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hywyn · Dec 7, 2005, 01:57 PM

As an ibook G4 owner I know I shouldn't be here, however,...
I need advice quickly on 7200 drives in laptops. particularly the Seagate Momentus 8Mbyte cache 100 gig drive (and I know Powerbook users are more likely to have installed one)!

I'll be using the set-up for music applications trying to squeeze as much as possible out of it!
I know one would expect performance to increase, but since the CPU and memory subsystems also work harder, I wonder how much heat is generated.
How much Is the 8mb buffer a factor? I read a report from someonoe who had the same model ibook as I with an Hitachi 7200mb (but 2mbyte cache) who had an extra 15% Power consumption, significantly better performance but a much warmer ibook,

An interesting article is here:
http://www.barefeats.com/hard56.html

Any advice very much appreciated!
Steve

mrmister · Dec 7, 2005, 02:39 PM

The latest 7200rpm drives consume less power than the last generation, not more--and the tempertures shouldn't be high either.

What is the same is the speed increase--you'll notice a 20% improvement to things across the board, as almost every activity on a laptop is bound by hard drive speed.

tooki · Dec 7, 2005, 03:21 PM

Search the iBook and PowerBook forums for 7200 -- this has been discussed countless times -- as well as xlr8yourmac.com's drive compatibility database.

tooki

hywyn · Dec 7, 2005, 03:35 PM

Originally Posted by tooki

Search the iBook and PowerBook forums for 7200 -- this has been discussed countless times
tooki

Believe me I have and there isn't a single reply out there that will answer my needs directly. I have to gauge my ibook G4's (512kb cache, 1.25 gig Ram) capacity next to others, which I'm quite prepared to do.
Many of the forums veer off into discussions about other thins such as how to install a hard drive etc,...
Steve

Fusion · Dec 7, 2005, 04:58 PM

Whatever you do, don't get the Hitachi, it's hella loud...

Now as for the Seagate, it's fast, reliable, stable, quiet, etc... What more do you want?

neal1973 · Dec 7, 2005, 07:49 PM

Originally Posted by Fusion

Whatever you do, don't get the Hitachi, it's hella loud...

Now as for the Seagate, it's fast, reliable, stable, quiet, etc... What more do you want?

I've just got my new PB with a 100GB 7200 drive, which I've found out is a Hitachi.

However, there's been a lot of negative vibes about Hitachi drives.

Should I be returning it and insisting on a Seagate? Can I do that?

I've got no idea if it's loud or not as I have nothing to compare it with and never owned a PB previously. It is getting hotter than I expected, but I have been installing and downloading software for 4 hours.

Someone please tell me I've got nothing to worry about - I'd rather not return it but for the money it cost I want to get it right.

neal1973 · Dec 7, 2005, 07:51 PM

Originally Posted by Fusion

Whatever you do, don't get the Hitachi, it's hella loud...

Now as for the Seagate, it's fast, reliable, stable, quiet, etc... What more do you want?

I've just got my new PB with a 100GB 7200 drive, which I've found out is a Hitachi.

However, there's been a lot of negative vibes about Hitachi drives.

Should I be returning it and insisting on a Seagate? Can I do that?

I've got no idea if it's loud or not as I have nothing to compare it with and never owned a PB previously. It is getting hotter than I expected, but I have been installing and downloading software for 4 hours.

Someone please tell me I've got nothing to worry about - I'd rather not return it but for the money it cost I want to get it right.

mrmister · Dec 7, 2005, 08:08 PM

You can't return it, as they reserve the right to use either drive. Temperture-wise, it is the same as the Seagate, but some believe it is noisier.

Fusion · Dec 7, 2005, 08:42 PM

Yeah, you cannot return it unless something is wrong with it. Sucks that you got stuck with the Hitachi though, it is very loud. I got stuck it as well.

mrmister, it has nothing to do with "perceived" noise, the drive is quite a bit louder in reality than the seagate. When seeking and writing to disk, there is a very audible clicking, that is not only annoying but makes the computer "feel" slower, even though it is actually slightly faster than the seagate.

neal, the fact that you don't know whether that is a loud drive or not is a blessing!

I can post sound clips for anyone who is interested in just how loud the drive is.

