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5400 vs. 7200 RPM

Day six having used my new i7 MBP approx 8 hrs daily. So far I'm satisfied with the Seagate 7200 drive. I would have preferred a Hitachi since Apple charges a hefty premium for the MBP, but obviously it's profit taking that's at the top of their list. The Seagate runs quite, cool and vibration free. My office at work is very quiet, and I'm very picky so I would be the first to report any issues. I'm not suggesting this is a great drive, but simply reporting my experience to hopefully be of assistance to others who are considering this option. For the modest $50 upgrade fee it's saved me from a DIY upgrade that I didn't have the time to deal with presently. Later on as my schedule permits, I plan to install an SSD and a total of 8GM ram, as I have in my other laptops anyway.
 
WD Blue drivers offer HUGE capacity and even at 5400RPM, with the platter arrangement and size, they really do offer GREAT speeds ... they compete or even exceed some 7200RPM drives while draining less power and causing less sound.
 
I switched to a 320GB 7200rpm Seagate on my 2009 MBP, the only thing I gained was noise. Waiting for my 2010 MBP now, won't make the same mistake :)
 
Macchino said:
It is in the new macbook pro. I just dont now wich to order. so the drive would come from apple:)
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The new MBPs come with Hitachi drives. The 5400rpm drive included with the 17" i7 is a Hitachi 5K500, I purchased the Hitachi 7200rpm from Newegg and got the 7K500 which I would assume apple also uses from factory.

Whoever told you 7200 rpm drives make the computer loud and shake have no idea what they are talking about. There is no audible difference between my 5400rpm drive vs the 7200rpm drive. Its a good idea to get the faster drive.
 
Reapur said:
The new MBPs come with Hitachi drives. The 5400rpm drive included with the 17" i7 is a Hitachi 5K500, I purchased the Hitachi 7200rpm from Newegg and got the 7K500 which I would assume apple also uses from factory.

Whoever told you 7200 rpm drives make the computer loud and shake have no idea what they are talking about. There is no audible difference between my 5400rpm drive vs the 7200rpm drive. Its a good idea to get the faster drive.
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False. My apple supplied 7200 made the whole computer vibrate when not even doing much. Exchanged for a 5400 and will start saving for an SSD.
 
I just went with the 500gb 5400 on the 17" model. It will serve me just fine, and when it gets too slow for me, I will toss it into an external enclosure and get an SSD.
 
Mine came with a 200gb 5400, upgraded to a 7200 with 2.5x the storage. I dont notice any battery loss but i probably attributed any loss to high charge cycles..As for speed yes its faster. I got the seagate ST9500420AS. Check out this for a performance review http://www.barefeats.com/note05.html


Check this out before you get the drive I got. I get this issue too. Not very bad but i am putting in an ssd tomorrow so...

http://forums.seagate.com/t5/ATA-an...mentus-ST9500420AS-Firmware-Update/td-p/33862
 
ozreth said:
False. My apple supplied 7200 made the whole computer vibrate when not even doing much. Exchanged for a 5400 and will start saving for an SSD.
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I agree there is a noticeable vibration with the 7200, it is a slight hum but not a huge deal. I wonder if it is a lack of cushion in the drive it self.
 
It depends on the drive. It's possible to make a quiet 7200rpm drive, but not all of them are. In addition, the environment people are in makes a difference. If I'm in a silent environment, I can hear the fans and/or drive in my computer, but if I'm in a somewhat noisy place (normally), I can't hear the computer at all.

I have an old ~13gb desktop drive that emits hat I can only describe as a horrible screeching noise while running. It doesn't help that it bolted straight to the metal frame of the computer. The drive lasted probably 7+ years in-use, though, and I bet it would work for at least a little while if I plugged it in today. I got it with a PC in 1998.
 
Hi,
I received my i7 MBP with a 5400 disk and I must see that I don't see yet any noticeable difference to the 7200. Boot time is super fast, copying files via Firewire as well. I have a 08 UMBP with a 7200 disk before.
 
So far my experience on 7200rpm notebook drives are mixed, however I agree with the board that the Travelstar 7K500 series drive is a good drive. It lives inside my G-drive mini and it's very quiet.

The 7200rpm 160GB Seagate Momentus drive was hot and my 7200rpm 320GB WD scorpio black drive tended to make funny noise and virbrate.
 
I upgraded the stock Fujitsu 200gb 5400rpm to a Hitachi 320gb 7200rpm and apart from the noticeable speed boost, it is quieter, has less vibrations and runs cooler. Can't comment on the battery life yet.
 
ozreth said:
False. My apple supplied 7200 made the whole computer vibrate when not even doing much. Exchanged for a 5400 and will start saving for an SSD.
Click to expand...
True, _defective_ drives no matter the speed, vibrate & are noisy.

Good platter type 7200rpm hard drives are so smooth and quiet you cannot sense they are there.

After a decade of platter type, I'm now using SSD's however they are not perfect either. The technology is still a bit young and they do _not_ have garbage collection (TRIM) sorted out. When new and for the first six to eight months of usage they are fine, then slowly and surely they begin to destruct. I make sure to only buy the top of the line models from Intel, OCZ, and others. Using SSD's since they first debuted, I've had extensive experience using two of per computer in each of my ThinkPad workstations. The new ones I just installed are better than the old, but only time will tell... :)
 
grahamnp said:
I upgraded the stock Fujitsu 200gb 5400rpm to a Hitachi 320gb 7200rpm and apart from the noticeable speed boost, it is quieter, has less vibrations and runs cooler. Can't comment on the battery life yet.
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As an early adopter, I've used Hitachi Travelstar 7200rpm drives for years. In my opinion they are the finest drive you can buy. Each of my T & W series ThinkPads have run two per laptop for years. I have never had one single failure or issue. Even in raid array configuration in my ThinkPad Workstations they have been exemplary. Now running SSD's (2 per ThinkPad) it's been an interesting experience.
 
I am still hesitating whether i should go for the 5400 or 7200 too.
Still undecided.
What i'm sure of is that i want 8Go RAM so would it have any better effect on one of those or just the same on both ?
Same question about processor: is there a relation between the processor you take and the HDD (speed) you need ? Like, if i go for the i7 should it have better results with the 7200 or exactly the same as 5400 ?

Thanks.
 
Just got my MBP today with the 7200 drive. It's quiet, cool, and make no vibrations. I had the 7200 160GB drive in my old C2D MBP, and it did make more heat and maybe slightly more noise than I would have liked.

My verdict: the drives Apple is supplying us with now are improved, and if I had a choice I'd take the 7200 (until those SSDs come down in price).
 
The problem I am having is not the hard drive but the fans spinning at full speed. That is what is causing my vibrations.
 
I have had my 15" Hi Res MacBook since about a week after the release. I have the 7200 rpm drive which was very quiet with very little vibration up until yesterday. This puppy has become pretty noisy....sounds like the hard drive spinning...not hurky, jerky, or inconsistent but a nice steady spinning noise. Pretty freaking loud from a laptop perspective.

I'm not sure what to do, but I doubt I will live with this racket long term. I suppose I need to start searching for a good after market flash drive...which is what I wanted but couldn't justify in $$$ when I made this purchase.

Oh the pleasures of being an early adopter. :(
 
Must admitt I had the same thoughts. Now having my 15" i7 with the 7200 HD for a while I am impressed. At least with my i7 the drive is very quiet, and I don't notice any vibration issue. Very snappy with the 7200 if you can't afford a SSD.

The true test will be 6m from now. :apple:
 
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