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Which HD will not Beep and not require another replacement?

rick3000

rick3000

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
May 6, 2008
648
298
West Coast
So I am on my third MBP. The first one had bad RAM, the second beeped and froze, and my third one arrived this morning and began beeping away, then it froze.

I called Apple and they tried to convince me my houses electrical system was causing the problems (even though I haven't plugged the computer into the wall yet) and then telling me this beeping and freezing was normal and they never expected the beeping to so annoying but it was designed that way to give an audio response to inform the user the drive is functioning. So after hearing this load of bull, they told me to drive an hour to see a Genius if I though it was that bad.
I am completely fed up with Apple!!!

I refuse to buy a PC, but I need a functioning MBP. If I can get another replacement (this will be nearly a month getting replacements) which HD should I get? Obviously the 500GB@7200RPM is a complete POS, even though it is what I need to do video editing.
So which HD should I get that will work for video editing that is not a complete POS like the 500GB@7200RPM? Should I demand a 256GB SSD upgrade for all my trouble? Opinions on what course of action I should take?
Thanks!
 
I would go for the SSD for reliability and speed. They are very quiet and shouldn't beep like you said your other HD does. (I guess it beeps only on the 7200RPM model? I haven't ever heard my uMB's HD beep). SSD's are more expensive but you pay for the speed and reliability you get from a non-spinning drive.
 
I think the beep is nothing to worry about but the "freeze" is !!!!!! This is for me the reason not to buy now untill this is fixed or larger capacity SSD (and cheaper ones) become available. I want to use it for editting as well.
 
I think is beep is something to be concerned about, especically when the computer also freezes. They told me it is the drive starting up but it happens while I am using the computer, so that is no correct. They won't give me a straight answer, give me inconsistent answers, and are jerking me around. OWC also said it may reduce the life of the drive.

I am going to be visiting a Genius later to day and if they mark it DOA, then I will be filing a complaint with the representatives that jerked me around saying this is normal, I'm glad I got their ID numbers. I prefer to be nice but nearly a month to get a functioning computer is ridiculous.
 
there is an inofficial fix for the HD beeping. Though I didn't try it myself.

Programm is here and more info (with a video and the beeping, so make sure it's the same. It seems, you could also have a faulty harddrive.

If you want to keep you MBP. Otherwise might try an SSD if you want to spend the extra money on a quiet and fast drive.
 
Thanks, but I do not what to 'fix' a computer that is less that 4 hours old. I just called my local Apple Store and they said it isn't normal, and to come and let them have a look. If they mark it DOA, I've decided to ask for either SSD, or the 320GB@7200RPM and free AppleCare instead of a $50 refund. I can't do the 5400RPM because I really need the extra speed for all the video stuff I do.

We'll see what happens and I'll keep you all posted on what Apple decides to next.

PS - I just noticed a constant law mower type rattling sound from the HD. I am interested to hear what they have to say about that.
 
I just got my new Macbook Pro 3.06 15" with a 500 gig hd and I'm hearing random beeps.

Should I be worried?
 
So after two hours on the phone with Apple they finally admitted this was a problem and said the computer was DOA. I got to talk to a Top manager representative and while they wouldn't give me a 256GB SSD drive because it's a $600 upgrade, the did work to make it up to me and since I refused to go with another 500GB@7200RPM I downgraded to the 320GB@7200RPM.

My question know is: Do the 320GB@7200RPM drives have the beeping issue?
Should I just get the 256GB SSD for the $480 they offered me for it?
Should I just get the 500GB@5400RPM because I do most of my video editing off of an external drive?
Thanks!
 
I think 480$ is a good price for the 256GB SSD since normally it would be a 600$ upgrade. The SSD will give you much more reliability and much faster speeds. If you have the money to do it, then I would go for it.
 
I know it's a good price and while I like the idea of avoiding all these HD problems it is a bit much for me to be spending. I think my real question is should I get the 320GB@7200RPM (and will it beep?) or the 500GB@5400RPM and will it work okay with Final Cut Pro?
 
rick3000 said:
I know it's a good price and while I like the idea of avoiding all these HD problems it is a bit much for me to be spending. I think my real question is should I get the 320GB@7200RPM (and will it beep?) or the 500GB@5400RPM and will it work okay with Final Cut Pro?
Click to expand...

I use a 5400RPM hard drive and have no problems with final cut express, I can't vouch for final cut pro though. I'm not sure about the beeping problems because I have never had an HD beep so I can't offer much help on that problem either, sorry. I would just talk to the apple person about it when you get into the store and ask questions about the beeping.

If you don't need all that much HD space just go with the 320@7200rpm because this will obviously offer better performance. You can buy external HD's if you need more space, but remember to always have a backup.
 
350gb 7200rpm and 500gb 5400rpm should have similar performance. (correct me if i am wrong) but 500gb hdd has more volume so speed should be the same or only little slower than 350gb 7200rpm
 
I've given this a lot of thought and am opting for the 500GB@5400RPM. Both the 500GB and 320GB drives at 7200RPM seem to have the beep issue. While I do not like getting a slower drive for my video work, I would rather have a functioning, quieter, and cooler HD.
I can deal with the slower speed especially when most of my editing is done off of an external drive. So I think the 5400RPM drive provides me with what I want even if it is a bit slower. Plus, since it is cheaper I can always upgrade to SSD when it gets cheaper in the future.
 
good idea. I am an architect student, so i need a fast hdd for my cad and photoshop works. I initially wanted 500gb 7200rpm but read about the beeping problems, so ordered 5400rpm instead. (thanks mc rumors) Like youself, i am planning to upgrad to SDD once the price goes down and the storage space goes up. from what people have been saying, it seems like SDD is one of the smartest upgrade youc an do, (only if price was lower). Looking forward to the next generation of SDD. anyway.I hope your replacement works without any problems.
 
Preach it brother!

I have had it with Apple's shady business dealings.

I've gone through the same thing, but the 5400 rpm model did not help.

If anything, it is worse than the 7200 rpm unit because it freezes much more and for much longer.
 
^It's posts like this that confuse me because I think it is pinned down to just the 7200RPM drive, and then you say it affects the 5400RPM drive as well. I think I will go with the 5400RPM drive, because it will be ok for video and if I have another problem I have a direct number to Apple's management and they have said if I ever have a another problem to call them directly.

Also, they did tell me that if their is a problem with the RAM the computer will beep on purpose, so if you RAM happens to be bad then that could be the cause of your beep and freezing issues.
 
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