MBP Core2 Hard Drive musings
First off, hi all (first post from a lurker).
Just like a bunch of you, I've been waiting for the new Macbook Pros to get the Core2 Duo treatment. I have a question about the hard drive options for the 15" model (17" is too big for my tastes).
I have an external HD, so space isn't a huge issue, but more space is always nice. I was wondering about the pros and cons of the 4200rpm 200Gb HD vs. the smaller and faster 5400rpm 120&160Gb models.
I heard on this forum that the slower speec HD will cause less vibration and less heat. If the performance hit isn't that great (how important is HD speed really?), I'm down with the lower heat and vibration. Especially since I will be traveling with it quite a bit and it will spend a lot of time on my lap.
Any thoughts about the pros and cons with regard to HD speed on laptops?
Thanks
Just like a bunch of you, I've been waiting for the new Macbook Pros to get the Core2 Duo treatment. I have a question about the hard drive options for the 15" model (17" is too big for my tastes).
I have an external HD, so space isn't a huge issue, but more space is always nice. I was wondering about the pros and cons of the 4200rpm 200Gb HD vs. the smaller and faster 5400rpm 120&160Gb models.
I heard on this forum that the slower speec HD will cause less vibration and less heat. If the performance hit isn't that great (how important is HD speed really?), I'm down with the lower heat and vibration. Especially since I will be traveling with it quite a bit and it will spend a lot of time on my lap.
Any thoughts about the pros and cons with regard to HD speed on laptops?
Thanks
Comments
First off, hi all (first post from a lurker).
Just like a bunch of you, I've been waiting for the new Macbook Pros to get the Core2 Duo treatment. I have a question about the hard drive options for the 15" model (17" is too big for my tastes).
I have an external HD, so space isn't a huge issue, but more space is always nice. I was wondering about the pros and cons of the 4200rpm 200Gb HD vs. the smaller and faster 5400rpm 120&160Gb models.
I heard on this forum that the slower speec HD will cause less vibration and less heat. If the performance hit isn't that great (how important is HD speed really?), I'm down with the lower heat and vibration. Especially since I will be traveling with it quite a bit and it will spend a lot of time on my lap.
Any thoughts about the pros and cons with regard to HD speed on laptops?
Thanks
The heat and vibration difference between a 4200 and 5400 RPM drive is negligible. The faster drive will give you a noticeable speed boost for anything requiring drive access. Start up time, initial application load time (depending on how much memory you have in your system, subsequent application start up times are much quicker since they're still in memory), etc. will all improve. It really depends on your needs. In the overall scheme of things, if you need a larger capacity drive, but have to settle for 4200 RPM, it really won't make your life that much more difficult. You'll notice a greater change going from 4200 to 7200.
5400 -> 7200 very little change at all
The higher density on the 160gb makes it almost the same performance as the 7200rpm 100gb drive.
http://www.tomshardware.com/2006/10/...0bt/index.html
4200 -> 5400 big change
5400 -> 7200 very little change at all
The higher density on the 160gb makes it almost the same performance as the 7200rpm 100gb drive.
http://www.tomshardware.com/2006/10/...0bt/index.html
Interesting... I didn't know that would be a factor. That pretty much clears up that question for me.
Also, for possible upgrades, are there any after-market HDs that you all reccomend? Are there warranty issues related to installing a replacement?
Interesting... I didn't know that would be a factor. That pretty much clears up that question for me.
Also, for possible upgrades, are there any after-market HDs that you all reccomend? Are there warranty issues related to installing a replacement?
Apple already uses the best hard drives available (all seagate monentus drives I think, except for the 200gb one). Just buy what you want from Apple - maybe upgrade later when a 300gb drive comes out or something.
Apple already uses the best hard drives available (all seagate monentus drives I think, except for the 200gb one). Just buy what you want from Apple - maybe upgrade later when a 300gb drive comes out or something.
Yes and be thankful. Those 160GB Seagate drives aren't even on the UK market yet! Nice to see they are being used for a good cause
The only manufacturers that I'm aware of that make 200GB 2.5" drives are Fujitsu and Toshiba - both budget drive manufacturers. Neither of which I would ever choose to buy. Only ever had 1 drive completely fail on me in 15 years and that would be the Toshiba drive in my Mac mini G4.
Thanks much