7200 HDD for my Macbook?

[sml238]

Hi, I have the white unibody macbook with the 2.26ghz proc. I recently upgraded the ram from 2GB to 4GB of crucial RAM. noticed a nice diff in speed especially with a lot of applications open. much fewer swaps.

http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Western Digital/WD3200BEKT/

I was looking at this WD HD. Will this HD fit in my Macbook? Will the 7200 rpm drain my battery faster? And will it heat up the rest of the computer more?

These questions are the only thing thats holding me back from getting it. Also it seems very cheap.

And btw I usually just use photoshop, itunes, browser with a lot of tabs, some video editing, and a game occasionally. I also wanted to speed up the time it takes to write information too and from my external HD. Seems a bit slow atm..

 

[NewMacbookPlz]

Yes, it will fit just fine. You may see a small hit in battery life, especially while doing HD intensive tasks...although being newer, it may be more energy efficient than your current drive, hard to tell.

Heat wise, shouldn't be much of an issue, although there may be some vibrations in the palm rest from it.

 

[sml238]

Yes, it will fit just fine. You may see a small hit in battery life, especially while doing HD intensive tasks...although being newer, it may be more energy efficient than your current drive, hard to tell.

Heat wise, shouldn't be much of an issue, although there may be some vibrations in the palm rest from it.

yeah it seems like its a good buy. it says it has new power technology that takes the equivalent power of a 5400. but this macbook is new, just as new as that drive so idk if my current drive has the same technology.

my only real issues are power consumption and if it will heat my processor up more. because when im doing extensive tasks my processor will heat up to about 165F and then i turn the fan up to like 3300rpms and the temp goes down to like 140F. On average just browsing and music it runs at 120F.

 

[js81]

Once upon a time ('bout a year ago), I put a 7200rpm drive in my wife's white Macbook (the early 2008, non-unibody version with crappy X3100 graphics). I lost about 30 minutes of battery life and "gained" a nice little vibration in the keyboard and trackpad. It drove me (and her) crazy! We got rid of the 7200rpm drive and put a 5400rpm back in.

Just last week, I replaced the replacement 5400rpm drive (a Toshiba GSX1637, which was dog slow) with a Samsung Spinpoint HM250HI. Its a 5400rpm single-platter drive - its more responsive than the 7200rpm Seagate drive I previously had.

Moral of the story - do you homework. You can find 5400rpm drives with power saving and "smoothness" benefits that give you most (if not all) of the speed of a 7200rpm.

 

[sml238]

Once upon a time ('bout a year ago), I put a 7200rpm drive in my wife's white Macbook (the early 2008, non-unibody version with crappy X3100 graphics). I lost about 30 minutes of battery life and "gained" a nice little vibration in the keyboard and trackpad. It drove me (and her) crazy! We got rid of the 7200rpm drive and put a 5400rpm back in.

Just last week, I replaced the replacement 5400rpm drive (a Toshiba GSX1637, which was dog slow) with a Samsung Spinpoint HM250HI. Its a 5400rpm single-platter drive - its more responsive than the 7200rpm Seagate drive I previously had.

Moral of the story - do you homework. You can find 5400rpm drives with power saving and "smoothness" benefits that give you most (if not all) of the speed of a 7200rpm.

do you know what drive is in my macbook? and do you know of a good 5400 drive that has power technology and is fast? also wouldnt a double platter be better?

 

[howardnow]

Don't rule out the Hitachi Travelstar 500gb 7200rpm 16mb casch (if 500gb works for you). It currently can be bought for $90 or less. Works great in my 2008 15" macbook pro.

 

[sml238]

Don't rule out the Hitachi Travelstar 500gb 7200rpm 16mb casch (if 500gb works for you). It currently can be bought for $90 or less. Works great in my 2008 15" macbook pro.

yeah i was looking at that. honestly 320gb is enough for me and from what people are telling me the WD is better. But do you see a diff in power consumption, vibration/noise, and heat with yours compared to your old 5400?

 

[mrsir2009]

Yeah it should fit. And as for the battery, it will only drain more when your putting it under a heavy load. I hope you enjoy it!

 

[sml238]

Yeah it should fit. And as for the battery, it will only drain more when your putting it under a heavy load. I hope you enjoy it!

ok so it wont drain the battery too much normally? usually when im doing some type of a transfer or a big download im plugged in anyway..

oh and quick question. whats ur average cpu temps? idle, light-medium work, heavy load?

mine idles at like 40C, light work 45-60C, but sometimes when im watching videos and/or downloading it gets up into the 70-75C range. which is when i crank up the fan to like 4000rpm with smc. sound ok or too hott?

 

[mrsir2009]

ok so it wont drain the battery too much normally? usually when im doing some type of a transfer or a big download im plugged in anyway..

oh and quick question. whats ur average cpu temps? idle, light-medium work, heavy load?

mine idles at like 40C, light work 45-60C, but sometimes when im watching videos and/or downloading it gets up into the 70-75C range. which is when i crank up the fan to like 4000rpm with smc. sound ok or too hott?

