Advice on new HDD on a mid 2010 MBP

[alara]

Hello.
I am going crazy with too much information. I want to upgrade my actual 7,200 rpm 500 GB hdd in my mid 2010 MacBookPro (6,1). I just want to reach 1TB.
Before starting this new thread I read many others that seem to post contradictory ideas. I looked in several forums to learn about the different models (wd, hybrid seagate...) In some threads they say I should stay with SATA II instead of SATA III if I do not want to risk serious problems. In others say the real problem is the MBP internal hard drive cable, and suggest changing it will solve everything (this advice refers 2007-09 MBP mainly, but also to some 2010 MBP).
I will not go with the SSD option due to budget concerns. But I would prefer not to change 7,200 rpm if is not necessary.
Just in case I post here what I found in the Serial Ata info.
Fabricante: Intel
Producto: 5 Series Chipset
Velocidad de enlace: 3 gigabits
Velocidad de enlace negociada: 1,5 gigabits
Descripción: AHCI Version 1.30 Supported

Thank you very much

 

[GhettoMrBob]

You should be fine with a standard 2.5" HD. Don't worry about the SATA II/III, you're limited to SATA II because of the system hardware.

Something to consider: I've experienced numerous problems on numerous models with Western Digital drives. Installs will fail and if they manage to install, run like an absolute dog (4-5 min boot times, etc.).

 

[alara]

Thank you very much for your fast answer.

Don't worry about the SATA II/III, you're limited to SATA II because of the system hardware.

In this forum I had already read that Sata is backwards compatible, so my SATA II will only be a bandwidth limit on the SATA III drive, which I understand. But on other forums I have read other apparently sounded opinions saying that no one should put a SATA III drive in this computer because that mix will definitely cause communication errors.

 

[GhettoMrBob]

For what it's worth, I've done a SATA III in the same model and have not run into an issue.

 

[jonbravo77]

I have the Seagate 1tb Fusion Drive. Love it. Bought it last year and just had a problem with my MBP a few days ago and it turned out to be the Hard Drive cable. Replaced and works great again..

Same model year as yours.

 

[alara]

I have the Seagate 1tb Fusion Drive. Bought it last year and just had a problem with my MBP a few days ago and it turned out to be the Hard Drive cable.

So the problem did not appear until a year had passed... And which problem did you notice?

 

[ecschwarz]

So the problem did not appear until a year had passed... And which problem did you notice?

Although not trying to answer directly for jonbravo77's case, but using a SATA III drive (in particular that one) with that computer wouldn't be setting events in motion for a cable failure. I've seen cable failures on MBPs before - it's been a handful of the unibody ones. Basically when the cables go, the computer runs really slowly, often struggling with a pinwheel right after or during disk reads/writes - boot times are longer, and just other general strangeness like a hard drive is dying.

The way I've tested if it's the drive or the computer is removing the drive and trying to boot it with a USB<->SATA adapter on the same machine. If it works and passes the usual drive tests when it's connected externally, it's probably the cable. In some cases, I've even copied the entire drive to another, erased it, and copied data back to see if the drive performs as expected. Typically, a dying hard drive will have some errors at some point in that process.

 

[alara]

Thank you very much for your replies.
I just ordered the seagate SSHD, and will see how it goes.