Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
MBP 13'' - HD 5400rpm x 7200rpm
- Thread starter guklein
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I put a WD 320gb Scorpio Black (7200) in my MBP 15, and it was fast but vibrated a lot. Looking online, I saw that the 500GB WD Scorpion Blue is as fast as the 320gb black (but not quite as fast as the 500 gb Scorpion Black). I replaced the 320GB drive with the 500GB Scorpion Blue and find that it is indeed just as fast and that it vibrates much less and is quieter.
You will notice a speed bump for all disk related tasks, such as booting up. Given the fact that many people have complained about the vibrations and/or noise coming from 7200 rpm drives should be enough to you pause and consider the 5400.
The power consumption of 7200 drives is nearly identical to 5400 and the heat generation is the same, so the bottom line comes down to possible vibrations and cost.
For the record, I have a seagate 7200.4 500gig drive and I've not experienced any increase in vibrations or noise.
The power consumption of 7200 drives is nearly identical to 5400 and the heat generation is the same, so the bottom line comes down to possible vibrations and cost.
For the record, I have a seagate 7200.4 500gig drive and I've not experienced any increase in vibrations or noise.
It will totally depend on what 5400rpm and what 7200rpm drive you are comparing.
For example: Seagate 500GB 7200rpm isn't any faster than WD 500GB 5400rpm.
http://techreport.com/articles.x/17010/14
If you are just a casual user, it's not really necessary. If you are going to do things with large media libraries besides iTunes, it might be worth it.
Yes keep the 5400rpm. You can always upgrade later to the superior 500GB Scorpio Black.
They don't make a Black 500GB Model.