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Buying my MBP, want to upgrade the HDD myself

N

NewEyesOpen

macrumors regular
Original poster
Mar 9, 2009
158
0
West Virginia
Which HDD should I pick up? I want a 500GB at 7200rpm.

I've been looking at tigerdirect.com but can't seem to find what I need/want on the site. I know I need 2.5 SATA, but it keeps taking me to the mobile hdd's.

Can anyone recommend one?
 
You only have two choices"

1. Seagate Momentus 500GB 7200RPM
2. Western Digital Scorpio Blue 500GB 5400RPM

Popular opinion is to go with the Western Digital because it performs the same (except for boot up where Seagate HDD is faster) and costs less and no chance of getting a loud/vibrating HDD unlike the Seagate where you could get one.
 
iLog.Genius said:
You only have two choices"

1. Seagate Momentus 500GB 7200RPM
2. Western Digital Scorpio Blue 500GB 5400RPM

Popular opinion is to go with the Western Digital because it performs the same (except for boot up where Seagate HDD is faster) and costs less and no chance of getting a loud/vibrating HDD unlike the Seagate where you could get one.
Click to expand...

The WD looks awesome, but I need the 7200 rpms.
 
reallynotnick said:
The WD is faster, ugh I need to bookmark that page. Unless you are doing long sequential writes then the Seagate is faster but random access is way better on the WD.
Click to expand...

I really want to go to the WD route but cant' find anything in a 500 GB at 7200 RPM. Would 320 be sufficient as an internal drive? Not sure, really want the 500GB though.
 
There are at least 4-5 threads on upgrading the hard drives in the new MBP already, and they do discuss 500gb and 7200rpm hard drives... Please search.
 
Why do you need the 7200?

Scorpio Blue and Black Review

I opted for the Scorpio Blue as well
Great reviews and has had excellent performance for me

Don't fall into the trap of 7200 > 5400 just because the number is higher
There are other issues to consider

Many have had vibration issues with the 7200 as well

Woof, Woof - Dawg
pawprint.gif
 
do you think that a scorpio black drive would be worth the upgrade from the standard 320gb 5400rpm drive that comes with the 15'' MBP?
 
Does anyone know how the apple-provided 250GB hard drive compares to the scorpio Blue?
 
NewEyesOpen said:
7200 rpm is better suited for music recording, which is a big reason why I am buying the MBP
Click to expand...

i've been recording music on mine since i've got it and i'm using the 5400 that came with mine and its been fine for me so far, haven't noticed any lag at all or anything.
 
kinkster said:
Does anyone know how the apple-provided 250GB hard drive compares to the scorpio Blue?
Click to expand...

I could imagine it being faster than the stock Apple HDD but doing what? WD HDD boot time is a bit faster than the stock HDD but in everyday tasks, applications will load maybe 1-2 seconds faster, if even that? With the 5400 being so close to the 7200 Seagate drive, I don't think RPM should even be considered unless you do certain tasks that will take advantage of the RPM's.
 
NewEyesOpen said:
The WD looks awesome, but I need the 7200 rpms.
Click to expand...

No you don't as the WD is faster in tests over the Seagate. 7200rpm is the spin speed not access time where the WD outperforms it. Spinspeed does not make a drive faster.
 
To the OP:

For what it's worth, I highly recommend buying from OWC (Other World Computing). Longtime Mac sellers, great customer service and excellent installation videos on their website. I recommend checking them out as the website will easily guide to to the correct HD for your Mac and explain how to upgrade it, the tools you will need, transferring data tips, etc.

To everyone else:

I have a Penryn MBP from Ferbuary 2008 (pre-unibody design) for which I am also thinking about upgrading the HD, as well (need more space). Anyone have any horror stories or recommendations? I have reviewed the videos on OWC and the instructions on iFixit. The process seems a bit tedious but doable overall. Anyone who has swapped drives and recommends I have a pro do it instead, please speak up. Thanks.
 
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