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solofx7 · Nov 10, 2008, 12:15 PM

what is the largest hard drive size that will fit in the new macbook pros?
currently the fastest is 7200 rpm?

Cold Warrior · Nov 10, 2008, 12:33 PM

They use a 2.5 inch SATA drive. Get one of those and you'll be fine.

Simon · Nov 10, 2008, 12:45 PM

2.5" SATA HDD. Make sure it's no more than 9.5 mm thick.

Right now the largest available is 500 GB. The fastest is 7200 rpm.

solofx7 · Nov 10, 2008, 01:20 PM

Originally Posted by Simon

2.5" SATA HDD. Make sure it's no more than 9.5 mm thick.

Right now the largest available is 500 GB. The fastest is 7200 rpm.

do they come in and sell a laptop drive that is 500gb 7200 rpm?

Cold Warrior · Nov 10, 2008, 01:22 PM

The 500 GB models I've seen are just 5400.

solofx7 · Nov 10, 2008, 01:46 PM

thanks, you rock

solofx7 · Nov 10, 2008, 01:47 PM

do you think that there will be a speed difference in favor of either the 320 gb that is installed or the 500 gb?

Urkel · 02:19 PM

I tend to just get the WD Passport (portable usb) drives when I upgrade. I'm not sure about the new cases but it used to be that you can easily crack open the case and swap drives so you essentially get a free USB case for your old drive. They changed the design recently so I don't know if they're still easy to open but I'll probably get a 500GB once I see it on sale.

As for 7200. I opted not to get that because the one I tried (which was a while ago) was pretty noisy. So I stick with 5400 internal and a Firewire desktop drive when I need to do work that requires the speed.

solofx7 · Nov 10, 2008, 02:09 PM

Originally Posted by Urkel

Does anyone know which of the external portable drives are easy to open nowadays? I always buy those USB Western Digital portable ones because they contain the same drive that you buy bare but tend to go on sale more often. So for $99 or so you can get a 320GB.

I'm not sure about the new cases but it used to be that you can easily crack open the case and swap drives so you essentially get a free USB case for your old drive. They changed the design recently so I don't know if they're still easy to open but I'll probably get a 500GB once I see it on sale.

i have one right here and it does not look easy to open

sorry....

Simon · Nov 10, 2008, 04:32 PM

Originally Posted by solofx7

do they come in and sell a laptop drive that is 500gb 7200 rpm?

Yeah, I should have made myself more clear. The fastest is 7200 rpm, but it's limited in size to 320GB. The largest is 500GB, but it's limited in spindle speed to 5400 rpm. So you can't have both at the same time.

mduell · Nov 11, 2008, 12:23 AM

Originally Posted by Urkel

I tend to just get the WD Passport (portable usb) drives when I upgrade. I'm not sure about the new cases but it used to be that you can easily crack open the case and swap drives so you essentially get a free USB case for your old drive. They changed the design recently so I don't know if they're still easy to open but I'll probably get a 500GB once I see it on sale.

Voiding the warranty on both the drive and the case hardly seems worth the tiny (if any) cost savings.

Simon · Nov 11, 2008, 03:42 AM

There are cases that are made to be easily swappable, but because of the voided warranties I too would not go this route.

Simon · Nov 12, 2008, 10:14 AM

If you're interested in a 500GB drive, this might be of interest.

Hitachi introduces the 5K500.B — super-low power consumption (1.4W while in use!)

At 9.5mm height it will fit every MB(P).

solofx7 · Nov 12, 2008, 07:20 PM

would i take a hit performance wise if i went from 320gb 5400 rpm to 500gb 5400 rpm?

Spheric Harlot · Nov 12, 2008, 08:33 PM

A fairly empty 5400 RPM drive will probably be faster than a fairly full 7200 RPM drive.

mduell · Nov 12, 2008, 08:36 PM

Originally Posted by solofx7

would i take a hit performance wise if i went from 320gb 5400 rpm to 500gb 5400 rpm?

No, I'd actually expect it to be a bit faster.

solofx7 · Nov 12, 2008, 11:20 PM

Originally Posted by mduell

No, I'd actually expect it to be a bit faster.

how so?

solofx7 · Nov 12, 2008, 11:27 PM

i am thinking about upgrading...
is 500 as large as you can get for an internal macbook pro?
what is the best brand and price i can get?

wataru · Nov 13, 2008, 01:56 AM

Note that larger drives are somewhat faster simply by virtue of being larger—the platters are higher density, so more data can be read in the same angular sweep of the read head.

I just ordered a Hitachi 320GB 7200RPM drive but it hasn't arrived yet, so I can't comment on noise. It was about $100 from Newegg. It seems 320GB is definitely the price sweet spot right now.

Simon · 04:07 AM

Originally Posted by solofx7

would i take a hit performance wise if i went from 320gb 5400 rpm to 500gb 5400 rpm?

