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popstand · Jan 22, 2004, 08:05 PM

So I couldn't wait out the year warranty, and since the news on 12" reliability has been positive I went ahead and installed a new Travelstar. I thought I'd be able to reinstall my old drive if anything went wrong with the computer, but you'd have to be pretty slick with the install to fool the folks at apple service, since there are three pieces of sticky foil that need to be removed, and which do not look the same upon reinstallment. Anyway, overall speed is much better, and I also find that the computer acquires my apple bluetooth mouse much quicker now. I didn't realize that this was such a HD intensive task, but I'm glad. It is slightly louder, or I should say that the tray spinning seems louder. The read write cycles seem more muted than those on the toshiba. Overall I recommend the upgrade for those with the scratch.

gorickey · Jan 22, 2004, 09:23 PM

Which one did you install?

popstand · Jan 22, 2004, 10:40 PM

Sorry, the 60GB 7200RPM model...

wy4tt · Jan 22, 2004, 10:48 PM

how's battery life after the switch?

popstand · Jan 22, 2004, 11:39 PM

So far seems comparable. I really haven't noticed a notable decline.

selowitch · Jan 23, 2004, 10:29 AM

Originally posted by popstand:
... I went ahead and installed a new Travelstar.

How tricky was the installation? Any challenges or problems?

typoon · Jan 23, 2004, 10:36 AM

Originally posted by selowitch:
How tricky was the installation? Any challenges or problems?

How tricky was it? Are you able to post directions? I might be interested in upgrading my 12" to that as well.

bentoon · Jan 25, 2004, 11:28 PM

Very interesting!
How is the heat?
I worry about the fan noise and the heat, both of which are already at high levels

I have a new 17" PB (...yes, it feels a little sluggish)
and I was about to see about doing this Monday (later today)

How old is your 12"? I take it it was a 5400rpm drive previously or a 4200
and is it really THAT much faster?

thanks ,
~B

Overall I recommend the upgrade. [/B]

Sarc · Jan 26, 2004, 12:42 AM

Originally posted by bentoon:
How old is your 12"? I take it it was a 5400rpm drive previously or a 4200
and is it really THAT much faster?
~B

I'm very interested in this as well. I'm planning on upgrading soon, but want to hear if it's really worth it.

jasonsRX7 · Jan 26, 2004, 09:21 AM

Originally posted by popstand:
So I couldn't wait out the year warranty

Installing a new hard drive voids the warranty????

threestain · Jan 26, 2004, 09:48 AM

I thought HDD replacement didn't void any warranty. Also I have a TiBook - is it worth the upgrade? Or is it worth getting a big external firewire drive?

selowitch · Jan 26, 2004, 09:54 AM

Originally posted by threestain:
I thought HDD replacement didn't void any warranty. Also I have a TiBook - is it worth the upgrade? Or is it worth getting a big external firewire drive?

External hard drives are great for some things (like backups), but you probably won't find booting from one to be terribly convenient, and as far as performance goes, the boot drive is the one that impacts speed and responsiveness the most on a daily basis.

It's nice to have a faster hard drive in the PowerBook so that you get the better performance while on the road.

However, many people say that if you face a choice between upgrading RAM and upgrading the HD, go for RAM first because it provides a greater bang-for-buck ratio.

-Q- · Jan 26, 2004, 10:47 AM

Originally posted by threestain:
I thought HDD replacement didn't void any warranty. Also I have a TiBook - is it worth the upgrade? Or is it worth getting a big external firewire drive?

It depends on the model. I know the old 15" Ti's had user-installable hard drives. The iBook did not, so if you upgraded the drive, you voided your warranty. I'd imagine that's the same policy with the 12" PB as you pretty much have to take the thing entirely apart to get to the drive...

amazing · Jan 26, 2004, 11:15 AM

Titanium HD is user installable, aluminum PB isn't so doing it anyway will void your applecare (not a good idea on a model with an unknown repair track record.)

Upgrading the HD on a Ti is a good way to prolong the usefullness of the Ti. The HD is also pretty easy to replace. You should keep your old HD, putting it into an external fw case, so that you can eventually swap it back for when you sell the Ti.

For stats on various HD combinations:

http://www.barefeats.com/hard34.html

Sarc · Jan 26, 2004, 06:16 PM

I have the Apple technical documents on all computers, ever made. Gimme some feedback on which ones -portables that is- you need and I'll host 'em..

popstand · Jan 26, 2004, 08:44 PM

Hey there,
sorry I haven't replied to some of your inquiries, I've been out of town. How was the installation? Very stressful. It involves many small screws, and the disconnection of some tiny leads. I followed the instructions posted here...http://www.xlr8yourmac.com/systems/p...D_upgrade.htm. They are fairly accurate and the install went smoothly until I had to remove the top case. There are tabs holding it in place, and they all released very easily except one stubborn one near the front of the trackpad. This one wouldn't budge, so I fiddled with the case for a while until it slipped free, this was by far the worst part as the case is strong when screwed in place but could easily bend once released if you aren't careful. Everything else was fairly easy.
As far as performance is concerned, my XBench score went up about 8 points, and the system feels quicker overall. It also seems to be getting better over time. I read somewhere that Panther allocates disk information according to priority so files that you use frequently are accessed more quickly. I'm not sure but this seems to be true, as the computer seems more responsive after a few days of use following the formatting and transfer of my files. Also, I put my old 40GB drive in a MacAlly firewire/USB 2.0 enclosure, so now I have an external bus powered hard drive which I really like.
Hope these comments help...