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Western Digital 320GB Scorpio for a MBP

Skibsted

Skibsted

macrumors regular
Original poster
Feb 16, 2008
126
0
Copenhagen, Denmark
I have a MBP with 120GB and I'm in desperate need for more space.
So I have found the WD's 320GB Scorpio HDD 5400rpm SATA.

Anyone of you guys have experience with this drive?
I have heard people complaining about the speed. Can someone confirm this?

I have a 2.33 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo MBP with 2 GB RAM.

Thanks in advance

Skibsted
 
Skibsted said:
I have a MBP with 120GB and I'm in desperate need for more space.
So I have found the WD's 320GB Scorpio HDD 5400rpm SATA.

Anyone of you guys have experience with this drive?
I have heard people complaining about the speed. Can someone confirm this?

Thanks in advance

Skibsted
Click to expand...

I just installed this drive a couple of days ago in my MBP. Its a great hard drive, nice and quiet, barely any noise, its speedy, doesn't eat power in comparison to the stock HD, and is very roomy.

I'm enjoying it thus far. I haven't heard anyone complain about the speed, but I have heard people argue that its actually as quick as a 7200 rpm drive solely because it is so dense.

If you do a search in this forum and look for the WD Scorpio, you'll see that almost everyone that has one is very happy with their purchase.
 
Sdao said:
I just installed this drive a couple of days ago in my MBP. Its a great hard drive, nice and quiet, barely any noise, its speedy, doesn't eat power in comparison to the stock HD, and is very roomy.

I'm enjoying it thus far. I haven't heard anyone complain about the speed, but I have heard people argue that its actually as quick as a 7200 rpm drive solely because it is so dense.

If you do a search in this forum and look for the WD Scorpio, you'll see that almost everyone that has one is very happy with their purchase.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the quick reply! I think you have me convinced:)
My next question would be if it was faster or slower than the one in my MPB but you seem to have answered that already.
I'm going shopping tomorrow then! :)
 
I'm using this hard drive in my MBP and it's a great hd. I was debating between a 7,200rpm and the WD 320gb drive. I decided to go with space instead of the performance upgrade. Upgrading the hd in a MBP is not an easy process and I didn't want to do it again, so 320gb will be enough for a while (at least until much larger drives will be available).
 
No problem.

So far, so good. I like it. It's nice to have the added space.

You should upgrade your MBP to 4gb's if you're interested. It's only a 100 dollar upgrade and its well worth it, especially if you run your computer heavily.
 
Sdao said:
No problem.

So far, so good. I like it. It's nice to have the added space.

You should upgrade your MBP to 4gb's if you're interested. It's only a 100 dollar upgrade and its well worth it, especially if you run your computer heavily.
Click to expand...

Really? I was actually thinking about upgrading to 4 GB RAM but I just didn't know if I could justify it. My MBP is my only computer and I therefore use it A LOT! Can you tell a huge difference after having upgraded the RAM?
 
Skibsted said:
Really? I was actually thinking about upgrading to 4 GB RAM but I just didn't know if I could justify it. My MBP is my only computer and I therefore use it A LOT! Can you tell a huge difference after having upgraded the RAM?
Click to expand...

...And since my MBP came with 1gb x 1gb I would need to buy 2 new 2 gb's right? Sorry if this is a very stupid question but Im not too familiar with hardware upgrades.
 
Skibsted said:
I'm going shopping tomorrow then! :)
Click to expand...

From what I've read on some Mac forums, the WD Passport 320gb external hard drive is a Scorpio hd that is compatible with the MBP. It is easy to find in local stores (ex. BEst Buy...) and you can then use the case to put your OEM MBP drive as an external hard drive.
 
a4abt said:
From what I've read on some Mac forums, the WD Passport 320gb external hard drive is a Scorpio hd that is compatible with the MBP. It is easy to find in local stores (ex. BEst Buy...) and you can then use the case to put your OEM MBP drive as an external hard drive.
Click to expand...

Ha! Nice little trick! Thanks.
 
Skibsted said:
...And since my MBP came with 1gb x 1gb I would need to buy 2 new 2 gb's right? Sorry if this is a very stupid question but Im not too familiar with hardware upgrades.
Click to expand...

I bought a kit from Kingston. For ~95$, I got 2x2gb. Although I'm not fully using the 4gb of RAM, for the price it was a no-brainer ;) (compared to the $700 Apple wants for 4gb!).
 
a4abt said:
I bought a kit from Kingston. For ~95$, I got 2x2gb. Although I'm not fully using the 4gb of RAM, for the price it was a no-brainer ;) (compared to the $700 Apple wants for 4gb!).
Click to expand...

ok, thanks. And according to the this forum it shouldn't be too difficult to add RAM to the MBP.
The internal hard drive is a different story. I'm actually thinking about whether I should get a professionel to install the Scorpio HD.
 
Installing the RAM took me ~10 minutes. Very easy upgrade.

Upgrading the hard drive is a whole different story. I consider myself an average computer tech, and with a good "how-to" the upgrade went very well! Just make sure you keep track of the screws (there are a few to remove) and also be very careful when unsnapping the keyboard lid (there is a wire connecting the lid to the motherboard). Overall, the hard drive upgrade took me ~45 minutes because I was very very careful and I wanted to make it right. I am aware that this upgrade will void my warranty, so I kept the original hard drive in case I need some warranty work done. I will simply put the original hard drive back in and send it to Apple.
 
