WD Scorpio 320GB Hard Drive w. Macbook [Confirmed to be working]

[nyprimus4]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...corpio%2b320gb

Anyone have it in their Macbook yet? I was thinking about getting a 500GB external but that would defeat the purpose of the portablity of the Macbook. I'm really interested in it. Let me know if anyone has it and if it is worth it.

[sunfast]

I've got the 250GB Scorpio and I'm very happy with it.

Is it a 9.5mm drive? It doesn't say on the newegg link (unless I'm being blind...)

[nyprimus4]

Rather then be raped by Apple's upgrade prices I think I'm going to get that and the $60 2GB of Corsair RAM set for my new Macbook. Should come out to just about or under $275 for both.

[RaceTripper]

Originally Posted by sunfast

I've got the 250GB Scorpio and I'm very happy with it.

Is it a 9.5mm drive? It doesn't say on the newegg link (unless I'm being blind...)

It is a 9.5 mm drive. The Newegg site doesn't say, but it links to the WD site which does say. Only has a 8 MB cache I believe.

[notengolegs]

http://www.iresq.com/blog/?p=53

Looks like these guys are doing it, its the only place I can see that has the service offered so far. And it is a 2.5mm drive. Now I just need to save up

[RaceTripper]

Originally Posted by notengolegs

http://www.iresq.com/blog/?p=53

Looks like these guys are doing it, its the only place I can see that has the service offered so far. And it is a 2.5mm drive. Now I just need to save up

You would be paying them about $200 for something you can do yourself in 15 minutes. The drive is $209 from Newegg. You can get the tools you need (#00 phillips and a #6 Torx) for less than $15.

I've already swapped the drive in my MBP once. It's very easy and low risk.

[UltraNEO*]

Originally Posted by RaceTripper

You would be paying them about $200 for something you can do yourself in 15 minutes. The drive is $209 from Newegg. You can get the tools you need (#00 phillips and a #6 Torx) for less than $15.

I've already swapped the drive in my MBP once. It's very easy and low risk.

Yep.. I did the same! Actually within the first week, cause those guys called "apple genius" wouldn't do it, even though i'm paying them... go figure.



But be aware that swapping the HD does void your warranty though, ifyour mac dies, just swap the old drive back in! (Apple won't know... unless you've torn something, or lost some screws)

[notengolegs]

Originally Posted by UltraNEO*

But be aware that swapping the HD does void your warranty though, ifyour mac dies, just swap the old drive back in! (Apple won't know... unless you've torn something, or lost some screws)

Swapping the HD does not void your warranty, Apple simply will not cover the hard drive. Apple will warranty all of their original undamaged parts. If you end up damaging your computer in the HD replacement, then no, Apple wont cover that.

[anotherarunan]

Sorry if this is a dumb question...but do 7200rpm drives not work in laptops?

[notengolegs]

They do.

[TBi]

Originally Posted by anotherarunan

Sorry if this is a dumb question...but do 7200rpm drives not work in laptops?

If it's a laptop drive then yes.

[RaceTripper]

Originally Posted by anotherarunan

Sorry if this is a dumb question...but do 7200rpm drives not work in laptops?

I have a Hitachi 200 GB 7200 RPM drive.

For MBP laptops you need a 2.5" 9.5 mm SATA drive. The speed doesn't matter, although the faster drives *might* generate more heat and drain the battery faster. The Hitachi I'm using doesn't seem to, compared to the OEM drive (a 160GB 5400 RPM Hitachi).

[anotherarunan]

Originally Posted by notengolegs

They do.

So why dont people just put them in instead? Surely they're faster right?

[RaceTripper]

Originally Posted by anotherarunan

So why dont people just put them in instead? Surely they're faster right?

Not necessarily. The Hitachi 7K200 is a 1.5 Mbs SATA 7200 RPM drive with a 16 MB cache. The WD Scorpio is a 3 Mbs SATA 5400 RPM drive with a 8 MB cache. It's hard to say which of these will be faster in real world use.

