I have a MacBook Pro 13 2.53 GHz, 8 GB RAM. I have a 250 GB HD, but have been wanting to expand this to 500 GB or if possible 1 TB. Any recommendations for good ones that does not break the bank?
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Upgrade internal HD
- Thread starter applephysci
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Seagate Momentus XT hybrid drive. A bit more costly than a regular HDD, but it's part SSD, so by all accounts, really really fast. 500Gb is about 120-130$
Agreed with the above poster. The hard drive is definitely the limit of your laptop and a SSD (even hybrid) will improve it greatly. I have one and my boot up time is only around 22 seconds.
you can get a 7200rpm 500gb internal hard drive from OWC (macsales) for 90$. thats what I have in mine.
I have the 500GB WD Black and it does pretty well... If you can/want, you can always go with a full SSD - I've heard problems with the momentus lowering battery life..
I just upgraded my Early 2009 17" UB MBP from a WD Scorpio Black 320GB to the Seagate Momentus XT 500GB. Based on my experience with it (not quite a week), I highly recommend it. It's quieter than the WD (and no periodic head cycle click), and the performance improvement is noticeable. Best drive I've had in a portable.
Who cares? How often do you cold boot your computer anyway? Sleep the machine, BAM instant on.
How often to you dive your car as fast as possible from 0-60? It's just an indicator of how quick the drive is.
The boot time is not the only thing that's good about the XT.
After using it for a day or two the XT will learn which apps you like using and your favourite apps will load faster and your favourite files load faster also.
I have this one as well. Pretty great little drive, and at a really good price.
I'll be upgrading to an SSD when the prices come down a bit more (G3 Intel, here I come
)
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
I have this one as well. Pretty great little drive, and at a really good price.
I'll be upgrading to an SSD when the prices come down a bit more (G3 Intel, here I come
Is it worth it to wait for the G3 intel SSD? Any guesstimates of what the cost factor will be for a 500 GB?
For a 500+GB SSD you're probably still going to look at over $1000. Same reason I grabbed my 500GB Scorpio Black, not as fast as an SSD by any means, but still good enough speed with a nice capacity.
Another vote for the Seagate Momentus XT Hybrid. Quick, quiet & low vibration. Takes about a week to settle in after that great drive. Had mine since the end of October.
Yes.
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
I wonder if there's a set of diagnostics that one can do to see if they've got a solid or a lemon?
Thanks, I think I'll settle for the Seagate Momentus XT...
What happened on Nov 16th?
Get yourself a OWC SSD for your OS and apps, and then throw all your home folder and media on an optibay 5400rpm 500GB western digital HDD.
Best of both worlds
No need for a faster optibay drive if it's just going to be used for storage.
Get yourself a OWC SSD for your OS and apps, and then throw all your home folder and media on an optibay 5400rpm 500GB western digital HDD.
Best of both worlds
No need for a faster optibay drive if it's just going to be used for storage.
depends if he wants to dispose his super drive. I hardly use mine, was thinking of doing the same.
Get an SSD, use my current 250gb for pics and music and then use a USB hub to connect an external cd rom drive.
Get yourself a OWC SSD for your OS and apps, and then throw all your home folder and media on an optibay 5400rpm 500GB western digital HDD.
Best of both worlds
No need for a faster optibay drive if it's just going to be used for storage.
You mean get a 40 GB SSD from OWC? But what if you want to access your optibay drive on the road?
Yep
He's looking to "not break the bank" though, so prob. not a good idea for him. SSD's aren't cheap.
I'd suggest to the OP just get a 750GB 7200rpm HDD. Note that with increased speeds you get more heat, more noise, and lower battery life.
Well the optibay is actually inside your computer. It replaces the optical drive.
The optical drive then goes into an enclosure that's powered by a USB cord, which just plugs into your computer.
The actual HDD in the optibay is inside your machine, so you have access to it at all times.
You can stick your current HDD into the optibay or buy a bigger 500-750gb and put it inside the optibay.
On a budget, I'd just pick up a western digital 500GB HDD from newegg for ~$89. The SSD and optibay route would cost more.