When I'm idle I'm 35-40C, when I'm doing light-medium browsing (3-4 tabs) its around 50C, then when I'm doing heavier stuff its 60-70C. Laptops get really hot, they burn through your lap when your doing heavy work. Though I'm on a MBP and your on a MB. I think theres more foam in the MBPs so they don't seem to get as hot By the way I'm using a 5400RMP HDD.

 

[NewMacbookPlz]

When I'm idle I'm 35-40C, when I'm doing light-medium browsing (3-4 tabs) its around 50C, then when I'm doing heavier stuff its 60-70C. Laptops get really hot, they burn through your lap when your doing heavy work. Though I'm on a MBP and your on a MB. I think theres more foam in the MBPs so they don't seem to get as hot By the way I'm using a 5400RMP HDD.

Like I said in your other thread, there's no foam inside these computers. If there were, it'd cause the computer to run hotter, despite feeling cooler on the outside, by acting as an insulator. I know this link is for the 17" model, but see for yourself: http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/MacBook-Pro-17-Inch-Unibody-Teardown/618/1

 

[sml238]

When I'm idle I'm 35-40C, when I'm doing light-medium browsing (3-4 tabs) its around 50C, then when I'm doing heavier stuff its 60-70C. Laptops get really hot, they burn through your lap when your doing heavy work. Though I'm on a MBP and your on a MB. I think theres more foam in the MBPs so they don't seem to get as hot By the way I'm using a 5400RMP HDD.

idk my friends MBP seems to get hotter than mine. esp once the metal heats up. and my ide temps are actually a little lower. i provided those temps yesterday after my laptop was on all day and with browser/itunes open. right now its 35C. and yeah same when i have a few tabs open itunes and maybe ichat its at like 50C. But when I'm watching videos/downloading with multiple apps open it creeps up into the 70's? normal?

and yeah i dont think theres foam in either computer...and my friends MBP seems to run hotter.

but i was just concerned when my temps jumped to the 70's when watching videos/downloading with multiple apps open. I was hoping it would kinda top out in the high 60's.

 

[mrsir2009]

idk my friends MBP seems to get hotter than mine. esp once the metal heats up. and my ide temps are actually a little lower. i provided those temps yesterday after my laptop was on all day and with browser/itunes open. right now its 35C. and yeah same when i have a few tabs open itunes and maybe ichat its at like 50C. But when I'm watching videos/downloading with multiple apps open it creeps up into the 70's? normal?

and yeah i dont think theres foam in either computer...and my friends MBP seems to run hotter.

but i was just concerned when my temps jumped to the 70's when watching videos/downloading with multiple apps open. I was hoping it would kinda top out in the high 60's.

Yeah, the metal heating up would make sense... Maybe its just that I live in a colder environment than your friend. Because of course the air temp would affect the computer temp, and I was using mine on a relatively cold night.

 

[sml238]

Yeah, the metal heating up would make sense... Maybe its just that I live in a colder environment than your friend. Because of course the air temp would affect the computer temp, and I was using mine on a relatively cold night.

yeah that would probably explain it. im in a dorm room thats pretty hott because its packed with electronics...42" lcd tv, xbox, ps3, surround sound, 2 fridges, and 2 other computers all in one room haha. thats a heat source in its own.

but does anyone know of a really good 5400 HD that can respond about as quick as a 7200? I guess Apple uses Toshiba HD's in the me MacBook's. I heard Toshiba HD's weren't the best.

 

[Kat King123]

I just recently installed this very same drive in my early 09 macbook. At first there was a lot of vibration. i figured out that i actually put the bracket in wrong (wrong screws on wrong side) once that was fixed it was much better. But still a little noisy i read online that some drives have to be worn in so i just let it be and now about 3 weeks later (got it feb 7 or 8th i dont remember ) it seems to have been worn in and its ALMOST as silent as the 5400 rpm that it came with. Yes when there is no noise at all you can hear a little whisper, almost like a fan. But i think my boot time has been more than cut in half used to be over a minute now its around 30-35 secs (haven't timed yet) more apps start with just one bounce it well worth the little bit of noise you get from it. plus all the extra space is real nice (came from 120gb).

Btw. theres a better deal at newegg (75$) for this drive (were i brought it from)

 

[sml238]

I just recently installed this very same drive in my early 09 macbook. At first there was a lot of vibration. i figured out that i actually put the bracket in wrong (wrong screws on wrong side) once that was fixed it was much better. But still a little noisy i read online that some drives have to be worn in so i just let it be and now about 3 weeks later (got it feb 7 or 8th i dont remember ) it seems to have been worn in and its ALMOST as silent as the 5400 rpm that it came with. Yes when there is no noise at all you can hear a little whisper, almost like a fan. But i think my boot time has been more than cut in half used to be over a minute now its around 30-35 secs (haven't timed yet) more apps start with just one bounce it well worth the little bit of noise you get from it. plus all the extra space is real nice (came from 120gb).

