Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Modern day 7200rpm PATA options

B

burnout8488

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
May 8, 2011
578
95
Endwell, NY
Looking to buy a 7200RPM drive for my 15" PB to wake it up a bit. The aging original Seagate 5400 is leaving a lot to be desired.

What's out there? The Hitachi 7k60 seems to be a popular one. I can get one of these used on eBay for about $25 bucks it seems, but I wouldn't know the history of it.

Any popular Western Digitals or Seagates? Since they're essentially obsolete, is there one that I should be looking at that is better than the rest? (Can't be that many left available)
 
In the last PowerBook G4's Apple shipped a 100GB 7200rpm Seagate Momentus as a BTO option. They're still around, but very expensive new.
 
I would go for the Western Digital Blue option on IDE. Out of all the magnetic IDE/PATA drives out there still they have the newest technology so that equates to better reliability and performance than say what Seagate still offers.

From what I see at many different computer shops it's really only WD and Seagate that still offer IDE magnetics.
 
So you're saying you'd recommend a WD Blue 5400 high density (250...320gb) drive over a lower density (60gb) 7200rpm drive? (Based on the newer chipset)

I'd like to see a comparison of all these PATA back to back to compare numbers if that comparison even exists!

I already have an Intel SSD laying around and I'm tempted to put a SATA->PATA optibay in this PBG4 to utilize it, as long as I can be sure the SATA->PATA conversion won't screw me on the speeds.
 
burnout8488 said:
So you're saying you'd recommend a WD Blue 5400 high density (250...320gb) drive over a lower density (60gb) 7200rpm drive? (Based on the newer chipset)

I'd like to see a comparison of all these PATA back to back to compare numbers if that comparison even exists!

I already have an Intel SSD laying around and I'm tempted to put a SATA->PATA optibay in this PBG4 to utilize it, as long as I can be sure the SATA->PATA conversion won't screw me on the speeds.
Click to expand...

The Blue's are 7200rpm and available from 80-500GB in PATA:
http://www.wdc.com/en/products/products.aspx?id=110#tab3
 
Last edited:
Intell said:
The 2.5"/laptop ones are 5400. No company make PATA 2.5" 7200rpm drives anymore.
Click to expand...

As a desktop user I tend to default to 3.5" in my brain. Yes the 2.5" Blue are 5400. Hitachi was the last one AFAIK to make a 2.5" 7200 but it was discontinued over a year ago IIRC.

The only real high performance 2.5" PATA options now are SSD and even those are getting more rare. I would try the SATA with adapter or if not that then get an OWC PATA SSD. I have heard nothing but amazing things about those.
 
Funny, I had the 100gb 7200rpm in my last gen Powerbook G4 1.67ghz HR SD 15" and just replaced it with a new 320gb 5400.

As I remember testing them back in the day even the 250gb WD 5400rpm was as fast as my 100gb 7200rpm pata laptop drive in a 12" Powerbook.

This is because the platters move faster in the larger drives.

SO both the 250RPM Pata 5400 drive and the 320 are as fast as the 100gb 7200rpm Hitachi or Seagate drives.

BTW I have a brand new 250gb WD Pata drive if anyone wants to make me an offer.
 
OP: if you not choose the SSD and go for a normal IDE drive, than I recommend you try to find out the noise before, so you won't have to do the operation again.

I replaced my ibook G4's Toshiba 4200rpm 40GB with a WD 320GB blue with 5400rpm and although the datasheet says it is much quieter it seems louder to me. Sound is very subjective, dB does not actually say whether you will find something noisy. Example: some will find high noises noisier, others a deep grumbling or the vibration on the desk.

I have researched a long time for the speeds, when I made the decision and I can second California's statement, the WD 250GB and 320GB and the Samsung 160GB seemed to be faster than the Hitachi 7200rpm 7k100. The Hitachi was last produced in 2007. While the Samsungs and WDs are still made. When you look for used ones be sure, that the WD does already have the blue badge and the Samsung is the HM160HC (one Platter) not HJ (two 80GB Platters).

I unfortunately did not determine noise for myself, since everyone in Forums said they were both very quiet (and very energy saving). I will put my ear on a Samsung one, if I have the time again and get hold of one cheap (HDDs prices have grown a lot in the past two month due to production loss, because of floods in Thailand and at least WD is short of supply (the others just take the extra money it seems, since not every manufacturer has production facilities there).

Personally speaking I can say, that the fan does turn on much less with the WD 320GB and my left hand palm does feel the drive does not get that hot like the Toshiba did.

As others have already said, the higher density will make the newer drives faster than the Hitachi and it is quiet expensive on Ebay compared to the others.
 
Last edited:
Thanks for the heads up! My PB is quite quiet right now, so it's good to know the new drive might ramp up the sound a bit. Gonna scout out a WD 250 I think.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back