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320GB 7200rpm vs 500GB 5400rpm?

MacFanUK

MacFanUK

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jul 29, 2009
546
0
UK
I am buying 13" Macbook Pro next week and I was wondering which hard drive I should go for?

I will be buying the hard drive and upgrading it myself, but which of these would be better?

The 320GB Western Digital Black 7200rpm Hard Drive with no Free Fall or
The 500GB Western Digital Blue 5400rpm Hard Drive with no Free Fall

I have heard that the WD Blue drives are equal to other 7200rpm drives but is that really true? I've always had a 5400rpm hard drive in laptops so it would be nice to have something faster for a change.

I would say 320GB would be sufficient capacity wise, but more would be better (although not at the sacrifice of speed).
 
The Scorpio Black 320GB is one of the fastest drives out there (next to the WD Scorpio Blue 500GB and the Seagate 7200.4).
 
Hold on a sec.

axboi87 said:
You don't have to compromise space for speed...they make a 500gb 7200rpm drive
Click to expand...

Yeah but it turns your computer into a vibrator though. I guess that might now be a negative in some cases. But seriously, there are alot of issues with that drive. Many people have said that it makes loud noise/ vibrations and runs very hot in the macbook. I think the general consensus is to go with the WD Blue 500. Thats what I have and it much quicker than the stock drives IMO.
 
Can't speak for the unibody's, but in my white Macbook the 7200 RPM drive buzzed and rattled and drove me crazy (not to mention lesser battery life). I went back to a 5400 RPM (of course, I'd already gave away my old 120 GB and had to buy a new one - I hadn't got the 7200 for size, but speed).
 
js81 said:
Can't speak for the unibody's, but in my white Macbook the 7200 RPM drive buzzed and rattled and drove me crazy (not to mention lesser battery life). I went back to a 5400 RPM (of course, I'd already gave away my old 120 GB and had to buy a new one - I hadn't got the 7200 for size, but speed).
Click to expand...

You should send the drive to WD for a replacement. It shouldn't vibrate. I have two of them and neither vibrate. I did have one which had a very slight vibration (enough for me, anyway, especially right under my palm) and WD swapped it no questions asked. I did it all through their on-line warranty service (they will even send one out before receiving your old one, if you guarantee it with a credit card).

(Mine is mounted in a 17" UB MBP)
 
The WD Scorpio Black is a great drive. I had it installed into a white Mac book but later sold it to my sister to get the MBP. She still owns it and never complains of any Vibration. In fact she only speaks of it as being very fast.

The Drive was purchased from Best Buy & came with the free fall. It is sold as model WD 3200KTRTL.
 
Thanks for all the comments. I have gone for the 320GB WD Black. If I have 'vibration issues' I will look at the 500GB WD Blue and stick the 320GB in the Dell laptop I've just ordered.
 
Personally, I noticed little difference between the 7200 and the 5400 (it was a little faster, but I could feel the vibration through the keys and trackpad). I'm (and more importantly, my wife) happy with the 5400 RPM we bought. I'm just bummed that I had already given away the 120 GB original drive when I decided this.

And mine was a 200 GB Seagate Momentus. Not sure if that was part of the issue or not, but it definitely did vibrate AND took 30-45 minutes off the battery life (from over 5 hours to barely 4.5). I tried reinstalling it and tightening everything down to quell the vibration, but nothing worked. Oh, well - I sold it and bought a replacement 160 GB 5400 RPM and made a little money. :)
 
I upgraded to a 500gb seagate 7200 rpm and it doesn't turn my MBP into a vibrator. Works fine, no additional noise or heat, but much faster :D
 
I also have Seagate's 500GB 7200rpm drive in my unibody MacBook, and it runs great. It doesn't get hot at all and it's not all that noisier than my original 250GB 5400rpm drive. Just make sure you fasten the screws really well, otherwise noise will be an issue. It's a great drive, really, so there's indeed no need at all to compromise on either speed or size.
 
I bought a 500GB 5400 drive for my unibody MacBook and have been very pleased with it. I decided to go for this instead of the 500/7200 on the premises that 1) I'd never notice the difference in transfer or access rates and 2) a slower drive would draw less power and thus extend battery life. Noise and vibration are indistinguishable from the stock unit (which I keep in the included free enclosure as a spare drive). Instantly going from 35GB free to 365 GB free was a liberating feeling indeed. :)
 
I upgraded my stock 120GB 5400 on my MBP to the 320GB 7200 WD (Black I believe), and have noticed an increased in 1) slight noise. 2) slight vibration.
Its speed and increased size, however, make up for the cons.

I am debating on whether to upgrade to the 500GB 7200 RPM on my next uMBP purchase - sometime after Apple releases the newer models.
Is 7200 worth it? Is there a noticeable difference as far as performance, battery life, noise, vibration, speed? Yeah, I think so.
 
320 versus 500 GB in Macbook Pro

I have previously upgrade my MBP (early 2008) from the default 200 GB 7200 drive to a 320 GB Scorpio Black 7200 and then to a Momentus 500 GB 7200 drive. They are all the same in terms of noise, but the 500 GB is such an improvement in terms of room for files. HTH. SS
 
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