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Hard drive upgrade vibration question

L

lucp4rt

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Feb 2, 2010
14
0
Hi,

i have a macbook pro 13 mid2010. yesterday i upgraded from 250gb 5400rpm to 750gb 5400rpm so that i dont increase battery consumption. since i did not have necessary screwdrivers i had a technician install it. today i am suspecting that my macbook vibrates too much. i have never felt this much vibration before. is it just me or does the stoch hard drive vibrate too?

old hdd: toshiba mk2555gsx
new hdd: toshiba mk7575gsx (newer model with same vibration values from toshibas website)

could the vibration be caused by wrong installation because the techician did not seem to know anything about macs (he claimed he needed to take out the motherboard to reach hdd). to be honest he didnt seem to like me so maybe some loose screws?
 
with a 5400rpm drive it should be almost impossible to feel the vibration... and no, the only things that you remove to replace a hard drive are the bottom case and the brace that holds the hard drive in place
 
riptideMBP said:
with a 5400rpm drive it should be almost impossible to feel the vibration... and no, the only things that you remove to replace a hard drive are the bottom case and the brace that holds the hard drive in place
Click to expand...

i can even feel a slight vibration at the top of the screen.

vibration at both sides of the trackpad is much more.
 
now i notice that it does not vibrate on hard surfaces but it vibrates on my lap very noticable. i cannot be sure that the stock one used to do that. can anybody confirm that it is normal?
 
lucp4rt said:
now i notice that it does not vibrate on hard surfaces but it vibrates on my lap very noticable. i cannot be sure that the stock one used to do that. can anybody confirm that it is normal?
Click to expand...

Your description does not sound normal. Also the motherboard does not have to come out to install the HDD. What you should have done is buy a set of screw drivers for $8 at HomeDepot and watched a couple YouTube videos on how to remove the HDD. This is what I did when I installed my SSD.
 
Irock619 said:
Your description does not sound normal. Also the motherboard does not have to come out to install the HDD. What you should have done is buy a set of screw drivers for $8 at HomeDepot and watched a couple YouTube videos on how to remove the HDD. This is what I did when I installed my SSD.
Click to expand...

i know how easy it is and motherboard doesnt need to be taken out. i didnt have the screwdrivers and it was quicker to have someone to install it so did i but he didnt know anything about macs this is why i am suspicious about a faulty installation. but when the mac is on table it is impossible to feel any vibration.
 
lucp4rt said:
i know how easy it is and motherboard doesnt need to be taken out. i didnt have the screwdrivers and it was quicker to have someone to install it so did i but he didnt know anything about macs this is why i am suspicious about a faulty installation. but when the mac is on table it is impossible to feel any vibration.
Click to expand...

Go buy a screw driver set and take off the bottom plate. Make sure all the screws are tight, and make sure you are not missing any screws that secure the HDD.
 
i am going to buy screwdrivers tomorrow.

could it be the hard drive maybe? if it is the cause i can give it back for a full refund till friday
 
today i opened my mac and checked. everything was okay. just to be sure i installed my old hdd and it does not vibrate even the least bit. new hdd is like the mac is reading a dvd. i am going to try to replace it. could it be a faulty hdd or just this model (although the vibration should be same according to toshiba website) vibrates normally.

can somebody suggest a 500gb-750gb-1tb hard drive 5400rpm that does not make vibrations or sound?
 
lucp4rt said:
today i opened my mac and checked. everything was okay. just to be sure i installed my old hdd and it does not vibrate even the least bit. new hdd is like the mac is reading a dvd. i am going to try to replace it. could it be a faulty hdd or just this model (although the vibration should be same according to toshiba website) vibrates normally.

can somebody suggest a 500gb-750gb-1tb hard drive 5400rpm that does not make vibrations or sound?
Click to expand...

First I'd say the speed benefits (especially at 750GB) of a 7200 drive outweigh the minimal battery hit that will occur. Secondly, if everything is working fine it sounds like the drive just isn't in there tight enough, be it loose screws of bad seating.
 
Interstella5555 said:
First I'd say the speed benefits (especially at 750GB) of a 7200 drive outweigh the minimal battery hit that will occur. Secondly, if everything is working fine it sounds like the drive just isn't in there tight enough, be it loose screws of bad seating.
Click to expand...

i am not looking for speed as much as comfort and i heard that 7200rpm would definitely cause some vibrations but i will keep your suggestion in mind.

i am sure mounting is right since i tried it twice and once had a techician do it. i also mount the older one the same way and it doesnt move even a little bit. toshiba website suggests they should be same but maybe the new one is just a cheap model that is not as good. or maybe there is a problem with inner workings of the hdd which doesnt affect its reading and writing abilities. dont know much about inner working though just a thought
 
today i realized my portable 5400rpm hdd vibrate just the same. could the stock hdd be special (underclocked or somehow less vibrating)?
 
lucp4rt said:
today i opened my mac and checked. everything was okay. just to be sure i installed my old hdd and it does not vibrate even the least bit. new hdd is like the mac is reading a dvd. i am going to try to replace it. could it be a faulty hdd or just this model (although the vibration should be same according to toshiba website) vibrates normally.

can somebody suggest a 500gb-750gb-1tb hard drive 5400rpm that does not make vibrations or sound?
Click to expand...

There's not going to be a perfect answer to this question. Most drives won't vibrate but the manufacturer isn't going to consider that outside of standard variance for any particular drive.

It's not like 5400 RPM is slow, so any slight imperfection is going to result in some vibration.
 
update: i am returning the hard drive and thinking of getting a hitachi travelstar 5k750. there is no vibration caused by the original drive (not possible to feel from any part) can anyone confirm the experience is the same with 5k750?
 
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