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dj.k86

macrumors newbie
Original poster
May 31, 2009
21
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I originally was going to get the 2.53 version of the 13', but after reading multiple threads on it, i have been convinced to get the 2.26. I will be upgrading ram to 4 gb from 2 and the hard drive as well. Any suggestions on what would provide maximum speed increase for around under $300? I know some 3rd party hard drives and SSD's now are not supported with the new update for upgrading the SATA....Any help is appreciated
 
For maximum speed like OP requested, I would suggest the 320GB WD Scorpio Black instead, no?

The 500 GB 5400 Scorpio Blue compares favorably to the 320 GB 7200 Scorpio Black in speed

Scorpio Blue and Black Review


Woof, Woof - Dawg
pawprint.gif
 
thanks for all the help so far. is there any difference between ram such as faster or slower models of it? Can someone post a link to where you would but it as well? Also i am in between the scoripo black/blue, what do you think is better? Thanks
 
thanks for all the help so far. is there any difference between ram such as faster or slower models of it? Can someone post a link to where you would but it as well? Also i am in between the scoripo black/blue, what do you think is better? Thanks

Herre You Go , this is the best one out there i guessed, i have the same laptop as yours, i ordered this ram last night because of the reviews i heard of it ..
 
thanks for all the help so far. is there any difference between ram such as faster or slower models of it? Can someone post a link to where you would but it as well? Also i am in between the scoripo black/blue, what do you think is better? Thanks

The RAM should work the same regardless of manufacturer. Once it's in and is working you should be good to go.

On the HDD: I'd get the Scorpio Blue. Two out of two Blacks I've played with vibrate. The Blue is supposed to be near the same speed at reading/writing/access (7200 vs. 5400rpm) with an extra 180GB. The Black has a five year warranty and the Blue three. The vibration of the Black is a bit of a distraction for me but I'm picky.
 
thanks for all the help so far. is there any difference between ram such as faster or slower models of it? Can someone post a link to where you would but it as well? Also i am in between the scoripo black/blue, what do you think is better? Thanks

If you look at the review I posted above, it seems to favor the Blue
I picked the Blue personally for the same reasons NC MacGuy gives

Woof, Woof - Dawg
pawprint.gif
 
If you're not looking for SSDs, then the best choice is either a WD 500gb Scorpio Blue or a Seagate Momentus 7200.4. Seagate is supposed to be faster, but there are mixed reviews with the WD being faster. The Seagate is probably faster, though. It should have the same platter density as the WD, except it is 7200rpm instead of 5400rpm. Your call.
 
If you're not looking for SSDs, then the best choice is either a WD 500gb Scorpio Blue or a Seagate Momentus 7200.4. Seagate is supposed to be faster, but there are mixed reviews with the WD being faster. The Seagate is probably faster, though. It should have the same platter density as the WD, except it is 7200rpm instead of 5400rpm. Your call.

My experience with Seagate is they aren't very reliable. I'm looking at two dead one along with a Fujisu as I type.
 
i wish i had 300-400 dollars to blow on a SSD but i am just not sure if they are worth the money to make my laptop that much faster compared to say the scorpio black!

From my experience going from a 250GB 7200rpm drive to the intel x25M was a night and day difference. To put an analogy of sorts its like going from a computer 10 years ago to a high end one today.
 
I find it hard to believe that the Blue can match the Black with half the cache and a slower spindle speed, not to mention the higher access times, which are what matter, AFAIK.
sandra_chart.jpg


http://www.legitreviews.com/article/955/6/

The performance benchmarks also showed that the Scorpio Black 320GB (WD3200BJKT) was faster than the Scorpio Blue 500GB (WD5000BEVT), which is no slouch. The Scorpio black series is faster than the blue series without a doubt.

http://www.legitreviews.com/article/955/9/

But yeah, it might not matter to most.
 
If all you want to do is run benchmark software you can see that the Scorpio Black is faster. But in day to day use, when looking at overall issues you may not see it.

Conclusions
On the surface, little separates these 500GB notebook drives—well, the 5,400-RPM models, anyway. But after seeing how each handled our diverse suite of performance tests, a clear winner has emerged.

...

That favorite? Western Digital's Scorpio Blue. We subject drives to a varied mix of performance tests because we're looking for weaknesses, and the Scorpio Blue exhibited none. It may not have come out ahead of the pack in each and every test, but over our entire suite, the Scorpio was clearly the performance leader. At just $90 online, the Blue won't cost you more than other drives we've looked at today, either. Picking an Editor's Choice doesn't get any easier than that.


I put a Scorpio Blue in my 15" and have been running it since May 3, 2009. I like it well enough that I am putting it in the 13" as well.

Is the Scorpio Black faster? Maybe, but it's too small. ( 320 GB )
 
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