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Need advice on hd replacement for older 2006 MBP

R

rpk73

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Hi.
I have a 15" 1.83mhz MBP core duo circa 2006 which finally died. I took it to the Apple store and was kindly told that my hard drive is dead. I'd prefer at this time to just replace/upgrade my hd than purchase a new computer. My questions are the following:

1) What's the best, reliable kind/brand of hard drive I can get for around $200 or so? Id like to improve the overall speed of my computer while I'm at it. Given the cost constraint, I'd b ok with one as low as an 80gig.
2) Is there an ssd drive that's worth getting for my model? I imagine the benefit/gain of having an ssd with my SATA I bus would be all that value added. Am I wrong?

Thx a bunch!
 
Try a Hitachi 500 GB 7,200 rpm drive, about 80-90 bucks, maybe cheaper. Low vibration, quiet and fast. SSDs are still expensive and with that older machine it may not be necessary.
 
I would go with the SSD. It's random read/write speed performance is far better than a 7200RPM HDD.
 
mdgm said:
I would go with the SSD. It's random read/write speed performance is far better than a 7200RPM HDD.
Click to expand...

Thank mdgm and davidly.

Any recommendation as to which brand/model of SSD I could get that's compatible with my older MBP?

I tried searching for one but couldn't seem to find anything that I was confident would work on my machine.
 
euphoria47 said:
Not ALWAYS the cheapest, but at least they guarantee compatibility. I'd go for a 7200 rpm over SSD in such an old machine. I still have the same spec unit as u, tho with a 500GB hdd. SSD speeds read/write activities, but that computer wont seem too much faster for day to day stuff like browsing by putting an ssd

http://www.crucial.com/store/listpa...z Intel Core Duo (15.4-inch)&pl=Apple&cat=RAM
Click to expand...

Thanks euphoria47. I just posted a reply on another thread asking for advice from someone with an older MBP similar to mine. I think I'll take your advice and go with 7200rpm HD, Hitachi per davidlv.
 
i believe the older mbp can only handle 9.5 mm drives. the 1tb drives right now are 12.5mm drives, so those will not physically fit. basically, you can't go wrong with 500gb 7200rpm hitachi. just read the specs and make sure that it's 9.5mm in height.
 
golgo1313 said:
i believe the older mbp can only handle 9.5 mm drives. the 1tb drives right now are 12.5mm drives, so those will not physically fit. basically, you can't go wrong with 500gb 7200rpm hitachi. just read the specs and make sure that it's 9.5mm in height.
Click to expand...

Hi. I ended up ordering the following hd:
Western Digital Scorpio 2.5-Inch 500 GB SATA Internal Hard Drive WD5000BEKT (Black)

It had very good reviews on amazon, some saying this one is better than the comparable Hitachi? I don't know one way or the other but that's what I got for about $70. Thanks everyone for helping me out. I think I learned a good bit from u guys.

Cheers
RPK
 
The WD are supposed to be good. I had a Hitachi in my early 08" MBP and it worked perfectly for over a year (Apple replaced my MBP).

Just follow the ifixit.com guide on how to replace the HDD and you will be A-OK. You upgrade the RAM? That may benefit you as well.
 
if you are happy with 80gb and want speed then an ssd is perfect for you.

some have computability issues so watch out but e x25m is problem free.
 
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