Quick question about Momentus XT Hybrid HDD

[MrSoprano]

I am finally making the jump to MAC and buying a MBP. However, I plan on purchasing and installing the Momentus XT Hybrid HDD with 4GB SSD.

My question, is there a difference in these two drives? They look the same but have different model #'s. The specs on both are the same though. Am I missing something? Is one drive an updated version? Thanks in advance and here are the two links.
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Seagate+-+Momentus+XT+500GB+Internal+Serial+ATA+Hard+Drive+for+Laptops+-+Silver/Black/1149896.p?id=1218225362552&skuId=1149896&st=momentus%20xt%20hybrid%20drive&cp=1&lp=1
http://www.amazon.com/Seagate-Momentus-7200RPM-Hybrid-ST95005620AS-Bare/dp/B003NSBF32/ref=wl_it_dp_o?ie=UTF8&coliid=I1LY0ULZJIQSCO&colid=32YQ749CTV66Q

 

[ECUpirate44]

I dont think so. Amazon is just cheaper, but have you looked at the WD scorpio drives? I'd have to recommend them over the Seagate.

 

[blueroom]

Those Hybrid XT drives will chew through your MBP battery in no time. Get an SSD instead.

 

[MrSoprano]

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I dont think so. Amazon is just cheaper, but have you looked at the WD scorpio drives? I'd have to recommend them over the Seagate.

I haven't looked at the WD HDDs. What makes them better in your opinion then the Seagate?

 

[TopHatPlus]

hey man, i run that exact hard drive, i have ahd it for about 4 months now in my 2010 mbp with the i7, its fricking amazing!!! when i turn down my screen and go battery saver i can get 9-10 hours life, it doesn't really effect much. The drive itself is pretty amazing for the $$$$$ my computer boots in 17 seconds with 400 GB on it. It just makes your macbook pro feel super snappy and everything loads tons faster. You'll love it!

There is no difference in those 2.

 

[MrSoprano]

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Those Hybrid XT drives will chew through your MBP battery in no time. Get an SSD instead.

Really? How much battery drain are we talking? 10% 20%? I am curious about this as battery life isn't a huge factor in my decision but definitely worth knowing more info on.

 

[TopHatPlus]

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I haven't looked at the WD HDDs. What makes them better in your opinion then the Seagate?

WD = Seagate, they are basically the only 2 hard drive i buy and i buy the one thats cheaper for what i am looking for. WD does not have a hybrid.

 

[ECUpirate44]

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I haven't looked at the WD HDDs. What makes them better in your opinion then the Seagate?

Mainly reliability. I think they use less juice as well. But for the ultimate upgrade, go for an SSD.

 

[gr8tfly]

Those Hybrid XT drives will chew through your MBP battery in no time. Get an SSD instead.

Perhaps with the older firmware, but the latest, SD24, works fine. I haven't seen any difference on my Early 2009 17"MBP, and from the reports I've read, others also experience the same life.

I'm very happy with mine. It's the quietest drive I've owned (coming from WD Scorpio Black 320GB) - no head click, either. It's measurably faster than the WD (file xfer between it and ext FW800s). It's hard to measure everyday differences, but it does seem "zippier" than the WD.

Edit: OP: Check out several other threads on the XT at MR to get a flavor of other user's experiences with the XT.

 

[TopHatPlus]

Mainly reliability. I think they use less juice as well. But for the ultimate upgrade, go for an SSD.

they only use less juice if you get a slower HDD like the 5900 or the 5400, and an SSD is $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ compared to the hybrid, i am completely satisfied with mine, for the money you cannot beat it, when i can purchase a 500 GB SSD for $150 i will buy one =D

 

[cube]

Regarding the Momentus XT:

A new firmware, SD25, is expected in at most 2 weeks.

A new batch of drives went out.

 

[macagain]

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Really? How much battery drain are we talking? 10% 20%? I am curious about this as battery life isn't a huge factor in my decision but definitely worth knowing more info on.

Try half! Seagate was having a lot of trouble with the drive going to sleep too often, then taking a long time to wake up, causing a lot of beachballs in mac os x. So, in their infinite wisdom, they "fixed" it by releasing firmware that makes the drive just not go to sleep!!! How clever! No more beachballing... too bad that it sucks power and cuts battery life in half, and makes the palmrest of your mac into a really nice palm walmer. (Yes, this is on the latest SD24 firmware)

I got this drive and was really excited about it... but it is a bag of hurt. I have since gone back to my conventional 7200rpm drive. I thought I'd be hating the slowdown, but honestly, the difference has really not been dramatic at all. Nice to have my battery life back! I'm staying away from this until/if Seagate gets their act together.

checkout their forum... lots of unhappy users.

 

[MrSoprano]

Thanks for all the input. I'm going to take my chances with the XT. This will be my first MBP so I'm pretty excited. Going to upgrade the HDD and RAM myself.

As for getting a SSD instead, believe me I know the difference and how nice it would be to have one........ BUT the prices just aren't there yet for me. I need a bigger HDD for tons of Photo/Videos/Music and would rather have it on drive rather then stored in external storage drive. (I do have an external for backup)

 

[davids8477]

Thanks for all the input. I'm going to take my chances with the XT. This will be my first MBP so I'm pretty excited. Going to upgrade the HDD and RAM myself.

As for getting a SSD instead, believe me I know the difference and how nice it would be to have one........ BUT the prices just aren't there yet for me. I need a bigger HDD for tons of Photo/Videos/Music and would rather have it on drive rather then stored in external storage drive. (I do have an external for backup)

You will not regret the XT - been usung for 2-3 weeks on my 2007 MBP - noticeably snappier on boot and launching apps.
Make sure you upgrade the firmware to 24 though.