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What internal hard drive to replace stock HDD?

W

wallstreetcrash

macrumors regular
Original poster
Sep 15, 2008
188
0
New York
What would you lot reccomend? I am looking for a 500GB one, will these work with MacBook Alu models.

And it dosn't invalidate warranty, does it?

Also, say you need to return your MacBook for repair, what happens then?
 
Thanks :)

So there is no problem with 500GB right? What about 1TB?

Okay, say my MB dies or something. I am thinking of using my stock HD as an external HD, so that won't have MacOSX on it, would it still be fine to return it?
 
500GB is max for 2.5" notebook.

changing the hard drive does not void warranty.
 
Philflow said:
500GB is max for 2.5" notebook.

changing the hard drive does not void warranty.
Click to expand...

Had the same question myself. After much research ended up getting the WD Scorpio Black 250GB 7200 RPM (non shock protection). I honestly feel it may be a better upgrade then adding 4GB of RAM. In my testing, computer boots almost 50% more quickly and apps load much more quickly. Thing is as quiet as the stock HD and runs a tad warmer (if i were to place a % on it id say 5%). When using office apps and browsing its nice and cold...only when i stress it with a movie do i notice the small temp difference. Mine also came with the hard mounts so all i had to do was pop out the old one and put in the new one (from newegg).
 
Look for things like operating temperature. Also expect lower battery life.
 
Does anybody know if it is possible to install a SSD if you bought the stock HDD? I remember when the first macbook airs came out I called apple and they said that it would not be possible to add a larger SSD unless you previously bought the SSD model.
 
conezone73 said:
Does anybody know if it is possible to install a SSD if you bought the stock HDD? I remember when the first macbook airs came out I called apple and they said that it would not be possible to add a larger SSD unless you previously bought the SSD model.
Click to expand...

Yes I just but an Intel X-25 in one (stats are in the other SSD thread)

Easy if you have a the right size screw driver (you nedd Hexes also). I didn't have any problems with the screws...I was lucky.
 
wallstreetcrash said:
Could you explain why about the battery life?

Thanks
Click to expand...

Apple tends to choose a combination of components with the battery life in mind. If you go buy a cost effective larger capacity hard drive, it will probably have a higher power consumption rate...
 
I replaced my stock hd with a Seagate 320gb 7200rpm. But I did loose a little battery life...about 1/2 hr also there is more vibration with a 7200rpm hd. Not sure yet if I want to keep it in my MB or sell it and get a ssd 128gb. It is VERY easy to swap out drives...it takes about 3-5 min.
 
mac jones said:
Yes I just but an Intel X-25 in one (stats are in the other SSD thread)

Easy if you have a the right size screw driver (you nedd Hexes also). I didn't have any problems with the screws...I was lucky.
Click to expand...
Are the intel ssd for sale yet? They look screaming fast!!! I would love to get one for my MB....but the 160gb model.;)



*sorry about the double post*
 
steve31 said:
Are the intel ssd for sale yet? They look screaming fast!!! I would love to get one for my MB....but the 160gb model.;)



*sorry about the double post*
Click to expand...

I bought one to test off of ebay with the MS cashback deal (I will probably sell it on Ebay eventually)

But it boots almost instantly. Very odd. Also, I had never used an SSD before a weeks ago and they are silent but what I really notice is the lack of vibration that I've been taking for granted all these years.

Very noticeable.
 
The Seagate 320GB/7200rpm drives should not take any more power than 5400rpm drives, just check the power measurements on Tom's hardware 2.5" charts.
 
Cool, I'll look for a 5400RPM 500GB drive.

What are the pro's and cons of 5400RPM vs 7200RPM?
The 7200RPM reads faster... but makes more sound?
 
No, not really

YMMV, but a lot of people who put in 7200's don't feel any more vibration or noise than the stock 5200.

There's always the chance you could get a bum drive, but that's why I buy them from the store, and not online. If your drive sounds like its full of bb's, you can take it back immediately.
 
Anyone having any issues with the WD scorpio drives and the clicking that occurs when the drive head parks? Seems like its a problem with the WD's and I am not sure if the Seagates have this problem as well. Thinking about exchanging my WD for the seagate.
 
dhy8386 said:
Anyone having any issues with the WD scorpio drives and the clicking that occurs when the drive head parks? Seems like its a problem with the WD's and I am not sure if the Seagates have this problem as well. Thinking about exchanging my WD for the seagate.
Click to expand...

I've got the standard Fujitsu and it's making this sound. I was going to replace it with a WD scorpio !
 
Clicking can happen to any brand hard drive. Sometimes it stops by itself after a week or two.

I know some ways to do something about it but only in Windows.
 
I think Tom's hardware guide has a lot of benchmarks for harddrives, including power consumption, noise, vibration, etc.

Amazon is a good place to look for results from the field. Based upon what I've learned, I'm going to get a WD 320 gig 7200 scorpion black.
 
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