ok guys i know im going with owc's 8 gig ram upgrade. my next question is hd. im thinking 7200 would be nice but im unsure if a larger improvement would be noticed over my stock apple 5400. i know ssd is the way to go but for the space i need they are just to expensive. if i do go with the 7200 its going to be between the seagate momentus or the western scorpio black. anyone have any opinions on either. good battery life, cool operation, and a quiet machine are huge for me so i dont want to get stuck with a hd that takes away from any of these. thanks in advance!!
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gonna do some upgrading..heres what i got and a couple questions
- Thread starter sk8r1230
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Momentus XT or Momentus 7200.4? For most uses if you use the same apps daily, the XT will be faster. If you're comparing the traditional hdds, go with the Black.
I have had many Momentus 7200.4's and I am always really impressed. The Momentus XT is the newer drive out of the two but for me there are too many mixed reviews about the XT. If I were to upgrade right now I would go for the 7200.4.
I have had good luck with the Seagate Momentus and the Hitachi 500GB HDs, both are very quiet and fast, with very little vibration in mt 15" MBP. The Hitachi runs a little cooler, but only by about 2 degrees C.
Had a terrible time with the WD Scorpio Blue, constant beachballs, etc.
No opinion on the WD Black, but I have heard it can be louder, with more vibration than some HDs.
If I had to buy an HD now I wuld be sorely tempted to try the SSD/HD combo Momentus XT. (all of the above is personal opion only, no scientific data)
I'm in the same situation as you, and after a fair amount of research I ordered the Hitachi Travelstar 7K500. The criteria you listed were my top priorities as well, and this drive has gotten a lot of good reviews for them.
I upgraded my 2009 macbook from the stock 5400 toshiba to the 7k500. I immediately noticed a big difference in bootup and app startup. From most reviews, the 7k500 is a better real-world performer than the 7200.4 and is a great value.
Have u considered a SSD. A friend just put a vertex 2 (it has sandstrom interface) and his laptop boots in about 15-20 seconds and apps open way faster.
Just a suggestion.
D
Just a suggestion.
D