Btw. theres a better deal at newegg (75$) for this drive (were i brought it from)

how about your battery life and heat? im worried the 7200 will heat up the rest of the comp a lot and drain my battery.

iv been looking at this HD. its said to have very low power consumption and is very responsive, supposedly almost just as fast as a good 7200
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822145256

 

[ayeying]

how about your battery life and heat? im worried the 7200 will heat up the rest of the comp a lot and drain my battery.

iv been looking at this HD. its said to have very low power consumption and is very responsive, supposedly almost just as fast as a good 7200
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822145256

It won't. I'm using a 7200RPM drive and I feel 0 vibration and 0 increase in power usage. It's the Hitachi 7K500 model. Infact, this drive uses slightly LESS power then my original 5400RPM drive.

 

[sml238]

It won't. I'm using a 7200RPM drive and I feel 0 vibration and 0 increase in power usage. It's the Hitachi 7K500 model. Infact, this drive uses slightly LESS power then my original 5400RPM drive.

do you know anything about my current drive? its the toshiba MK2555GSXF

trying to get something with less power consumption than that. and also i want it to run cooler than the stock. basically im looking for better power/heat/speed/reliability/capacity. in that order

 

[ayeying]

do you know anything about my current drive? its the toshiba MK2555GSXF

trying to get something with less power consumption than that. and also i want it to run cooler than the stock. basically im looking for better power/heat/speed/reliability/capacity. in that order

The hard drive isn't going to add into your heatwave. The Processor, Video Card, and Northbridge all contribute on the scale of over 100x the heat generated by a hard drive.

1 deg C less or more on a hard drive will make 0 difference overall.

Your drive specs are:

4.5W for Start
1.7W for Seek
1.4W for Read/Write
0.6W for Idle
0.18W for Stand-By
0.13W for sleep

The Hitachi 500GB 7200RPM drive specs are:

5.5W for Start
2.0W for Seek
1.8W for Read/Write
1.0W for Idle
0.2W for Stand-By
0.1W for Sleep

To be honest, 1W will make 0 difference. If you have one extra start up item while booting, you'll use up more power from there then a hard drive.

 

[sml238]

yeah :/ its a tough choice. because along with low power consumption comes low heat.

iv been getting so much mixed input, its so hard to make a choice haha...

im still on the look for a reliable, low heat, low power, fast, quite drive. importance being in that order.

 

[mrwashi]

I've put it a Seagate Momentus 7200rpm 500gb hard drive and I think its great.

I havent noticed any fall in battery efficiency or any perceived heat.

There is a very very "slight" (and I mean very slight) vibration compared to the Hitachi it replaced but in all honesty I think its a great upgrade.

I might start a thread up for the seagate drive and my ram upgrade for my unibody macbook.

 

[sml238]

I've put it a Seagate Momentus 7200rpm 500gb hard drive and I think its great.

I havent noticed any fall in battery efficiency or any perceived heat.

There is a very very "slight" (and I mean very slight) vibration compared to the Hitachi it replaced but in all honesty I think its a great upgrade.

I might start a thread up for the seagate drive and my ram upgrade for my unibody macbook.

im leaning toward sticking with the 5400 to stay low in power consumption/heat. im trying to get as much battery as possible.

and did u disable your motion sensor in terminal to allow for the motion sensor on the hd to not interfere?

what ram did you use? i ordered 2x 2gb crucial ram

and im thinking of getting this
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Hitachi/Y0A57915/

its a great little kit.

 

[mrwashi]

im leaning toward sticking with the 5400 to stay low in power consumption/heat. im trying to get as much battery as possible.

and did u disable your motion sensor in terminal to allow for the motion sensor on the hd to not interfere?

what ram did you use? i ordered 2x 2gb crucial ram

and im thinking of getting this
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Hitachi/Y0A57915/

its a great little kit.

What motion sensor?

My drive isn't the G version so I didn't need to disable the motion sensor (or thats my understading)

I used the Original Apple Ram, I live in New Zealand and ToshComputers sold me a 4gb Apple Original Ram for 170 NZD, so thats roughly.. 119USD Similar price to that of OWC ram.

I'd like some clarification on the motion sensor tho, I have not had any issues of late but would like to know more about it.

 

[sml238]

What motion sensor?

My drive isn't the G version so I didn't need to disable the motion sensor (or thats my understading)

I used the Original Apple Ram, I live in New Zealand and ToshComputers sold me a 4gb Apple Original Ram for 170 NZD, so thats roughly.. 119USD Similar price to that of OWC ram.

I'd like some clarification on the motion sensor tho, I have not had any issues of late but would like to know more about it.

some drives have their own motion sensors that park or lift the head so it doesnt damage your hd when you move or drop your computer suddenly. apple has one of these that does that for you. so if the apple sensor is on and theres already a sensor on the drive...they interfere.

im trying to find out if the hitachi has a sensor or not.

also theres a way to shut your mac sensor off in terminal. if you need the link i can provide you with it.