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Scorpio Blue or Scorpio Black?

J.711

J.711

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Apr 26, 2009
21
0
Dubizzle
OK, so I'm really to this forum, so don't slaughter me :p First of, I'm thinking about upgrading my HD to 320GB and I read some really mixed reviews about the Scorpio Black and it's apparent "vibration" problem. I'm just thinking should I go for the Scorpio Blue instead? I understand there's a huge speed difference, but I'm more concerned about the vibrating than battery life (apparently it doesn't drain that much battery either.. so that's not an issue).

And yes, I've searched through many threads but there are so many bits of info here and there I though I'd like to get clarification on this.
 
I recently installed the scorpio black in my MacBook (alu), it's vibrating, and is a lot louder than the stock drive, sending it back for a check tomorrow
 
clyde2801 said:
Installed it on my (now my fiancee's) 2.4 uni MBP. No difference in vibration that I could tell.
Click to expand...

Yeah I heard in the very beginning it's okay but over time it gets louder and a bit more obvious each time..must be the aluminium body I guess.

hope all goes well for you though!
 
Yea I had the black and sent it back for the blue because of vibration. Fortunetly you are incorrect about there being a huge speed difference. I picked up the 500gb blue and it's basically the same speed as the 320gb black. You will be very happy getting the 500gb blue.
 
I just installed the Black in my 17" UB a few days ago. Zero vibration, and virtually silent. Speed increase is noticeable.
 
natebookpro said:
Yea from what I understand the larger notebooks are not really effected by the vibrations.
Click to expand...

There aren't any vibrations. I tested the drive in an external case, prior to installation. You can barely tell it's spinning at all (it's a Sabrent aluminum USB enclosure).

I'm just pointing out there aren't any vibrations inherent with the drive - there's nothing to "hide" inside a notebook case.
 
I really think it's a per-case thing. gr8tfly says his has no vibrations at all, but the Scorpio black that I got is noticeably louder than the stock hdd. Ever since I first heard it, I notice it a lot more. It's not TERRIBLY loud, but it's something that will annoy you if it's there. I've seen some cases of people saying the Black is whisper-quiet, and others in the same boat I'm in saying it's clicking/spinning is just downright annoying. I'm switching it out for a Blue today to see if there's any difference. If anything, I guess it'll be just as loud, but I'll have an extra 180GB to play with :D
 
gr8tfly said:
There aren't any vibrations. I tested the drive in an external case, prior to installation. You can barely tell it's spinning at all (it's a Sabrent aluminum USB enclosure).

I'm just pointing out there aren't any vibrations inherent with the drive - there's nothing to "hide" inside a notebook case.
Click to expand...

Actually there are vibrations. I had one in my Unibody MacBook and you could feel it way more than the stock. Not as much as a superdrive but you could definitely feel it. I have heard very mixed reviews as to whether people experience these or not, but from what I have seen there are more people with Macbook's than MBP's experiencing them. It could be certain batches are worse than others, I really don't know. But to flat out say to someone that there are no vibrations is just wrong. Maybe yours did not, but I think if you search the forums you will find many people that did have this issue.
 
natebookpro said:
Actually there are vibrations. I had one in my Unibody MacBook and you could feel it way more than the stock. Not as much as a superdrive but you could definitely feel it. I have heard very mixed reviews as to whether people experience these or not, but from what I have seen there are more people with Macbook's than MBP's experiencing them. It could be certain batches are worse than others, I really don't know. But to flat out say to someone that there are no vibrations is just wrong. Maybe yours did not, but I think if you search the forums you will find many people that did have this issue.
Click to expand...

I'm sure there are some bad drives out there, and those are the ones you hear about (typical of forums - much more bad news than good - and yes, I've read them). However, the particular drive I have right now has no noticeable spindle vibration. This drive doesn't have any more vibration than my other 7200 (Hitachi), or the 5400 Fujitsu which shipped with the UB. How is it wrong to state what my observations have been? I'm sharing what my experience has been with these 7200 RPM drives (and others). The OP should weigh all the reports and make their own decision.
 
Hey, thanks all of you guys!

I think there seems to be an issue with the Scorpio black for the Macbooks (in terms of the sound and all)

To be honest, all I want is a big HDD which is quiet, and I heard Seagate internal HDD's aren't that great (although I personally own a 320gb external and a 1TB desktop external from them :\ )

..think I might go for the Scorpio blue as I haven't seen too many complaints so far (on this forum at least:p)
 
After considering the same option for a couple of weeks and reading the following reviews/comparisons from Toms Hardware I decided to go for the 500GB Scorpio Blue drive.

Thought it may be worth you checking before you decide.
 
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