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Egosphere

macrumors member
Original poster
Apr 21, 2006
69
0
Hi. I'm hoping to upgrade the HD on my old MBP (15" from 2006, model A1211). The only two options available to me are Seagate Momentus G 7200.4 (only G, no non-G) and WD Scorpio Blue (which spins at 5400 rpm). Both 500gb. I'm posting to ask whether I should expect problems with either one.

I know there has been a lot of discussion about the Seagate Momentus G 7200.4 about stuff like beeping noises and incompatibility with the MBP's sudden motion sensor. I've searched and read lots of posts but was still left with an unclear picture. First, there was talk about beeps and clicks with various 7200-RPM HDs. But it seemed the discussion was limited to unibody MBPs. I found a few, but perhaps unreliable, accounts of people enjoying their 7200.4 in their 2006 MBPs. Can anyone give me a clear answer as to whether this problem plagues unibody MBPs only?

Second, there was talk about "incompatibility" between the G-force system in the Seagate and the MBP's SMS. All I could find was mentions that maybe there was an incompatibility and suggestions to disable the SMS. I couldn't find clear accounts of what exactly this incompatibility is, in fact. I was also unable to clearly understand the ramifications of the "incompatibility" and to what extent these were corrected by disabling the SMS.

I would greatly appreciate it if someone familiar with these issues can give me a clear picture of what issues I might face with either drive. Thanks.
 
If you have an Apple Store near your house, you could go talk to them. Since you are out of warranty, there shouldn't be any problems.
 
Not sure if Apple Store geniuses would have specific knowledge about these models and that hard drive.

Did all MBP's get the firmware upgrade to solve the Seagate beeping issue? Or was that just newer unibodies? I have an early-2007 15" MBP, and I'm thinking about doing this upgrade too.
 
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