5400 or 7200 RPM HD? Also, which brand?

[imageWIS]

Hello All,

A family member gave me their MB Alum Unibody (2.0GHZ, 4 GB Ram) as a replacement for my older 07' white MB. I want to get a larger HD for it (320 or 500 GB), and was wondering which brand is best in terms of Apple compatibility? As well, would 5400 rpm be ok, or should I opt for 7200 rpm?

Thanks!

 

[robvas]

7200RPM is generally hotter and noiser + vibrations

I would get the WD Blue 1TB 5400RPM. Very fast drive.

 

[riam]

I Prefer the 7200rpm, yes it runs hotter than a 5400 but in terms of speed you can notice the difference specially when you have lots of files, there is a good deal in newegg in a seagate 750gb 7200 for 80 USD

 

[brentmore]

Yep, there's a fairly noticeable difference between the 5400 and 7200 drives. Though it'll run a bit hotter, it's never gotten to the point of being uncomfortable for me and the benefits certainly outweigh the drawbacks.

 

[MarkDK2]

I would agree on the 7200 the speed increase is worth a little extra heat. I have used the Seagate Momentus for this on my older white macbook. My 08 aluminum is running a SSD. Quite, Faster, Less battery consumption. and I got a 120gb on sale at Newegg for $69.99 shipped

 

[minifridge1138]

Personally I put 5400 rpm drives in laptops and 7200 rpm drives in desktops.

I do it more for battery life than heat or noise: spinning faster requires more power.

 

[GGJstudios]

There's more to the picture than rotation speed. Some 5400 drives are faster than some 7200 drives, due to higher density. Also, some 7200 drives are quieter, use less battery power and generate less heat than some 5400 drives. You just have to compare individual drives, as the characteristics vary widely.

 

[imageWIS]

There's more to the picture than rotation speed. Some 5400 drives are faster than some 7200 drives, due to higher density. Also, some 7200 drives are quieter, use less battery power and generate less heat than some 5400 drives. You just have to compare individual drives, as the characteristics vary widely.

Any recommendations (I'm looking for either 320 or 500GB)? Also how can I distinguish the densities on the different drives?

 

[Lance-AR]

The capacity divided by the number of platters should give a good indication of density for comparison. Although really I would think the number of heads would be more accurate.

 

[imageWIS]

I ended up getting a Western Digital 500GB Scorpio Black, 7200 RPM with 16 MB Data Buffer and Advanced Format increased density.

 

[Shamil]

I ended up getting a Western Digital 500GB Scorpio Black, 7200 RPM with 16 MB Data Buffer and Advanced Format increased density.

good choice.black is fastest among blue/green.

 

[imageWIS]

good choice.black is fastest among blue/green.

Thanks. First impressions:

Formatted and installed SL in about 25 minutes, which is at least 7-10 minutes faster than it took to do the same thing with the 5400 RPM 160 GB Hitachi which came with the MB.

Yes, it has a little bit more vibration and noise than the OEM hard drive, but its noticeably faster and does not seem to be running hotter in any way.