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Macbook Air's Hard Drive.. parallel ATA??

P

pugnac

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jan 14, 2008
4
0
i know it may sound like a noobish question haha but can someone please explain to me what does the 1799 MBA having a 80GB Parallel ATA, 4200 rpm hard drive mean. why is it better to have a 64GB solid-state drive?? and most of all... what does PARALLEL in "80GB Parallel ATA, 4200 rpm" mean. thanks

i was going to buy a black macbook by februrary...but the MBA looks amazing haha im getting one!!!!




p.s. also..first post
 
Solid state drives are the latest and greatest thing...they're basically massive flash drives. That means no moving parts, which means faster file access and less power usage.

Parallel ATA is actually on old standard for hard drive interfaces. Every other modern system I've seen uses SATA (serial ATA), but I suppose the 1.8" hard drives the Air uses are such a niche market that they haven't been updated to SATA yet.
 
Parallel ATA is actually an older technology. Now everybody uses SATA drives but the MBA is so small, it requires a 1.8 inch HD which still uses the old tech.
And, at only 4200 rpm, it is a very slow drive. The SSD is so much more expensive even though it holds less because it's a relitively new technology. It has a blazing fast transfer rate and is compleately silent due to the fact that it has no moving parts at all.
 
My problem is this, if they are using the same type of drives as of those in the classic, then why couldn't they have added a 160 GB option?
 
CJRhoades said:
Because, they don't make 160GB HD's in a 1.8" form.
Click to expand...

Yes, they do. That's the drive in the 160GB iPod classic. I too am surprised they didn't put that one in the Air...except I suppose it's because the 160GB is a few millimeters thicker than the 80GB and they just couldn't squeeze that space out.
 
mrogers said:
Yes, they do. That's the drive in the 160GB iPod classic. I too am surprised they didn't put that one in the Air...except I suppose it's because the 160GB is a few millimeters thicker than the 80GB and they just couldn't squeeze that space out.
Click to expand...
It doesn't take that many millimeters before that .76" thin becomes 1" thick.
 
So you have the option of getting the very BEST drive, or the very WORST drive.

Who wants to pay $1799 for a 4200 RPM Parallel ATA hard drive?

Revision 2 FTW......:apple:
 
Q: "Who wants to pay $1799 for a 4200 RPM Parallel ATA hard drive?"

A: Probably someone who: #1.) doesn't really put great demands on their laptop and has no NEED for the speed/durability/quietness of the SSD's latest technology, and B.) doesn't have an extra $1299 cash to spend on it, but still wants the thinnest, coolest-looking laptop. You can look like you're keeping up with the Joneses without really having to keep up. :apple:
 
Parallel ATA = Old school
Serial ATA = New school

Serial ATA pwns Parallel ATA in speed and price per GB
Parallel ATA pwns Serial ATA in power consumption (less is better!)

Got it?
 
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