Anyone can Help Me Find a Great HD for a MPB 2012 (non-retina)?

[RalphMac]

I'm looking to switch out my hd on my macbook pro 2012 (non-retina) 15 inch (2.3ghz). I'm going to use this for Logic X (Audio Production) and Pro Tools, so here's what I'm looking for in a drive:

- 7200 RPM or faster
- 32mb cache or faster
- My budget is $130-150
- 300gb or higher

I was looking at the ssd drives, but the only one that fit into my budget is crucial 240 gb, but thats not quite enough to install all my sounds and plugins. I was seagate hybrid:

http://www.amazon.com/Seagate-Momentus-Solid-Hybrid-STAN500100/dp/B0041LX8R6

But I've been hearing that these drives fail alot, and crash within a year.

Then I found this one:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822145875

And it seems ok.

I just wanted to see if anyone could find anything better for my price range.

Thanks in advance!

 

[snaky69]

I'm looking to switch out my hd on my macbook pro 2012 (non-retina) 15 inch (2.3ghz). I'm going to use this for Logic X (Audio Production) and Pro Tools, so here's what I'm looking for in a drive:

- 7200 RPM or faster
- 32mb cache or faster
- My budget is $130-150
- 300gb or higher

I was looking at the ssd drives, but the only one that fit into my budget is crucial 240 gb, but thats not quite enough to install all my sounds and plugins. I was seagate hybrid:

http://www.amazon.com/Seagate-Momentus-Solid-Hybrid-STAN500100/dp/B0041LX8R6

But I've been hearing that these drives fail alot, and crash within a year.

Then I found this one:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822145875

And it seems ok.

I just wanted to see if anyone could find anything better for my price range.

Thanks in advance!

Anything that is the correct form factor and fits your capacity needs and budget will do just fine.

I'd lean more towards Western Digital or Hitachi personally, I've had problems with seagate drives a few times.

 

[M-B-P]

Why not go the optibay route? It's the best of both worlds. Storage and speed. Also you can buy a sub $100 ssd and get a 1tb drive that would fit in your budget. Unless of course you need the disk drive for your day to day workflow.

Personally I have a 256 crucial SSD with a 1tb WD hard drive in place of my disk drive.

 

[simon48]

Anything that is the correct form factor and fits your capacity needs and budget will do just fine.

I'd lean more towards Western Digital or Hitachi personally, I've had problems with seagate drives a few times.

Yeah, the first 750GB 2.5" drives that came out a few years ago from Seagate had the worst problems.

 

[accountforit]

Apple seems to use Hitachi quite a bit for their factory drives so I would lean towards them.

I, personally, have never had a hard drive failure in almost 20 years of personal computing so I don't put much thought into the brand.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0097LG9U8?pc_redir=1395214170&robot_redir=1

 

[RalphMac]

Well to be honest, I'm kind of on a budget, and scared of messing up untangling the optic drive lol. So the hitachi may be the best route the go?

 

[Gman021]

I know you have a budget and size requirements, but the SSD is the biggest upgrade you can make. Makes in feel like a new computer.

Get an SSD. End of story.

 

[yjchua95]

I'm looking to switch out my hd on my macbook pro 2012 (non-retina) 15 inch (2.3ghz). I'm going to use this for Logic X (Audio Production) and Pro Tools, so here's what I'm looking for in a drive:

- 7200 RPM or faster
- 32mb cache or faster
- My budget is $130-150
- 300gb or higher

I was looking at the ssd drives, but the only one that fit into my budget is crucial 240 gb, but thats not quite enough to install all my sounds and plugins. I was seagate hybrid:

http://www.amazon.com/Seagate-Momentus-Solid-Hybrid-STAN500100/dp/B0041LX8R6

But I've been hearing that these drives fail alot, and crash within a year.

Then I found this one:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822145875

And it seems ok.

I just wanted to see if anyone could find anything better for my price range.

Thanks in advance!

Screw the budget, it's an investment for your work. You'll recoup it sooner or later anyway. A 7200rpm 2.5" is only about 5-10MB/s faster than a 2.5" 5400rpm.

Get an SSD. I recommend either the Samsung 840 Pro/Evo series, or the Crucial SSD you mentioned.

 

[RalphMac]

I would love to get a ssd. I mean if I could figure out a way within my budget to fit the best of both worlds, I would do it.

The ssd cost around $110 + a cheap hitachi hd cost $60-70, so its $40 out of my budget, plus I'm a little scared of uninstalling the optical drive lol.

The 240gb ssd is something I would love to get, but its just not enough space. Komplete (a collection of audio virtual instruments) takes up about 90gb. Thats not including the other files or instruments + sounds I have which will probably be another 60gb. Plus I already installed logic x + a few additional libraries it has, a few mac os programs, and I'm already at 65gb so I mean all I would have is 30gb or less to do anything else on my mac, which isnt good, and probably the drive will show up as 220gb or something like that (you know a 1tb drive is typically only 931gb),so I would barely have any space.

