Could use some help making a decision (hard drive)

[EmeraldICE]

I'm looking to replace the stock 250gb drive that came with my mbp but I can't decide between these two drives.

WD Scorpio Blue 1tb 5200rpm

WD Scorpio Black 500GB 7200rpm

I've also been looking at the Seagate Momentus XT 500GB Hybrid but it seems like the new WD Scorpio Black has been outperforming it on the benchmarks at Tom's Hardware.
I'm heading off to uni soon so I'd like a large hard drive. My iTunes library takes up 50% of my current drive, and the other half is taken by programs like Final Cut Studio and Logic Pro. So I was kind of leaning towards the 1tb drive, but I'm curious as to whether or not I will miss the 7200rpm speed. But if I go with the 7200rpm drive, I'm afraid I'll get unlucky and be plagued with vibrations and additional noise.

I use this computer for video editing (thats my major), slight gaming (mostly starcraft II), and then the basic stuff as well.

An SSD as a boot drive and the 1tb in the optibay would be perfect, but I just don't have the funds at the moment. My budget is $150.

Should I go for the black or blue drive?

EDIT - Crap, just realized I posted this in the macbook section. I own a macbook pro. This thread should be moved to that section.

 

[d88co88]

For sure Black. The 7200 RPM is a noticeable increase of speed. Unless you ABSOLUTELY need the terabyte of space, get the black. Use an external Firewire 800 drive for more space.

 

[EmeraldICE]

Thanks for the response.
I was definitely going to get an external FW since it's always best to keep your video editing scratch disk on a separate drive. The money saved from going with the Black will be put towards the FW drive.
And I definitely think the 7200rpm will be better for gaming.
Kinda nervous about the vibration or noise. I've read a lot of posts that the Scorpio Black 320gb's give off some vibrations.

 

[TZRaceR6]

I bought and installed a Scorpio Black into the wife's MBP. No vibration or additional noise over the stock HDD. And it is a very speedy HDD. Go for the Black.

 

[EmeraldICE]

Thanks for the input guys.
I've decided to go for the fast drive. I don't really NEED to be carrying around 1tb of data all the time anyway. I'll just wait until the larger capacities get quicker.
Now I'm just trying to decide if it's worth the price for the Momentus XT over the Scorpio Black.

 

[Kaviar]

Would the 1TB fit if it's 12.5mm high??

As for the XT's...
I'm going all out on my MBP and getting an SSD but that's mostly down to be being used to one on my desktop. If I wasn't then the 500GB Momentus XT looks like a great deal but with a $55 premium over the same sized WD Black, It's up to you.

You could look at this way...
You were thinking about spending $135 on the 1TB WD Blue. So the XT is within budget,
+ you were happy to go down a 500GB form 1TB.
The XT is in budget and will have enough storage for you needs.

I've not personally used and XT but the review I've read are very positive and I'm sure I've seen a thread on here called "I love my Seagate Momentus XT".
Definitely worth a good amount of consideration.

 

[EmeraldICE]

Yeah the 12.5" fits all unibody models and also the 17" non-uni.

I'm still running a 7200 rpm in my desktop so I haven't been spoiled by SSD speed yet. If I had been used to an SSD I'd probably be tearing my eyes out running these slower drives. I'd love an SSD in my desktop but I'm trying to hold off a biiiit more for the prices to come down.
I think the XT will be a nice upgrade from this 5400rpm.
Thanks for the input. I think I'm gonna go with the XT.

 

[Kaviar]

Yeah the 12.5" fits all unibody models and also the 17" non-uni.

You learn something new everyday cheers for the heads up

I'm still running a 7200 rpm in my desktop so I haven't been spoiled by SSD speed yet. If I had been used to an SSD I'd probably be tearing my eyes out running these slower drives. I'd love an SSD in my desktop but I'm trying to hold off a biiiit more for the prices to come down.
I think the XT will be a nice upgrade from this 5400rpm.
Thanks for the input. I think I'm gonna go with the XT.

Spoiled is very much the word for it It's just awesome how quick the things are. That's what I like the idea of the XT so much.

I kept waiting for the price to come down on SSD's and then I threw caution to the wind and got one... ever since then I've wished I'd got it sooner!

Did you find the thread on here about the XT?
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/962125/
Should be a good read