead of waiting for the samsung!

[bobcan]

You (and others) may wanna check this one out... the Standard Hitachi 7k200 is being Upgraded soon!! WAY More space and Less Power usage... seems too perfect!! Should be out soon... I hope.. :D

Hitachi Global Storage Technologies today is set to unveil a 320GB mobile computer hard disk drive that offers 60% more capacity and requires some 25% less power than its year-old predecessor.

The new 2.5-in. Travelstar 7K320, which spins at speeds of up to 7,200 rpm, is available in models with capacities ranging from 80GB to 320GB. The device can run applications 12% faster than the Travelstar 7200 model it is replacing, said Larry Sweezey, director of consumer and commercial hard disk drives at the San Jose-based subsidiary of Hitachi Ltd.

[Cave Man]

You (and others) may wanna check this one out... the Standard Hitachi 7k200 is being Upgraded soon!! WAY More space and Less Power usage... seems too perfect!! Should be out soon... I hope.. :D

The device can run applications 12% faster than the Travelstar 7200 model it is replacing

There you go. Higher platter density in action! Let's see how the Samsung 500 does when its available.

[gonwk]

Hi folks,:)

@ GotPro, Cave Man & BobCan, when I think you folks have given the best answer ... you again Surprise me with your inputs ... "in a good way" ... more insights for novices like me.

Q1: Hey GotPro, let me see if I understand you correctly ... if I am comparing "Same Generation" 2.5" HDs the 200GB-7200RPM HD will be definitely Faster than 250GB-5400RPM or even a 320GB-5400RPM!?!?
BTW, Storage space is not of a concern to me ... only running Video Softwares ... lot of intense Processor work.

Q2: GotPro, is there a special reason you have chosen "Lacie Drive" for the 2TB or can I go with any HD company?

Thanks,

G!:D

[sdsviet]

ok i have a dilemma here. i just picked up my friends 1st gen mbp for a decent price. here's the specs

MBP 1st Gen 15'
2.0ghz CD
256mb Vram
7k100gb hdd
2gb Ram Maxed

i really need to get a bigger hdd. i saw that the 5k500 is finally out for the 15' but its $350 and i definately cant afford that. my range is around $200, i would put down $250 for the 5k500 if it evers drop that low. i mainly will be doing tons of file transfer for especially photo management. i have about 20gbs worth of images that i will eventually have aperature and iphoto manage. those 20gbs of images are only friends and family stuff. i will soon pick up an 30d and make a lot of raw images. im trying to learn final cut right now just to play with but i do occasionally do video conversions so i can watch stuff on my divx dvd player. does anyone have an idea when the 7k320 will be out and how much it might cost. if its gonna cost in the range of the 5k500 then i cant afford that. am i better off just getting the 5k320 now? so will the 5k affect a lot of what i will be doing if i get the 5k320 now? i really dont know what to do right now. kinda lost at the moment.

[sdsviet]

too late. i jumped the gun on this one. decided to order the 5k320. i figure with my price range i wont get the 5k500 or the 7k320 for awhile for them to lower in price. also i know the 5k320 will definitely be faster than my old 7k100 that i have. i guess i just wanted something faster since i couldnt do anything with the 2gb ram that is maxed on this machine. also picked up some arctic silver 5 for the mbp. hopefully that will help with all the heat im getting.

[Kaupa]

Be carefull with that arctic silver! If you use to much it will squeeze out and may cause short circuits on GPU or northbridge (dont know how the CPU looks, but on the 2.4 CPU there are no revealed contacts)...

[sdsviet]

well i bought it just in case since i have the 1st gen mbp. im gonna check and see if it has the glop of thermal grease that's been plagueing a lot of 1st gen mbps. if so ima gonna clean it off and apply the grain of rice size that everyone's been suggesting.

[Kaupa]

Well, i have been watching the technician changing the logicboard of my 2.4 MBP and there has been a huge waste of thermal paste on it!
There also have been 2 small tubes with the spare board and one was enough:eek:

[sdsviet]

im hoping there is actually a huge glop of paste on it so i can at least conclude to why my mbp gets ridiculously hot. lets hope the new grease adn 5k320 will drop the heat on my mbp a little so i can at least have it on my lap for more then 5 mins.

[MacHappytjg]

well i bought it just in case since i have the 1st gen mbp. im gonna check and see if it has the glop of thermal grease that's been plagueing a lot of 1st gen mbps. if so ima gonna clean it off and apply the grain of rice size that everyone's been suggesting.

hey how big of a hd can the first gen macbook read cause im thinking about buying a bigger harddrive to replace my 60gb:p

[sdsviet]

i believe they can read as high as they make it now, which is 500gb i believe. u just have to make sure the size of the hdd is 9.5mm.

