WD Scorpio 320gb HD - Pulling the Trigger?

[Deezer-D]

Did this on Saturday morning. Took about 20 mins to swap the drive out, the hardest part is getting the top off at the front edge - just take your time and it will come off. I got the Scorpio with the 8mb buffer because I'd read the passport drives are only 2mb although I don't know if that makes any difference!
I used a slightly different method to restore as I didn't have a SATA enclosure - I ran a Time Machine backup, then swapped the drive. Next I booted from the Leopard DVD and used Disk Utility to format the drive and name it. Next I went to Disk Utility and used the "Restore From Time Machine" option. Selected the newly formatted drive and let it restore. Worked a treat I just ran all the system tools in Onyx and then made another Time Machine backup just in case.
The only thing about the Time Machine method is your Boot Camp partition isn't backed up so I had to set it up again but I was intending to do that anyway. I installed the VW Ware demo and everything works great - will decide if I'll buy a copy or stick to Boot Camp within the next month.
Drive works great, no more noise than my previous 120Gb drive and loads more space. Best £100 I've spent on my Mac. Just waiting on my 4Gb of RAM to arrive and I'll be sorted.

 

[xeux]

Wow really? Snappier than your old 100GB 7200rpm? how is that possible? I know that it has data density lala but should it be faster than 5400 rpm?

-JoE

320GB with higher density spanks the pants off a 100gb 7200.

Hell it is very competitive with the 200gb 7200.

Check some benchmarks man.

 

[Sdao]

I just ordered me one of these from newegg today for 160 bucks shipped. Can't wait to put it in my new MBP.

Where can I get one of those spudgers they show used in the ifixit guide?

Good question.

Does anybody know where I can get a spudger? Its the tool they use in the ifixit guide..

Is it even really necessary to have one of those?

 

[Knolly]

Excellent thread here, I might take the dive for a 320 gb drive myself pretty soon...

Anyone been using one for an extended period of time and can say how it's been performing for them?

Also, if I got the 320gb passport, anyone got a quick guide on hand on how to quickly transfer all of your info and such 'n such over to the new drive?

 

[tekulvi]

Excellent thread here, I might take the dive for a 320 gb drive myself pretty soon...

Anyone been using one for an extended period of time and can say how it's been performing for them?

Also, if I got the 320gb passport, anyone got a quick guide on hand on how to quickly transfer all of your info and such 'n such over to the new drive?

Pretty good thread on the passport here.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/440783/

I pried it apart...its a little rough...BUT everything came out without breaking anything.

 

[Knolly]

@tekulvi:
Nice nice, thanks! Glad that thread cleared up the 2 vs 8 mb cache thing too!

 

[Neil321]

Good question.

Does anybody know where I can get a spudger? Its the tool they use in the ifixit guide..

Is it even really necessary to have one of those?

Nah its not necessary its only used to disconnect the trackpad & keyboard
ribbon from the logic board anything non-metalic will do.I got my gf to hook
the connector up with her finger nail

Had a WD 320GB since they were released great HD's

 

[secretpact]

Oh thanks alot, OP now I want to buy this HD! haha. I have a 120GB inside my MB right now and was planning on getting a 750GB internal HD cause I already have an enclosure. After reading this thread though.. I'm now thinking of getting a WD passport 320GB to upgrade my internal MB drive now. Hmmm what to do, what to do...

I pried it apart...its a little rough...BUT everything came out without breaking anything.

Does it still have a "sleek" look after you put it back together?

 

[MacBookJoePro]

320GB with higher density spanks the pants off a 100gb 7200.

Hell it is very competitive with the 200gb 7200.

Check some benchmarks man.

I already know that that the 320GB 5400 RPM is just as fast or faster than the 7200 RPM drives, I was just wondering why it was. I guess I can assume that the information is store in smaller bits therefore when the needle reads it it pickups up the the same area but more information!?!? not sure there.. I'll guess I just have to read up on it. Wikipedia here i come.

-JoE

 

[freitas]

Good question.

Does anybody know where I can get a spudger? Its the tool they use in the ifixit guide..

Is it even really necessary to have one of those?

I used a plastic ball point pen cap. It worked great. Good luck with the upgraded.

 

[Neil321]

I already know that that the 320GB 5400 RPM is just as fast or faster than the 7200 RPM drives, I was just wondering why it was. I guess I can assume that the information is store in smaller bits therefore when the needle reads it it pickups up the the same area but more information!?!? not sure there.. I'll guess I just have to read up on it. Wikipedia here i come.

-JoE

In basic terms its do with the density of the platters,and the amount of data
you have on the drive

 

[AuroraProject]

The Samsung 320gb dropped to $159 at the egg today. Tempting, but I prefer the WD name for reliability.

 

[Viper2005]

I just ordered the 320 Scorpio from OWC yesterday, along with the 4GB Ram upgrade for my SR 2.2 MBP.
A little nervous about the HD install, but I think I'll be okay..

 

[Sdao]

I just ordered the 320 Scorpio from OWC yesterday, along with the 4GB Ram upgrade for my SR 2.2 MBP.
A little nervous about the HD install, but I think I'll be okay..

Hey Viper,
I actually bought 4gb of the OWC branded ram and the WD 320gb scorpio. Installed the HD today. Its extremely easy, just like everyone says. Use the instructions on ifixit.com

Its a pretty simple procedure, I'd never done it before until today. Took me about 45 minutes, I was taking my time to ensure I did everything correctly. I now have 163gb of extra space on my laptop! It feels great. Plus, the 4gb is definitely worth the 100 bucks or so.

Let me know if you have any questions. I was hesitant too, I've never really opened a computer before, but it was simple enough. The new HD runs great, nice and quiet, although I'm a little concerned with battery performance, it has gone down a noticeable amount. I'm going to calibrate my battery tonight and see if it helps.

 

[robrose20]

If you swap the drive yourself does it or does it not void the warranty? I have a 160 gb disk and I would love to upgrade to 320 but I do not want to void my applecare. Thanks

 

[Sdao]

If you swap the drive yourself does it or does it not void the warranty? I have a 160 gb disk and I would love to upgrade to 320 but I do not want to void my applecare. Thanks

The official word from Apple is that installing a 3rd party hard drive in your computer does not void your warranty so long as you do not damage anything during the process. Apple will not cover any damage you do to your laptop while you open it and install your new hard drive. Also, Apple will not cover the 3rd party hardware you install in your computer (ex. new HD or RAM, obviously).

I've contacted Apple care and done some research about the warranty. So, as long as you don't mess the installation up, you're fine.