[voicebox]

Hi there,
I need to upgrade the internal HD (160Gb) of my 2007 17" MacBook Pro.
I was thinking of installing a 500GB 2.5" Hitachi Travelstar 5K500 5400RPM 12.5mm SATA Notebook Drive 8MB Cache.
Would anyone have experience of this particular drive and how it performs against say a Western Digital Scorpio Blue 500GB 2.5" SATA 5400RPM?
I would appreciate any information on its quietness, reliability and performance etc.
Thank you in advance.
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[Simon]

I you're interested in high performance w/o a lot of noise I'd get a Seagate Momentus. My favorite's the 7200.4 (500GB, 7200rpm). If that's too expensive there's also the 5400.6 (500GB, 5400rpm).

I found Hitachi's Travelstars to be neither especially quiet nor especially reliable. I'd prefer the Scorpio Blue.

[voicebox]

Originally Posted by Simon 

I you're interested in high performance w/o a lot of noise I'd get a Seagate Momentus. My favorite's the 7200.4 (500GB, 7200rpm). If that's too expensive there's also the 5400.6 (500GB, 5400rpm).

I found Hitachi's Travelstars to be neither especially quiet nor especially reliable. I'd prefer the Scorpio Blue.

Hi Simon,
Thanks for your swift reply.
I thought about the Seagate 500 Gb 7200rpm, and my concern was that my MBP would run a lot hotter on battery power ...
So I think I will forget the Travelstar and go for the Western Digital Blue Scorpion 500Gb 5400rpm.
As to cost, I am not too worried, although an Apple reseller (CanCom) here in London has just quoted me £85 for the WD drive plus £92 to fit it - PLUS another £92 to transfer all my files on to the new drive - Yikes ....!
Sometimes I think I am in the wrong job!
Thanks again
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[Simon]

The Momentus 7200.4 will not use more power or generate more heat than the average 5400 rpm drive.

Those prices are a total rip-off. Newegg has the 7200.4 for $140 and the 5400.6 for $100 shipped.

[voicebox]

Originally Posted by Simon 

The Momentus 7200.4 will not use more power or generate more heat than the average 5400 rpm drive.

Those prices are a total rip-off. Newegg has the 7200.4 for $140 and the 5400.6 for $100 shipped.

Hi Simon,
You are right about CanCom being a rip-off - they will charge anything if they think they can get away with it!

I've just got a quote from M.R. Systems in North London (http://www.mrsystems.co.uk/) for a Seagate 500Gb 7200.4 and they want £100 for the drive + £45 for fitting, so that's the direction I am going. Thanks again for your help in clearing my mind on this!
Best
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[cgc]

I just got a couple of Western Digital 640GB Caviar Blues for $59.99 each from Amazon.com. They are really fast (faster than the Caviar Blacks on most benchmarks) and they are quiet.

[ibook_steve]

Originally Posted by cgc 

I just got a couple of Western Digital 640GB Caviar Blues for $59.99 each from Amazon.com. They are really fast (faster than the Caviar Blacks on most benchmarks) and they are quiet.

640GB? I'm guessing you are talking about 3.5" drives, not 2.5" for laptops.

Steve

[Simon]

Yeah, wrong disks. Those are for desktops (hence the low price).