[alphaod]

too late. i jumped the gun on this one. decided to order the 5k320. i figure with my price range i wont get the 5k500 or the 7k320 for awhile for them to lower in price. also i know the 5k320 will definitely be faster than my old 7k100 that i have. i guess i just wanted something faster since i couldnt do anything with the 2gb ram that is maxed on this machine. also picked up some arctic silver 5 for the mbp. hopefully that will help with all the heat im getting.

Good thing you bought the 5K320, because the 5K500 doesn't fit in the 15" MBP.

Also be very careful with the thermal paste; put some of the cables back together is a bitch.

[sdsviet]

actually the 5k500 from owc is 9.5mm. but its freaking $350 which is money i dont have. haha but yea this will be my first time with this mbp. i dont think it'll be a problem for me since i've had experience with the old ibooks. those sucked.

[alphaod]

actually the 5k500 from owc is 9.5mm. but its freaking $350 which is money i dont have. haha but yea this will be my first time with this mbp. i dont think it'll be a problem for me since i've had experience with the old ibooks. those sucked.

Well unless we are describing different things, the 5K500 is a Hitachi drive which is 12.5mm. If you talking about about the 9.5mm drive that would be the Samsung M6.... :D

[Kaupa]

I also have the 320GB WD becasue bigger one were noch available yet here in Germany (and I think I would pay twice as much for 180gig more).
My new HDD becomes hotter than the fujitsu which was in!

[sdsviet]

wow. damn u western digital. they just released the 7k320 for $250. that was actually in my price range but i dont know if i can justified paying the extra $100 for 7200rpm. i wasnt planning to do hardcore encoding and rendering all the time so i guess i can lose out on some speed when i do do it. i really just wanted to make my machine a little faster since my ram is cap at 2gb.

[ZolakJHS]

I got the 7200 RPM hard drive as I use my MBP as a desktop replacement and wanted desktop speed. Personally I love it, its quiet, and snappy fast (if that is a real term). If you can go without the extra 50G of space I would definitely go for it.

[MacHappytjg]

Well unless we are describing different things, the 5K500 is a Hitachi drive which is 12.5mm. If you talking about about the 9.5mm drive that would be the Samsung M6.... :D

yea im completely off topic here im talking about a macbook normal 1st gen and somone said it didnt read there 250 they bought for it

[ManyMacs]

Many opinions and links to benchmark tests have been cited within this thread. Please do not forget to explore changes in drive read/write times as data consumes more and more of the hard drive's allowable capacity.

More food for thought...

[Mariano Rivera]

Sorry, I'm deleting this post because I didn't ask the right question.

[Mariano Rivera]

see above

[keithOrbit]

You do Visual Effects/3D Animation, the 7200 rpm HDD will not make it faster than the 5400 rpm HDD , please install RAM 2gb or heigher. it will take it faster than change 7200 rpm HDD.

[fehhkk]

Some XBench comparisons between the stock 320GB HDD (Hitachi Travelstar 5K500 320GB 5400rpm) and a Seagate Momentus 7200.4 500GB:

Before:

Results 47.36
System Info
Xbench Version 1.3
System Version 10.5.7 (9J3050)
Physical RAM 4096 MB
Model MacBookPro5,3
Drive Type Hitachi HTS545032B9SA02

Disk Test 47.36
Sequential 93.80
Uncached Write 105.70 64.90 MB/sec [4K blocks]
Uncached Write 97.43 55.12 MB/sec [256K blocks]
Uncached Read 68.43 20.03 MB/sec [4K blocks]
Uncached Read 120.41 60.52 MB/sec [256K blocks]
Random 31.67
Uncached Write 11.36 1.20 MB/sec [4K blocks]
Uncached Write 69.22 22.16 MB/sec [256K blocks]
Uncached Read 66.95 0.47 MB/sec [4K blocks]
Uncached Read 112.19 20.82 MB/sec [256K blocks]

After:

Results 55.67
System Info
Xbench Version 1.3
System Version 10.5.7 (9J3050)
Physical RAM 4096 MB
Model MacBookPro5,3
Drive Type ST9500420AS
Disk Test 55.67
Sequential 124.79
Uncached Write 142.81 87.69 MB/sec [4K blocks]
Uncached Write 155.03 87.72 MB/sec [256K blocks]
Uncached Read 76.52 22.39 MB/sec [4K blocks]
Uncached Read 180.71 90.82 MB/sec [256K blocks]
Random 35.83
Uncached Write 11.53 1.22 MB/sec [4K blocks]
Uncached Write 160.76 51.47 MB/sec [256K blocks]
Uncached Read 83.57 0.59 MB/sec [4K blocks]
Uncached Read 149.47 27.74 MB/sec [256K blocks]


Definitely speedier than before, well worth the upgrade :)

[calvinsc]

Any updates/inputs with regards to 5400rpm vs 7200 rpm with the June 2009 MBP?