Best 2.5" HDD?

catalystcatalyst
Posted:
in Current Mac Hardware edited January 2014
Hallo everyone



I know this has been very much discussed but I'd like more current input.



What is the fastest notebook HDD on the market right now? I need to change my Pismo's Travelstar 32GH as it's making some funny whirling and cranking noises.



In terms of importance to me:

1) Speed

2) Silence [especially after this racket ]

3) Capacity >30GB.



I've read that the IBM Travelstar 40GNX is a good buy, and it does seem to suit my needs, but is there an even better one now?



Also, is the 60GB model actually slower?



Thanks so much!

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 13
    piwozniakpiwozniak Posts: 815member
    Hi



    Right now i'm using 5400RPM 40GB travelstar GNX and it kick ass :-)

    Quiet, fast, no problrms at all.



    I used to have 5400 RRPM 40GB Toshiba GAX (16MB buffer), but it was slower, and made this annoying rattling noise.



    Also 'stock' fujitsu drives used in new tibooks are quiet and fast, i'm using it now in external FW case and i can't hear it, dead quiet. Still for internal HD i would recomend IBM 40GB GNX.



    HTH
  • Reply 2 of 13
    catalystcatalyst Posts: 226member
    Thanks! I'm going ahead with the 40GNX!
  • Reply 3 of 13
    badtzbadtz Posts: 949member
    I ordered my 40gnx yesterday....





    hopefully the performance differences won't be to great with the 80gnx & the 7200rpm ibm drives on the way out .....
  • Reply 4 of 13
    catalystcatalyst Posts: 226member
    7200rpm? Maybe I ought to wait
  • Reply 5 of 13
    badtzbadtz Posts: 949member
    supposedly it was going to fruit in the "1st quarter of 2003"



    *cough*





    do a search for 80gnx on google, & you'll some results about the 80gnx drives, and the 7200 rpm drives are mentioned briefly @ the bottom of the PRs



  • Reply 6 of 13
    catalystcatalyst Posts: 226member
    Found the related articles:



    http://hardware.earthweb.com/news/article.php/1496491

    http://news.com.com/2100-1001-964711.html

    http://www.hardwareanalysis.com/content/article/1555/
  • Reply 7 of 13
    skirwanskirwan Posts: 9member
    If, hypothetically, you had a hypothetical 7200 RPM 2.5" HD, you'd probably want to avoid using it in a machine that wasn't designed with a hypothetical 7200 RPM mechanism in mind. Hypothetically, the hypothetical HD would run very hot, so you'd run the risk of hypothetically damaging your machine.



    Hypothetically.
  • Reply 8 of 13
    piwozniakpiwozniak Posts: 815member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Skirwan

    If, hypothetically, you had a hypothetical 7200 RPM 2.5" HD, you'd probably want to avoid using it in a machine that wasn't designed with a hypothetical 7200 RPM mechanism in mind. Hypothetically, the hypothetical HD would run very hot, so you'd run the risk of hypothetically damaging your machine.



    Hypothetically.



    But then don't u think that 2.5" HD is designed to be used in laptops? And hypothetically speaking how much more heat 7200 RPM generates?
  • Reply 9 of 13
    skirwanskirwan Posts: 9member
    Quote:

    But then don't u think that 2.5" HD is designed to be used in laptops?



    What I'm saying is that environmental parameters are very important in the design, integration, and operation of small devices, and that I wouldn't necessarily count on this year's latop being designed with next year's HD in mind.



    Quote:

    And hypothetically speaking how much more heat 7200 RPM generates?



    Hypothetically, enough that I'd be concerned about damaging a hypothetical machine in which such a hypothetical drive were used.
  • Reply 10 of 13
    catalystcatalyst Posts: 226member
    Just an update:

    I've installed the 40GNX ( though I might have messed up my Pismo's innards or something ) and it's really quiet! I'm so pleased that I can only hear slight clicking. Nice!
  • Reply 11 of 13
    mister mikemister mike Posts: 3member
    I suggest Toshiba's Models ending with ~GAS as they have that nice bearing that keeps them quiet.



    I have had many many different Travelstars, and they all have one thing in common: they become louder after just a couple of month (depending on the envir. temperature).



    The toshiba drive also is more silent and faster, but here I haven't put my hands on an IBM 60, IU know just the 4...40 GB range of Travelstars.



    Don't tak eme wrong, I guess they ARE good, but I consider Toshiba better ;-)
  • Reply 12 of 13
    piwozniakpiwozniak Posts: 815member
    GAS models are 4200 RPM

    GAX are 5400RPM



    Maybe it was just me, but my toshiba HD made these clicking sounds, and even on hd itself it says that this is normal operating condition and not a malfunction :-)



    Travelstar GNX which i'm using for few months now, so far stays quiet.
  • Reply 13 of 13
    mister mikemister mike Posts: 3member
    Well, this is true or might be.



    However I wasn't using the RPM because that doesnt help you with durability.



    It depends, for some a silent drive that lasts long is better, while others require more rotational speed, maybe.



    One thing is that todays PowerBooks don't get so hot in the Harddisk area as did the older ones, notably the WallStreet Series of Powerbooks. In these, the IBM HDs are working out of specs mostly, since thed temperature is higher than what IBM recommends.



    Cheers,
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