Cheers

neal1973 · Dec 7, 2005, 08:56 PM

Originally Posted by Fusion

Yeah, you cannot return it unless something is wrong with it. Sucks that you got stuck with the Hitachi though, it is very loud. I got stuck it as well.

mrmister, it has nothing to do with "perceived" noise, the drive is quite a bit louder in reality than the seagate. When seeking and writing to disk, there is a very audible clicking, that is not only annoying but makes the computer "feel" slower, even though it is actually slightly faster than the seagate.

neal, the fact that you don't know whether that is a loud drive or not is a blessing!

I can post sound clips for anyone who is interested in just how loud the drive is.

Cheers

to be honest i've had music on tonight whilst setting it up, so will test it in silence later to see how noisey it is. at the moment i am more concerned about the heat. it's very hot. i've got a HP n6000 laptop also, my work PC, and that never gets hot.

do you think it's because i've been installing software all evening? is this a feature of 7200 drives, or do all PBs get hot underneath?

lunaticbunny · Dec 8, 2005, 10:17 PM

I found this review while deciding on which HD to get... I already ordered the Hitachi Travelstar 7K100 drive.

http://www.storagereview.com/article...otebook_1.html

Also, on Hitachi's website, they also list a second generation E7K100 drive.

I really hope it's not as loud as everyone says it is... maybe I should get the Seagate one.... hmm..

amazing · Dec 9, 2005, 12:28 AM

Originally Posted by neal1973

to be honest i've had music on tonight whilst setting it up, so will test it in silence later to see how noisey it is. at the moment i am more concerned about the heat. it's very hot. i've got a HP n6000 laptop also, my work PC, and that never gets hot.

do you think it's because i've been installing software all evening? is this a feature of 7200 drives, or do all PBs get hot underneath?

Here's another test of the 2.5" drives, they actually measured the dB from a distance of 3 mm.

http://storagereview.com/articles/20...otebook_7.html

It shows the Hitachi 7K100 as being .5 dB quieter than the Seagate 7200.1, with the Hitachi 5K100 being very noisy. Actual measurements, not opinions.

mrmister · Dec 9, 2005, 02:32 AM

"It shows the Hitachi 7K100 as being .5 dB quieter than the Seagate 7200.1, with the Hitachi 5K100 being very noisy. Actual measurements, not opinions."

I suspect of more interest is the tech specs released by the actual companies themselves, which show the Hitachi 7K100 being 1 decibel louder than the Seagate 7200.1. Since the manufacturers themselves back these numbers I suspect it trumps other findings.

Anecdotally many complain not at the intensity of the noise from the Hitachi, but the tone, which is apparently more discernable to the ear than the Seagate. I have neither drive, so I can't vouch for either.

wuzup101 · Dec 9, 2005, 04:46 AM

I'd actually be more inclined to believe an independent test as compared to the manuf specs. Just remember there are many ways that manufs can fudge stuff. Also, 1db is hardly anything to get worked up about. And heat/power usage isn't either for the new 7200rpm drives. Several tests show that they get no hotter and use no more power than previous generation 5400rpm drives. I'd venture to guess that the temperature of you're computer has little to do with the actual hard drive that is being used. The heat that the hard drive puts out is nothing compared to that of the processor and video chip.

Fusion · Dec 9, 2005, 12:51 PM

I think you guys are comparing operating volume... which is not what the noise is all about. While the drive is simply operating, it's fine and silent. However, the noise comes in when seeking... it's a large click that I must guess they purposely "did not measure" the sound of with these tests.

For an accurate description of the sound, check out the end of the barefeats article.

tricha6 · Dec 9, 2005, 04:37 PM

Besides Tiger Direct are there any reliable vendors that sell the Seagate Momentus 7200 RPM 100GB drive?

I am having a hard time finding where I could purchase one.

tigas · Dec 12, 2005, 03:00 PM

The E7K100 is the Enterprise version, that is guaranteed to run 24/7 during the warranty period and not just 8h per day. It may also come with more cache.

Ela · 02:17 PM

We've got two new 17" PowerBooks, one with the Hitachi and one with the Seagate drive. The Hitachi is a bit louder, but only when accessing the disk. And it's really not that loud - just a gentle, mechanical scratching noise. I actually find it comforting having the unobtrusive, audible indicator that the drive is being accessed. At idle, both drives whir softly.

So, if you have the Hitachi, be happy in knowing that your drive is slightly faster and uses slightly less power. If you have the Seagate, be happy in knowing your drive is slightly quieter. It's a fair tradeoff.