 

[yjchua95]

I would love to get a ssd. I mean if I could figure out a way within my budget to fit the best of both worlds, I would do it.

Like I said earlier, screw the budget, it's an investment for your work. You'll recoup it sooner or later anyway. You can't cut corners for something that's important to your work.

 

[RalphMac]

yeah, but I'm going to be reading/writing alot of data on the computer. I heard that ssds are good, but probably not so good for doing a lot reading and writing to the hard drive?

 

[yjchua95]

yeah, but I'm going to be reading/writing alot of data on the computer. I heard that ssds are good, but probably not so good for doing a lot reading and writing to the hard drive?

Don't worry about it. Most SSDs today will far outlast the lifetime of the computer, even though it has finite writes to it.

Under heavy writes, a Samsung 840 Pro can last for around 7 years.

 

[raptor402]

yeah, but I'm going to be reading/writing alot of data on the computer. I heard that ssds are good, but probably not so good for doing a lot reading and writing to the hard drive?

I'm assuming that you have a 500GB HDD installed right now. Get a 120GB Samsung 840 EVO. It'll cost you 86 USD on Newegg. Also get an optibay. A good one will cost you around 30 USD on Amazon. Move your current HDD to the optibay and install the SSD in the main bay.

You'll love the speed difference. After you start using the SSD, you'll never be able to use a laptop with an HDD again.

Best of luck.
Raptor

EDIT: Links:
SSD: http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Elect...-7TE250BW/dp/B00E3W1726/ref=pd_bxgy_pc_text_z
Optibay:
Quality: http://www.amazon.com/Doubler-Conve...e=UTF8&qid=1395583659&sr=8-4&keywords=optibay
Cheap: http://www.amazon.com/Drive-Unibody...e=UTF8&qid=1395583659&sr=8-1&keywords=optibay

EDIT 2: Also, as said above, don't worry about frequent read/writes. I've never heard of a Samsung 840 dying of that.

 

[RalphMac]

What do you think is the best option for me at this point? My budget is $150 max, and I think based off all my needs, I'm going to need about 320gb or higher.

The reason I'm on a budget $325 is because I already have to get:

Ram $150
USB Hub $5
HD Enclosure $5
USB Mouse $10
(shipping, etc) $5

That leaves me around $150 for a drive. If I did the ssd $100 + hd. I would still have to get a optic bay, plus tools to probably install it. plus I would lose having a cd drive installed/have to tag along a usb external drive.

Now if I could sell my already installed drive that comes with the mbp (toshiba, and its practically like new), that might help.

I'm assuming that you have a 500GB HDD installed right now. Get a 120GB Samsung 840 EVO. It'll cost you 86 USD on Newegg. Also get an optibay. A good one will cost you around 30 USD on Amazon. Move your current HDD to the optibay and install the SSD in the main bay.

You'll love the speed difference. After you start using the SSD, you'll never be able to use a laptop with an HDD again.

Best of luck.
Raptor

Yes its the toshiba 500gb one. The only reason I cant use it because its only 5400rpm. I need 7200rpm to be able to read/write audio. Its a good drive though and works great.

 

[Dweez]

I, personally, have never had a hard drive failure in almost 20 years of personal computing so I don't put much thought into the brand.

That's quite remarkable, IMNSHO, and I envy your track record. I've had way too many drives give up the ghost and teach me the lesson of keeping current and regular backups.

 

[Barney63]

That's quite remarkable, IMNSHO, and I envy your track record. I've had way too many drives give up the ghost and teach me the lesson of keeping current and regular backups.

I've been using PCs since the 80s with the Amstrad PC1512.
In all those years the only drive that has gone down is an Hitachi 2.5" 320GB in my wife's laptop about 2 years ago, I am pretty sure that was due to her dropping it too.

Barney

 

[Cyrax]

I hate to pile on, but I just (as in, yesterday) installed a SSD onto my 2011 MBP. It's amazing - like a whole new computer. Apps that used to take forever to load (umm everything except for Safari) now load up in one "bounce." I love it. Everyone should do this.

They are running like 50 cents a gigabyte now, but I don't think ~300 gigs is a common size. Just spend an extra $100 and get a 500gb SSD, you will not regret it.

 

[accountforit]

Don't worry about it. Most SSDs today will far outlast the lifetime of the computer, even though it has finite writes to it.

Under heavy writes, a Samsung 840 Pro can last for around 7 years.

OP - Stop letting this guy get into your head. You are here for a purpose, have stated you have a budget, and a few here don't seem to want to listen.

Buy the 1TB Hitachi and be done with it.

Just an FYI, the return on investment for the 1TB drive is much better. You will lose money if you spend hundreds on a small SSD and try to sell your computer. Average customers still value storage space over a speed bump. I have bought and sold 10+ Macbook's since the beginning of the year and installing RAM and a 1 TB drive makes for a quick sale and profit while others have a hard time moving their computers with aftermarket SSD's.