OK heres the deal. I upgraded my memory and hard drive myself on my MBP. It is easy to do if you are handy mechanically. The RAM is completely user upgradeable. Take out the battery and 3 very small screws and your there. the Hard drive requires a Torx bit screwdriver (size 8 I believe) and patience. Once you have all he screws out from around the bottom case and the 2 Torx screws in the memory compartment, then you have to remove the keyboard cover. It is usually attached very firmly, the best place to start from is back and work your way forward.

Remember, be very patient. If you get axious and try to take if off quickly you will bend it and leave a gap between the keyboard and the bottom case. After the keyboard is off however, it is quite easy. Unplug the cable that connects the keyboard to the logic board (very easy). Take out 2 more torx screws holding down the hard drive, pull up the bluetooth cable that is on top of the hard drive (VERY CAREFULLY) then unplug the sata connection at the front of the hard drive. Then reverse what you just did and you have yourself a 320GB hard drive upgrade, quite impressive. The Western Digitals are very compatible with Macs and I have not heard of any problems thus far. You should be very happy in the end.

Good luck!!!
 
I just put one of the WD 320G drives in my MBP this week, and I am very, very pleased. No difference in noise level, battery consumption or temperature.

I highly recommend it as an upgrade. I am still amazed at all the additional space I have...

MacDann
 
Skibsted said:
I want to thank all of you for helping me.
I'm totally overwhelmed by your kindness and patience.

You guys rock!

Simon
Click to expand...

Haha, I think I speak for everyone here when I say thank you.

About the RAM, a lot of people on here have had success with OWC (Other World Computing), their website is www.macsales.com

I just bought their OWC branded RAM and its great, no problems at all. It's definitely a noticeable improvement when you are running several memory-heavy applications.

As for the WD Scoprio, it's a win win choice.
 
one final question

OK, so I have one final question before I procede with the upgrade.
What's the best way to save all your information and get it back on the newly internal hard drive?
I have an 250 GB external harddrive that should do the trick and I'm using Super Duper as my backup software.

Could someone please guide me through the steps?

Thanks again.

Skibsted
 
I just put this drive in my MBP 2 days ago. It runs like a dream and is cool too. I love the extra space too.

I followed this guide, was very patient and slow in doing so. It seems very daunting at first but is really a breeze (once you have completed it)
 
Skibsted said:
OK, so I have one final question before I procede with the upgrade.
What's the best way to save all your information and get it back on the newly internal hard drive?
I have an 250 GB external harddrive that should do the trick and I'm using Super Duper as my backup software.

Could someone please guide me through the steps?

Thanks again.

Skibsted
Click to expand...

buy the WD passport portable 320gb (same drive as the bare one) and then plug to your laptop, open disk utility, got to partition, under option use GUID partition table so i can boot an intel mac. open the WD enclosure and remove its drive, put it in your mac and put you original drive in the enclosure. boot using the option key and choose the usb external as your boot. then use SuperDuper to copy all your stuff to the internal, reboot on your internal drive, you're done.
you can also use super duper to clone your internal to the enclosure first if you want to.
Beware that the ribbon cable will cover the WD HD breathing hole as discussed in my thread here :
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/444867/
 
Skibsted said:
OK, so I have one final question before I procede with the upgrade.
What's the best way to save all your information and get it back on the newly internal hard drive?
I have an 250 GB external harddrive that should do the trick and I'm using Super Duper as my backup software.

Could someone please guide me through the steps?

Thanks again.

Skibsted
Click to expand...

Another way, and a little easier:

1.) Buy a Passport and extract the drive

2.) Swap the drive from the Passport with your existing 250G drive.

3.) Put your 250G drive in the Passport enclosure

4.) Do a clean install of whatever version of OS X you have using your recovery or OS DVD

5.) Plug in the Passport and use the Migration Assistant to transfer your apps and settings from the old drive


I like this method since it requires less hassle (no 3rd party software) and also creates a clean install, which is the ideal way to go when setting up a new drive.

MacDann

MacDa
 
Thanks for your replies.

I don't think I'm going to buy the passport though since I reside in Denmark and it is expensive over here.

So I'm going to buy the internal 320 gb Scorpio.
So can I just use Super Duper to make a bootable clone on my external 250 gb gard drive by using "back up - all files" and then after I get my new internal hard drive installed just restore from the clone that is on my external hard drive?

Thanks
 
Skibsted said:
Thanks for your replies.

I don't think I'm going to buy the passport though since I reside in Denmark and it is expensive over here.
Click to expand...

Sorry - didn't realize you were across the pond...

Skibsted said:
So I'm going to buy the internal 320 gb Scorpio.
So can I just use Super Duper to make a bootable clone on my external 250 gb gard drive by using "back up - all files" and then after I get my new internal hard drive installed just restore from the clone that is on my external hard drive?

Thanks
Click to expand...

Yes, that would be the way to do it. Or, if your external enclosure is SATA, you could just swap your old drive into it, and use Migration Assistant to move everything back to the new drive.

MacDann
 
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