Vibrations in New MBP with 320GB 7200 WD Scorpio

It sounds like there is a problem with the drive. If it has a warranty I would get a new one and see if that fixes the problem.

You should have paid the extra $50 and upgraded to the 320@7200rpm that apple provides. To anyone and everyone: THIS JUST IN- WD HD'S are not an upgrade and are no better than the HD's offered by Apple. Hope this is a lesson learned.

I did the same thing in my MBP. I didn't want to wait for it to be shipped and had the drive from my old (well, 2.4) MBP. I notice very very little vibration, hardly noticeable.

Sounds like a problem with your drive. As for the hard disk improvements, run benchmarks in Mac and Windows to test.

Permissions now taking 10 minutes is normal. Don't fret about the permissions reporting; it tends to be very verbose about what is "wrong".

Good luck and ignore retard posters....

I'm sorry if I offended anyone, I was only trying to point out that these HD problems could be avoided by simply spending a few extra $ by upgrading through Apple and avoid after market HD's.

But facts are facts; I am simply trying to advise to any and all, that these HD issues can be side-stepped by staying away from aftermarket components. Western Digital HD's are just flat out inferior to what Apple pre-installs in its MBP's or iMAC's......remember the old adage; leave well enough alone.

Does the vibration go away when running with the AC adapter unplugged? Or there all the time?

I don't discount that HD and DVD drive vibration happens. But it is pretty common to feel a very slight vibration if the palm rest is touched lightly and it seems to be related to AC ground issues if the two prong power adapter is used on some outlets. This normally fades to nothing when the machine is disconnected from AC. My Thinkpad does it too on the bottom surface rather than at the palm rest.

Out of interest, what brand of 7200rpm drives do Apple use in their laptops?

My MBP came with a Hitachi 320@7200 HD. I learned the hard way by 'upgrading' to a WD HD(WD 200@7200 to replace a 160@5400 stock Apple) on my last MBP. I have no problem with those who choose to truly upgrade their HD's by opting for something that has more capacity than what Apple currently offers(i.e., 500@7200 vs. 320@7200), but to swap an Apple 320@7200 for a WD 320@7200 makes no sense to me.

I will upgrade my current HD when the 256GB SSD is available sometime in the next few months... but that's a whole different animal.

I had a WD 160GB pata drive in the PB and sometime feel the vibration. Strange thing is that the Segate Momentus are the most silent and vibration resistant drives around. I am annoyed by vibrations so will remove a drive that gives me this.

I am awaiting the Momentus 7200.4 which ought to be released next month with sizes to 500GB on standard 9.5mm height. Been holding back on the TravelStar 320GB 7200rpm.

Well of course that'd be stupid . But a 5400rpm to 7200rpm is going to make quite a big (worthwhile) difference.

I sell a lot of Apple products in the secondary market(mostly to schools) and I sell a $#!% load of MBP's, I can assure you there are more than a few bozo's that ask me to swap comparable HD's(i.e., 320@7200 for 320@7200) it happens all the time. The bottom line to this whole thread is to avoid trying to 'upgrade' your HD until you have checked your local Apple/Mac store and see what they can offer you.

The current 2.53/2.8 MBP's have the option for a 320@5400 or a 320@7200 and also a 128GB SSD.

If you happen to have a corporate connection you can get a 500@7200. Now, with that same CC hook up, you can get a 256GB SSD in January.

These would all qualify as viable upgrades. The 2.53/2.8 MBP's offer the faster 320@7200rpm HD for just $50 more....NO BRAINER! And if you(and I know some of you do) have an 'in' with Apple go with 500@7200 until the 256GB SSD arrives.

These are the only 'upgrade' options you should be looking into....anything else is a waste of your time and a potential risk to your computer.

Btw, I would highly recommend to any and all, to buy the 3yr APP(Apple Care Protection Plan), after all, if anything happens to your pre-installed HD, Apple will replace it at no cost and in some cases actually upgrade it.

Yes users of the "old" MBP reported this buzzing sensation as well - apparently it's linked to a ground issue and can sometimes be solved by using the 3 pin cord from the transformer to the wall (instead of a two pin)... although others have reported that this makes no difference

have a look here in AppleDefects wiki - the point is that if it is this electric issue then there will be the sensation of a vibration above the hard drive but it is purely electrical and nothing to do with the hard drive at all.

you could also see if you can detect it in another way - like can you hear the vibrations, or put a hard plastic insulator between your wrist and the palmrest and see if you still feel the vibrations

@exiled
are you saying that Hitachi drives are better than any others? this would be a pretty serious change from a number of years of HD history. Most reviewers place Hitachi drives very close to the bottom of the quality list and WD / Seagate right at the top. Are there any sites reviewing 2.5" drives that say otherwise?

the other thing to try is reseating the HD as noted here in the Macbook section of AppleDefects... different model i know but it might help

Antechrist; I have tried to ignore your name calling and personal attacks but enough is enough. I may be a 'pompous a$$' but at least I'm not an ignorant, hyper-sensitive pansy.... you need to get over yourself and actually read and absorb the entirety of my posts...and btw, my posts are not directly aimed at you, I'm simply trying to give useful advise.

since hearing about issues with WD drives several years ago, i have steered clear of them. i don't consider them a premium drive at all, to be honest.

take the drive back, get a seagate or hitachi, even a samsung, as a replacement if you can.

sennen; AMEN Brother! That's what I've been trying to say.....If you take a risk on a 'premium' brand HD then you deserve the issues that come with it.