I have a brand new rMBP and I even feel SSD's are a tad over rated for most people.

 

[yjchua95]

Forget what the other bloke said on just getting a HDD. He's trying to deprive you of a performance boost you so dearly need.

https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=ED1E524C7E1CEB4C!3889&authkey=!AMdIkIHy4Hiu5GQ&ithint=folder%2c.MOV

Watch both videos in the link and you'll get why everyone's saying an SSD is the best performance boost you can give to your Mac.

You have to experience an SSD for yourself to really know it.

 

[accountforit]

Forget what the other bloke said on just getting a HDD. He's trying to deprive you of a performance boost you so dearly need.

https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=ED1E524C7E1CEB4C!3889&authkey=!AMdIkIHy4Hiu5GQ&ithint=folder%2c.MOV

Watch both videos in the link and you'll get why everyone's saying an SSD is the best performance boost you can give to your Mac.

You have to experience an SSD for yourself to really know it.

I am trying to deprive him? Why do I care what choice he makes? He clearly stated he has a budget and needs a lot of storage space. Therefore, a large traditional hard drive suits his needs.

For some reason you get on this forum every day and make everyone who doesn't buy an SSD your personal project in hopes of converting them. The truth is, he has different needs than you; as do most.

I, for instance, have a medium sized storage capacity on my rMBP and sometimes ask myself if giving up the storage space for a speed boost, that isn't always apparent depending upon use, was worth it. If I were in his shoes, I would buy the large HDD. The price of a good large SSD at this point in time is too expensive and a good way to blow hard earned money you will never get back in an effort to upgrade an already outdated machine.

If someone got on here and asked for the best car under 10k with superb gas mileage, would you respond with "buy a Lamborghini Gallardo"?

Your replies are getting ridiculous and ever so repetitive no matter the circumstances.

 

[yjchua95]

I am trying to deprive him? Why do I care what choice he makes? He clearly stated he has a budget and needs a lot of storage space. Therefore, a large traditional hard drive suits his needs.

For some reason you get on this forum every day and make everyone who doesn't buy an SSD your personal project in hopes of converting them. The truth is, he has different needs than you; as do most.

I, for instance, have a medium sized storage capacity on my rMBP and sometimes ask myself if giving up the storage space for a speed boost, that isn't always apparent depending upon use, was worth it. If I were in his shoes, I would buy the large HDD. The price of a good large SSD at this point in time is too expensive and a good way to blow hard earned money you will never get back in an effort to upgrade an already outdated machine.

If someone got on here and asked for the best car under 10k with superb gas mileage, would you respond with "buy a Lamborghini Gallardo"?

Your replies are getting ridiculous and ever so repetitive no matter the circumstances.

Well, putting back another HDD into it is just like having an Aventador and just driving it around a parking lot in second gear.

 

[Gjwilly]

FWIW, I've been using the Seagate hybrid in my PC laptop for over a year now with no problems.

 

[raptor402]

What do you think is the best option for me at this point? My budget is $150 max, and I think based off all my needs, I'm going to need about 320gb or higher.

The reason I'm on a budget $325 is because I already have to get:

Ram $150
USB Hub $5
HD Enclosure $5
USB Mouse $10
(shipping, etc) $5

That leaves me around $150 for a drive. If I did the ssd $100 + hd. I would still have to get a optic bay, plus tools to probably install it. plus I would lose having a cd drive installed/have to tag along a usb external drive.

Now if I could sell my already installed drive that comes with the mbp (toshiba, and its practically like new), that might help.



Yes its the toshiba 500gb one. The only reason I cant use it because its only 5400rpm. I need 7200rpm to be able to read/write audio. Its a good drive though and works great.

Hey,

I have some experience with audio recording. Trust me, the higher disk speed will only make a negligible difference. If you go for a 120GB HDD, you can use it as your boot drive and for writing audio (if you really feel that you just absolutely need the speed). You can keep everything else on your HDD. For reference, as an amateur photographer who shoots 14-bit RAW files, I keep my 50GB+ photo library (dynamic, though) on my 180GB Intel SSD and still have well over 60GB of space left at all times. I have my old HDD installed in the optibay but I usually keep it unmounted to maximise battery life.

As for the optical drive, you can get an external case for the drive at amazon for $13.

Regards
Raptor

 

[RalphMac]

I appreciate everyone's response. I decided to get the ram (16gb crucial), get the hub, enclosure, mouse, and the hitachi hd. That way later down the line, I can put a ssd if I decide to, plus I will have a big and good speed secondary hdd to store samples, etc.

I went out the way with the ram because I figure 8gb is going to be the new minimum requirements for most apps in a few years, so 16gb should be plenty to run logic.

Thank you everyone who provided a comment or two!