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5400 vs. 7200 rpm HDs in Macbook Pros

V

Vader Was Frame

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Apr 29, 2008
23
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I know this has been discussed so forgive me for starting a new thread. Have heard some conflicting results.

In the near future I plan on purchasing a new MBP 13" and will want to upgrade the HD myself. Is there any reason NOT to upgrade to a 7200 rpm model? All I have heard is that the 7200 route may heat up more than ideal. But overall, it is at least noticeably faster.


Two HDs that I have seen a lot of on threads:

Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD5000BEVTRTL 500GB 5400 RPM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136381

Seagate Momentus 7200.4 ST9500420AS 500GB 7200 RPM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148374

Any more thoughts? Thoughts on HD size are also welcome but figured I'd shoot for the 500GB since they are so cheap and wait 1-2 years on falling prices of SSDs.
 
You will notice a speed difference with 7200 vs 5400. As of now, cheap SSD's don't work as well as they should for the amount of money you're still paying. If you don't need 500gb, I'd recommend the 320 Western Digital Scorpio Black. Super fast. It doesn't heat up anymore than the stock drive, and it is certainly not very noisy.
 
How difficult is it to install these drives yourself? Or is it better to take it to someone else?
 
jableskg said:
How difficult is it to install these drives yourself? Or is it better to take it to someone else?
Click to expand...

It seems quite easy, if you go click on your HD in finder and go to user guides and info, and click on the user guide there's a section on replacing your hard drive and plenty of videos on youtube.
 
mike1123 said:
As of now, cheap SSD's don't work as well as they should for the amount of money you're still paying.
Click to expand...
Most of the present generation SSD's are blindingly fast performers, use very little power, create little heat, are much tougher, and in real use leave HDD's completely in the dust. And they are only around 3X the cost of a HDD. Much more bang for the buck, IMHO. If you have ever used a SSD, you will not even think of going back to a HDD, which becomes fit only for backup storage.:)
 
If speed is what you're after nothing beats the SSD, nothing even comes close. Having owned a WD Scorpio Black 320GB 7200RPM HD I was definitely able to notice the performance improvement over the stock 5400RPM drive, however it was nothing like moving from the 7200RPM HD to the SSD. The 7200 also got hotter than the stock drive and vibrated a little more which at times got annoying. Now the SSD is completely silent/vibration-less and never gets hot.
 
The 7200 isn't worth the heat/vibration. My friend's laptop has it and its very annoying. If you want performance, like others have said the SSD is the only way to go (Specifically X25-M).
 
I would go with the Seagate because Seagate drives tend to be more reliable and perform better than WD equivalents. Their attention to design is evident in their external HDs with beautiful aluminum in many trims. WD's external HDs have a plastic enclosure and gets extremely warm at times (prolonged file transfers) and fail more so than Seagate drives.

But if you have the cash, SSD is the way to go.
 
Yea i would for sure go for the Seagates, hands down! i am using it right now the seagates 500GB 7200 rpm without G force. Works perfect with no click and no beep!!! i got the late 08 UMBP 15"
 
I've also got the Seagate 500GB 7200RPM. A ton faster than stock, and no more vibration or noise either. Take the plunge, you'll be happy.
 
Seems in most tests the 7200rpms are quite a bit faster IF you buy a 320 GB. For almost any tests i've seen the 500GB Western Digital Scorpio Blue (5,4k) is toe to toe with the Seagate Momentus 7200.4 (which for some reason is the only 7200rpm drive I've seen in sale).

I'd say go for a WD Scorpio Blue 500GB, it's cheaper too
 
I just had a 500GB WD Scorpio Blue flame out ...

I installed a scorpio blue abut 3 months ago in an early 2008 17" MacBook Pro. It just failed on me. The failure is rather curious ... the SMART status says that it is verified, but the drive fails to verify or repair. I managed to use carbon copy clone to pull of all but about a dozen files. (The clone does not boot unfortunately.) I tried reinstalling the OS, but it fails. The drive makes some buzzing sounds that sound like it is trying a bunch of rapid seek operations when it hits the "bad" spot. (My assumption!)

My comment is ... regardless of what drive you chose ... get a second one in an external case and keep a back up!!!
 
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