Bravo sennen.

I don't quite understand what you're saying here as Western Digital *are* a good brand for hard drives. They make fast, reliable drives that are well endorsed my many reviews and individuals.

AnteChrist; if I'm a moron then what are you???? you are a whinny little cun+ and you're the dumb-ass who installed an inferior HD in your MBP.... I think you need to stick to pc's Mac's are not for everyone.

Ironically, someone from a PC background is probably going to know more about hardware than someone from an Apple background.

it doesn't help anyone to descend this to personal insults

however if you do have any referenced feedback (like storage review etc) regarding which are the best hard drives to stick in the MB and MBPs then please do share it - that way everyone will benefit. i don't think anyone would agree if you're saying that the only time / place to purchase a HD is at the applestore during the original transaction

I for one had to change the hard drive in my blackbook because of higher than average failure rates of a series of original Apple installed HDs - warnings were issued and my drive fit the series affected - go figure, failure can occur for any manufacturer

also can you explain why Apple would have deliberately made the hard drive access easier
on both the MB and the MBP
if they didn't want HD replacement to be done at home ?

Guys chill the f*** out I am investigating this on my MacBook reinstalling leopard now some vibration felt.... Update you all soon sending this from my iPhone

Leopard install appears significantly faster let's stay calm and discuss, benchmark etc.

AnteChrist can you post your System Profiler here please?
Mine is below (I've hidden some of the Serial Number)


Intel ICH7-M AHCI:

VendortIntel
ProducttICH7-M AHCI
Speedt1.5 Gigabit
DescriptiontAHCI Version 1.10 Supported

WDC WD3200BJKT-00F4T0:

Capacityt298.09 GB
ModeltWDC WD3200BJKT-00F4T0
Revisiont11.01A11
Serial NumbertWD-WXE808XXXXXX
Native Command QueuingtYes
Queue Deptht32
Removable MediatNo
Detachable DrivetNo
BSD Nametdisk0
Mac OS 9 DriverstNo
Partition Map TypetGPT (GUID Partition Table)
S.M.A.R.T. statustVerified
Volumes:
Mac:
Capacityt297.77 GB
Availablet288.16 GB
WritabletYes
File SystemtJournaled HFS+
BSD Nametdisk0s2
Mount Pointt/

I also replaced the HDD with WD Scorpio Black 320GB 7200RPM. I feel more vibration from the HDD than the one comes with Apple and the fan is on almost all the time, but it is not unbearable and it is much faster.

OK. I have the first-generation MacBook White Intel Core Duo 2.0ghz, Superdrive, and now 2GB of (1GB each) 667 DDR2 RAM.

I'm maxing this thing out as much as possible by putting in the WD Scorpio Black 7200RPM 320GB.

Running Adobe CS4 now, seems responsive driving a 1280x1024 external monitor and running several apps at once.

Vibration is significantly detectable.

However speed is noticeably faster.

Advice: If you are looking to upgrade, explore a different brand.

If you are buying new, just *custom order* through Apple.

7200rpm's in a MacBook Pro Unibody with 1066mhz RAM is going to be FAST.

In the meantime, back to whippin' my poor white MacBook to the MAX. LOLs.

sorry to get to this late...i own a macbook pro and a macbook both 2.4 penryn, both with 4GB RAM, the white has a WD3200BEKT (the one without the free fall sensor) other (pro) has stock 250GB. In a few words, the pro eats the dust compared to the white one, it is impressive how much faster it is and never felt over heat, vibration, noises or other stuff..it is a perfect drive and i love how fast it is. Battery life wasnt affected and runs very smoothly. Well this is my experience let me know if i can help somehow

Well, I have the same problem. And the solution is very simple. If you tilt you macbooks front a bit lower than screen part, vibration will go off. I do this by sliding front side of the notebook off the table. So my opinion, WD has a problem with the angle of instalation.

Tom's hardware has a direct head to head comparison of the four next generation 2.5in 320Gb 7200rpm drives available:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/...rive,2006.html

1. Seagate Momentus 7200.3, 2. Western Digital Scorpio Black, 3. Hitachi Travelstar 7K320, 4. Samsung Spinpoint MP2

Seagate and WD are fastest, but not by much over the Hitachi.
The Editor's choice goes to the Seagate Momentus 7200.3, although only by very little over the WD Scorpio Black.

As for use in MacBook/MBPs - this is what I found:

It appears that vibration issue also occurs with the Seagate drive, although I get the impression that it's less of an issue than with the Western Digital (anybody can confirm?). Nobody seemed so annoyed at it to take it out, and also some people didn't even report it.
http://discussions.apple.com/thread....sageID=8466667

From the info I take it that Apple uses the Hitachi drive (by the by Apple is not in the harddrive business - as some of the less informed posts suggest - they buy every single harddrive from "premium" manufactureres like Seagate and Hitachi - so there is no reason that if I buy it or I buy it with a 50% premium from Apple that the drive is different. Arguably in the new MBPs they might mount it differently, with more vibration protection, but there is no evidence that I have heard of).

My 2 cent Conclusion: If you want to upgrade to 320Gb 7200rpm drive. You can a) take the risk of getting the Seagate or b) play it safe sacrificing a a tiny bit of performance and go for the Hitachi. Seems like the WD (more vibration) or the Samsumg (slowest) are less optimal.

Please have if you have any more experience with any of these please post... For myself I am still holding out to replace my 7200rpm 160Gb Apple mounted drive (until I replace I will try to think of it as special as it was APPLE mounted LOL)