SO I have heard people say that the 2.6 doesn't have much impact on performance or speed and I was wondering if the 2.6 would have an advantage over a faster hard (the 7200)? Or would it be better to upgrade to the 2.6 and the 7200? Also how would this combination affect running temperatures on the MBP? Neither upgrade is exactly inexpensive, but if you could only pick one, which would it be?
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 2.6 or 7200 Hard Drive?
- Thread starter Osprey
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Both will have an affect on performance. I happened to order the 2.6 with the 250MB/5400 rpm hard drive.
The processor will add around 8% overall performance, while the hard drive will only speed performance of things that access the disk (which, to be fair, is a lot of stuff). The difference in hard drive speed may even be more noticeable, in that launching programs, etc. will be noticeably faster, whereas few things require 100% of the processor.
However, the processor cannot be upgraded later, whereas it's not too hard to swap out the hard drive at a later date. I figure that if I keep the MBP long enough, I can someday pull out the 250/5400 and replace it with a 500/7200
The processor will add around 8% overall performance, while the hard drive will only speed performance of things that access the disk (which, to be fair, is a lot of stuff). The difference in hard drive speed may even be more noticeable, in that launching programs, etc. will be noticeably faster, whereas few things require 100% of the processor.
However, the processor cannot be upgraded later, whereas it's not too hard to swap out the hard drive at a later date. I figure that if I keep the MBP long enough, I can someday pull out the 250/5400 and replace it with a 500/7200
Thanks for the reply. I was a little disappointed when Apple offered the 2.6 BTO, but changed their HD options. I guess everyone wants bigger and bigger hard drives, but I kind of hate the clutter I always seem to create if I don't organize it immediately on an external.
I can only repeat what was told to me (my mbp is the mail!) but upgrading the processor isn't worth it unless you upgrade the RAM as well (which is a costly endevour if Apple does it). But there are several forums here that show you how to do it yourself with an aftermarket unit for much cheaper. I decided to just grade the to the 200/7200 for the extra space. I was told by others here that any extra heat would be negligible and/or not noticed. I might try upgrading the ram after the new year.
I am actually running a 160 with the 7200rpm drive on my MBP and my it seems to run fairly cool unless I am doing heavy video editing. I am looking to buy one for my husband who will be using it for Logic Pro Express mostly. I could wait until January, but for some reason, I am hesitant to do that. I have a feeling that we may see a price increase in January and educational discounts continue to drop (he is a teacher). I think the current MBP would be fine, but I am wondering about upgrading to 2.6. I hate having to make decisions when I am trying to buy something for someone else. I really want his computer to be special because it will be ages before he will agree to ever getting a new one for himself.
It all depends on what exactly you will be doing with the computer. A faster hard drive will make the computer feel "snappier", but the processor will help with serious number crunching.
If you will be doing a LOT of video encoding or other very processor intensive tasks where you will be waiting for the processor, you will be much happier with the processor upgrade.
If you do a lot of things that thrash the disk, but aren't necessarily processor intensive, you will appreciate the faster hard drive more. (For example, Photoshop work on very large files, where disk access is the limiting factor.)
Way back when the MacBook Pro was brand new, I ordered the 7200 RPM drive, but kept the stock 2.0 GHz processor. Now I wish I would have gone with the 5400 RPM drive but the 2.16 GHz processor, as I do a lot of video encoding where the faster hard drive doesn't help at all, but that extra 8% processor speed would. (Not to mention the fact that I'm now woefully short on hard drive space, so I'll be upgrading the hard drive; while I have no option to upgrade the processor, even if I wanted to.)
Of course, there's always adding more RAM.
If you will be doing a LOT of video encoding or other very processor intensive tasks where you will be waiting for the processor, you will be much happier with the processor upgrade.
If you do a lot of things that thrash the disk, but aren't necessarily processor intensive, you will appreciate the faster hard drive more. (For example, Photoshop work on very large files, where disk access is the limiting factor.)
Way back when the MacBook Pro was brand new, I ordered the 7200 RPM drive, but kept the stock 2.0 GHz processor. Now I wish I would have gone with the 5400 RPM drive but the 2.16 GHz processor, as I do a lot of video encoding where the faster hard drive doesn't help at all, but that extra 8% processor speed would. (Not to mention the fact that I'm now woefully short on hard drive space, so I'll be upgrading the hard drive; while I have no option to upgrade the processor, even if I wanted to.)
Of course, there's always adding more RAM.
I do the video editing on my computer. He is the musician and will be using Logic Pro Express heavily. Maybe I should bite the bullet and order both the faster processor and the faster hard drive. As I said, it will be ages before he will even think about getting a new computer for himself, so I want it to last as long as possible. Thanks for the input.
I used FCS2 on my MBP with a 4.2k 200gb drive. Granted, the drive spins slower saving on heat, energy, and life of the drive, but certain apps, like Soundtrack, gave me warnings about not being able to pull sound files off the disk fast enough.
My husband will be new to Mac OS and I certainly don't need to have him frustrated. It sounds like he may need the faster Hard Drive. It is nice to hear from someone specifically already using Logic Pro and I really appreciate your input.