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MacBook Pro HDD Question

81Tiger04

81Tiger04

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Aug 11, 2009
465
37
SC
Going for the 15" MBP ... I'm upgrading to the Hi-Res display but have a question about the HDD. I was thinking about the 500GB @ 7200 RPM but I've read that:

#1
7200 RPM's is noisier - Is this true?

#2
Going for a Western Digital Scorpio Blue HDD is a better option - It can be cheaper and a better HDD.

I've done some searching but posts are either don't answer my specific question or seem outdated. I placed my order a few hours ago and am wondering if I should change the $90 HDD upgrade through Apple and do it myself. Thanks in advance ...
 
#1 Noise depends on the brand/type. Some are really quiet, others a bit louder. But nowadays most of them are pretty hard to hear anyways. If you don't want any noise, go for an SSD, but that's pretty costly. Noise, heat and power usage of 7200RPM drives are very similar to the 5400RPM disks.

#2 Buy the stock drive and then another disk yourself, that's always cheaper than paying the premium Apple prices. For that $90 you can buy a second HD. The WD is a good choice, but also look at the Seagate Momentus XT hybrid. Reasonable price, very fast compared to regular 7200RPM HDs and it's getting very good reviews.
 
81Tiger04 said:
Going for the 15" MBP ... I'm upgrading to the Hi-Res display but have a question about the HDD. I was thinking about the 500GB @ 7200 RPM but I've read that:

#1
7200 RPM's is noisier - Is this true?

#2
Going for a Western Digital Scorpio Blue HDD is a better option - It can be cheaper and a better HDD.

I've done some searching but posts are either don't answer my specific question or seem outdated. I placed my order a few hours ago and am wondering if I should change the $90 HDD upgrade through Apple and do it myself. Thanks in advance ...
Click to expand...

I've put a WD Scorpio Black 320GB 7200rpm drive into my wife's MacBook and it doesn't seem any noisier to me and if it is, it's only slightly. But I'm also quite deaf from gun fire and living on an aircraft carrier for numerous deployments. :D

As for changing the HDD yourself, I say do it. It's extremely easy. Save yourself a few bucks in the process.
 
#1: False. I use a 500GB Hitachi 7000rmp HDD and it's flawless. You can't even hear it spinning at all. It's smooth and super fast.

#2: Like the other person said buy the stock HDD that comes with your MBP then buy it from Amazon or OWC and install it yourself. Apple charges way too much. You can find it for cheaper.
 
First of all, thank you for all of the responses.

#1
I guess I should have mentioned that the HDD I went with is the 500GB @ 7200 RPM from Apple. Does this fall under the "good" and/or "quiet" HDD's? I'm not anal or anything about noise. This was a spur-of-the-moment decision, so I really didn't know anything about HDD's. When I started to look up previous posts, I got a little worried with the comments about the noise. Another thing I guess I should have looked up beforehand, but is there a noticeable difference in speed from 5400 to 7200 RPM's?

#2
I know little about the "insides" of computers - I just use them. How hard is it to install a HDD?
 
81Tiger04 said:
First of all, thank you for all of the responses.

#1
I guess I should have mentioned that the HDD I went with is the 500GB @ 7200 RPM from Apple. Does this fall under the "good" and/or "quiet" HDD's? I'm not anal or anything about noise. This was a spur-of-the-moment decision, so I really didn't know anything about HDD's. When I started to look up previous posts, I got a little worried with the comments about the noise. Another thing I guess I should have looked up beforehand, but is there a noticeable difference in speed from 5400 to 7200 RPM's?

#2
I know little about the "insides" of computers - I just use them. How hard is it to install a HDD?
Click to expand...

#1, the 7200 seems to be a bit quicker than the 5400. Not super quick like an SSD, but I did notice a slight increase in speed.

#2, There are plenty of youtube vids out there to show you exactly what you need to do to replace a HDD. Seriously though, if you can make toast, pump gas, tie your shoes... you can switch out a HDD. :D
 
81Tiger04 said:
First of all, thank you for all of the responses.

#1
I guess I should have mentioned that the HDD I went with is the 500GB @ 7200 RPM from Apple. Does this fall under the "good" and/or "quiet" HDD's? I'm not anal or anything about noise. This was a spur-of-the-moment decision, so I really didn't know anything about HDD's. When I started to look up previous posts, I got a little worried with the comments about the noise. Another thing I guess I should have looked up beforehand, but is there a noticeable difference in speed from 5400 to 7200 RPM's?

#2
I know little about the "insides" of computers - I just use them. How hard is it to install a HDD?
Click to expand...

#1, there is a speed difference, which is at least noticeable, but not anything awe-inspiring.

#2, the install is pretty easy in the MBP, just be very careful not to strip the screw that holds your drive in. I did that and am still trying to figure out how to remove it, as the apple store won't help me.
 
How does the HDD I'd get with Apple compare to the Seagate Momentus or WD Scorpio? Are they comparable?
 
alust2013 said:
#1, there is a speed difference, which is at least noticeable, but not anything awe-inspiring.

#2, the install is pretty easy in the MBP, just be very careful not to strip the screw that holds your drive in. I did that and am still trying to figure out how to remove it, as the apple store won't help me.
Click to expand...
Channel locks are your friend in this case. Had the same issue. Channel locks look like normal pliers, but are able to be locked in place, so a tight grip can be had on the top of the screw.
 
alust2013 said:
I belive the 7200 RPM drive they use is in fact the Seagate Momentus 7200.4
Click to expand...

Thanks ... After doing a quick google search, I see a lot of complaints about the drive. Many of them appear to be from 2009. Have things changed? Is the same HDD used in the new MBP's?
 
I believe it's still the same. I think the only other option for a 500 gig 7200 RPM drive is the Hitachi 7k500, which may be more expensive.
 
Bump for the morning crowd ... I'm looking for info. about the 500 GB @ 7200 RPM. What model is it? Quality? Has anyone had any problems with it?
 
I am running the Seagate 7200.4 500GB/7200 rpm and have had no issues. It is pretty fast, quiet, no additional vibration and has worked great for me. From System Info:

Capacity: 500.11 GB (500,107,862,016 bytes)
Model: ST9500420AS
Revision: 0002SDM1

I think the Momentus XT is pretty much the same base drive with the addition of the SSD used for read cache.
 
Good to hear. A google search of the drive brought up quite a few negative reviews and had me worried. I wouldn't think that Apple would use a "bad" HDD but I wanted/had to make sure.
 
cube said:
OK, I assume you already looked at some reviews.
Click to expand...

In one of the first responses in this thread, someone mentioned the Momentus XT Hybrid. I placed the order for my MBP last night, with the HDD upgrade being a spur-of-the-moment decision. As such, I hadn't done any research on the subject and didn't know much about it. Right now, I guess I'm trying to find out what people think of the 500GB (7200RPM) HDD supplied by Apple. What kind is it? Is it "good"? Anything I can find out is much appreciated ...
 
Anyone know how the Apple-supplied HDD's (in particular, the 500GB @ 7200 RPM) compare to something I could get off Amazon?

FWIW, I talked to the people at Apple and they said the drives will either be Seagate, Fujitsu, or Hitachi. Is one better than the other?
 
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