Which Fast 500GB Hard Drive From Unibody Macbook Pro (1st Gen)

[PeteJames]

I use my macbook pro mostly for pro audio work so I think I'll probably need 7,200 speed (which I currently have)

I want quiet, extremely reliable and fast. I've seen the following:

Seagate Momentus - I've heard it's noisy and viberates and maybe not so reliable?

WD Scorpio Blue - I think only available in 5,400 speed

Hitachi spinpoint - again only in 5,400 speed

Can't really see any other options
Any help and advice would be great, along with an enclosure for my current MBP drive

Cheers,
Pete

 

[simon48]

640GB 9.5mm $90

newegg

 

[simon48]

Or

 

[Gabriel GR]

Also the 7200RPM Hitachi 500GB which is pretty cheap as well.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822145275

 

[PeteJames]

I'm in the uk but I can see all these models you posted. There a WD Scorpio black too which does is 7200 rpm.

Does anyone here have any experience with any of these models? I'm looking for recommendations that are fast, quiet and reliable and good for the MB pro really.

Cheers

 

[Gabriel GR]

I don't know if it helps you. But I ve had the Scorpio black 320GB and the Blue 500GB with advanced format (BPVT model) and the blue, even at 5400RPM seems to be faster.

 

[PeteJames]

Cool. I have a couple of externals -

I have a WD mybook one for 5 years and it's still running fine despite various drops etc. It's slow as hell though.
Had a seagate that broke within a few days - so they don't have my trust.
A freecom that's been working fine for a few years.

What's does 'advanced format (BPVT model)' mean? What speed was your 320GB one?
Are you WD drives quiet and reliable?

 

[kopite19]

My pal has a WD Scorpio Black in his unibody MacBook. Compared to my stock HDD, his is alot faster, generates a bit more heat, but doesn't seem to be any louder...a good investment. £40 on amazon I think..

 

[Gabriel GR]

Cool. I have a couple of externals -

I have a WD mybook one for 5 years and it's still running fine despite various drops etc. It's slow as hell though.
Had a seagate that broke within a few days - so they don't have my trust.
A freecom that's been working fine for a few years.

What's does 'advanced format (BPVT model)' mean? What speed was your 320GB one?
Are you WD drives quiet and reliable?

Drives using the advanced format have 4KB sectors rather than the old 512byte sectors. All new Western Digital drives are made this way. I didn't notice any performance difference.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/2888

 

[Mac-key]

I use my macbook pro mostly for pro audio work so I think I'll probably need 7,200 speed (which I currently have)

I want quiet, extremely reliable and fast. I've seen the following:

Seagate Momentus - I've heard it's noisy and viberates and maybe not so reliable?

WD Scorpio Blue - I think only available in 5,400 speed

Hitachi spinpoint - again only in 5,400 speed

Can't really see any other options
Any help and advice would be great, along with an enclosure for my current MBP drive

Cheers,
Pete

I've got the Seagate Momentus (see sig) - no issues at all with heat, noise, vibration. Runs great - even my battery life did NOT take a significant hit

 

[Reapur]

Hitachi Travelstar 7200RPM 500GB HDD is one of the best drives out there. No noticeable battery performance drop, no added noise, vibration, or heat. For the price you really cant go wrong. If you are into audio though I would really consider SSD if you can afford it.

 

[mrdm]

Momentus xt

A great drive - fast and quiet.

 

[mac2x]

I've got the Seagate Momentus (see sig) - no issues at all with heat, noise, vibration. Runs great - even my battery life did NOT take a significant hit

This. Mine actually runs around 10 C cooler than the Hitachi 250 GB that came with the machine.

 

[jeremychan17]

I've had the momentus xt for about a month now and have not noticed any significant issues with it. It runs great though and my macbook pro feels a lot faster.

 

[PeteJames]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I wonder why you guys have no issues and some people do Could it be because they fitted it wrong?