[heatmiser]

Originally Posted by anotherarunan

So why dont people just put them in instead? Surely they're faster right?

They're sometimes faster, but to a lot of people, size is more important than speed. A 5400 drive is fast enough to do most things, and when combined with a large storage space plus a ram upgrade, it's often a better deal than paying extra for much less space in a slightly faster drive.

[DaLurker]

The other thing to keep in mind is larger drives have a higher density and this means better speeds. I'd go with the larger drive over a faster one.

[Stampyhead]

Originally Posted by notengolegs

http://www.iresq.com/blog/?p=53

Looks like these guys are doing it, its the only place I can see that has the service offered so far. And it is a 2.5mm drive. Now I just need to save up

Those guys are just a few blocks away from me so I'm considering having them swap out the HD on the 12" Powerbook I'm giving to my mom, but for a Macbook there's no reason not to do the swap yourself. Apple has made installing a HD in a Macbook so painfully easy that my 5 year old nephew could probably do it.

[Neil321]

been reading this thread with interest as im too thinking about getting myself
a new drive but am unsure if this WD 320gb will work in my macbook pro any
thoughts someone?

the reason for a new drive is the dreaded clicking noise but today i read that
the clicking noise is due to the fact that 2.5 drives are conceived as portable
devices and the clicking noise is the HDD heads intentionally docking to
improve damage resistance if jolted and most 2.5 drives do this

[RaceTripper]

Originally Posted by neil321

been reading this thread with interest as im too thinking about getting myself
a new drive but am unsure if this WD 320gb will work in my macbook pro any
thoughts someone?

the reason for a new drive is the dreaded clicking noise but today i read that
the clicking noise is due to the fact that 2.5 drives are conceived as portable
devices and the clicking noise is the HDD heads intentionally docking to
improve damage resistance if jolted and most 2.5 drives do this and mostly
when idle again any thoughts someone

This drive will work. I am ordering one for myself.
I have never heard any clicking noise on my MBP when the the drive sleeps.

[Neil321]

Originally Posted by RaceTripper

This drive will work. I am ordering one for myself.
I have never heard any clicking noise on my MBP when the the drive sleeps.

sorry was thinking of something else while typing, but is it true that the
clicking noise is nothing to worry about,you say the drive will work i take
it thats true for older models as your mac is newer than mine

[RaceTripper]

Originally Posted by neil321

sorry was thinking of something else while typing, but is it true that the
clicking noise is nothing to worry about,you say the drive will work i take
it thats true for older models as you mac is newer than mine

I'm saying my drive doesn't click. That noise is often indicative of imminent catastrophic drive failure.

The WD320 is a 2.5" 9.5 mm SATA drive. It should work in any MacBook Pro.

[Neil321]

Originally Posted by RaceTripper

I'm saying my drive doesn't click. That noise is often indicative of imminent catastrophic drive failure.

The WD320 is a 2.5" 9.5 mm SATA drive. It should work in any MacBook Pro.

ok thanks best get ordering one then

[MarlboroLite]

but related to hard drives....

If you decide to swap to a different hard drive, how do you transfer all your files and programs to the new hard drive? Do you clone it into an external and transfer everything through that or??

[iBunny]

Just to let you all know. The Hitachi 7K200 (200GB 7200rpm) Travelstar is the fastest Laptop Hard drive currently available. Please use the interweb and the google to find whatever review you would like.

[iBunny]

Originally Posted by MarlboroLite

but related to hard drives....

If you decide to swap to a different hard drive, how do you transfer all your files and programs to the new hard drive? Do you clone it into an external and transfer everything through that or??

Um?

Well its a brand new hard drive. So you would install your OS from the CD/DVD... and you would Download all your programs again or wahtever.... and you would have to back up all your data like docs/pix/music onto like an external hard drive or something first.