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Internal HD upgrade (Recommendations, preferences)

T

TheCosmonaut

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jan 4, 2011
3
0
Hi there folks! Long time reader, first time question-asker. I wanted to upgrade my internal hard drive on my 13" 2009 Macbook, but I had no idea which one to get. I understand that the requirements are 2.5" SATA, but beyond that, I'm not sure about product reliability. Wondering if any of you guys had recommendations on good internal HDs for the Macbook. I was thinking the Western Digital 320 GB Scorpio Black. Any further information or recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!
 
I bought the seagate momentus 7200 rpm 500gb 2.5" sata and it works fine in my 2008 macbook white. I purchased this off of new egg for like 80 dollars good deal and greater space.
 
what are you looking for in your upgrade? more storage space or performance? I would highly recommend looking at SSD's as the performance benefits are worth the added expense
 
Looking for storage space, really. I reeeeally want an SSD, but I can't afford one that'll expand on my current amount of storage by a decent enough size :(
 
Have a look at the Seaate momentus XT. It's a hybrid drive. 4gb flash and 500gb 7200 in one. I have it and I'm very pleased with it
 
Depends on if you are after size or speed. I just upgraded my MacBook with a Kingston V100 128GB SSD and it's like a new computer, windows open instantly, apps load in 1-2 seconds instead of 5-10 etc. If you can live with the smaller capacity (or afford a 256GB+ SSD) it's a highly recommended upgrade.

Matt
 
TheCosmonaut said:
I was thinking the Western Digital 320 GB Scorpio Black. Any further information or recommendations would be greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...

Ask ten people about hard drives, you'll get ten different answers.

I think you'll have good luck with the Scorpio. I've had good luck with WD, Toshiba, and Maxtor. The only two HD failures I've ever had were with Seagates, and I'm sure several folks here swear by those and can tell you about bum drives they've had from the other manufacturers.

With an SSD, it's all about capacity vs. speed. I put a 500 Gb 7200 rpm WD in my MacBook and I can't complain.
 
I have the 320GB scorpio black, and I love it. Plenty fast, runs cooler than my stock drive, doesn't make a whole lot of noise or vibration. I would recommend the 500GB version however, as it is 180GB bigger for maybe $10 or 15 more. I was a bit disappointed, as it came out a couple weeks after I got my 320GB, but I still have plenty of space, so it's not an issue.
 
RJP31484 said:
I hear that 7200rpm drives draw more power. What are the real-world effects on battery life of upgrading to this drive?
Click to expand...

thats false, the rpm doesnt draw from the power cause my battery still lasts about 4-5 hours on a full charge like my 5400 did and i have the momentus 7200rpm 500gb.

its just write and read speed.
 
Everyone is forgetting that he needs to get a drive without a Free fall sensor (because the Macbook's already have one built-in) and the drive can't be taller than 9.5mm. Also if your going to use BootCamp with a Advanced Format drive and Windows XP(Windows 7 should be fine), you might run into some performance problems because of un-aligned partitions.

But besides that your free to pick any 2.5" SATA drive you want. I would go with Seagate or Western Digital, they are the two largest hard drive manufactures.


WD(Western Digital) drives tend to vibrate a bit more, especially when you get into the 7200rpm range. The 5400rpm Seagate Momentus I currently have in my Macbook Unibody is wisper quiet(I had a WD Scorpio Black and the vibration on the wrist wrest was driving me insane).

Now on the other hand I think WD drives are more reliable over time.

But I digress, any of the latest Segate Momentus or WD Scorpio Blue drives will make you extremely happy. And most can be had for under $100 USD.



Here's a guide on how to replace the drive when you finally buy it (remember to pick up Philips #00 / T6 Torx screwdrivers) - http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Repair/...ody-Model-A1342-Hard-Drive-Replacement/1670/1
 
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