Nope, the other way round. If the larger disk uses the same number of platters as the smaller disk, the density on the platter of the faster disk is actually higher. So more bits pass under the heads in a given time period so to say. This is what makes the larger disk faster.

And there's a second thing to remember when it comes to disk size. If you get a very big disk, you usually end up with more free space and less fragmentation. Let's say you have 280GB of data. Chances are a 5400 rpm disk will end up actually being faster than even a 7200 rpm disk with 320 GB capacity. So consider how much data you have, and how much you plan to add.

But as with CPUs you usually pay a premium for the top end. In terms of 2.5" drive capacity that premium now applies to 500 GB disks. As Wataru already mentioned above 320 GB drives are pretty cheap in comparison. If you cannot afford to go really big, I suggest you settle with something smaller, but make sure to get 7200 rpms instead.

solofx7 · Nov 13, 2008, 10:35 AM

Originally Posted by Simon

Nope, the other way round. If the larger disk uses the same number of platters as the smaller disk, the density on the platter of the faster disk is actually higher. So more bits pass under the heads in a given time period so to say. This is what makes the larger disk faster.

And there's a second thing to remember when it comes to disk size. If you get a very big disk, you usually end up with more free space and less fragmentation. Let's say you have 280GB of data. Chances are a 5400 rpm disk will end up actually being faster than even a 7200 rpm disk with 320 GB capacity. So consider how much data you have, and how much you plan to add.

But as with CPUs you usually pay a premium for the top end. In terms of 2.5" drive capacity that premium now applies to 500 GB disks. As Wataru already mentioned above 320 GB drives are pretty cheap in comparison. If you cannot afford to go really big, I suggest you settle with something smaller, but make sure to get 7200 rpms instead.

thanks for the info, yet my confusion looms...

DCJ001 · Nov 16, 2008, 07:16 PM

Originally Posted by solofx7

thanks for the info, yet my confusion looms...

From what I remember, the 320GB 7200 RPM Hitachi notebook drive is about $80 and the 500GB 5400 RPM notebook drive is around $175.

With about 150GB of data, the 320GB 7200 should outperform the 500GB 5400. But, with 250GB of data, the 500GB 5400 should outperform the 320GB 7200 due to a large % of the 320GB 7200 being used and just a little bit more than half of the 500GB (about 465GB actual) 5400 being used.

My opinion is that, if you're going to be working with over 200GB, the 500GB 5400 may work more efficiently than the 320GB 7200.

AlbertDeschesne · Nov 16, 2008, 11:44 PM

Originally Posted by DCJ001

From what I remember, the 320GB 7200 RPM Hitachi notebook drive is about $80 and the 500GB 5400 RPM notebook drive is around $175.

With about 150GB of data, the 320GB 7200 should outperform the 500GB 5400. But, with 250GB of data, the 500GB 5400 should outperform the 320GB 7200 due to a large % of the 320GB 7200 being used and just a little bit more than half of the 500GB (about 465GB actual) 5400 being used.

My opinion is that, if you're going to be working with over 200GB, the 500GB 5400 may work more efficiently than the 320GB 7200.

I just purchased and installed a samsung 500 GB 5400RPM drive that I got from Frys. Total cost in SOCal $155. with tax. Just thought I give that FYI

CharlesS · Nov 17, 2008, 12:09 AM

Originally Posted by Simon

There are cases that are made to be easily swappable, but because of the voided warranties I too would not go this route.

What voided warranties? If you get the enclosure and the hard drive separately, you can swap drives in and out of the enclosure as much as you please, because the enclosure is meant for you to be putting drives in it yourself. The hard drive and the enclosure might have warranties of varying lengths (I have a Seagate hard drive with a 5-year warranty inside an OWC enclosure with a 2-year warranty), but it's usually better than the warranty on those external hard drives anyway, which is usually just 1 year for both the drive and the enclosure.

DrunkenTech · Nov 17, 2008, 01:16 AM

Originally Posted by AlbertDeschesne

I just purchased and installed a samsung 500 GB 5400RPM drive that I got from Frys. Total cost in SOCal $155. with tax. Just thought I give that FYI

I just picked up my WD5000BEVT from AllStarShop.com via will call for $120 plus tax in Rancho Santa Margarita.

http://www.allstarshop.com/shop/product.asp?pid=21355

Simon · Nov 17, 2008, 05:33 AM

Originally Posted by CharlesS

What voided warranties?

If you buy an external drive like the WD Passport (not just a case!) and then swap the drive inside you will be voiding the warranty of the external case and drive. IIRC that was what was being discussed.

But sure, if you buy a case and a drive separately they will both come with their own warranties and you can do whatever you want. Of course as long as you don't break anything.

CharlesS · Nov 17, 2008, 06:25 AM

Whoops, sorry, read that too quickly.

solofx7 · Nov 17, 2008, 10:59 AM

Originally Posted by AlbertDeschesne

I just purchased and installed a samsung 500 GB 5400RPM drive that I got from Frys. Total cost in SOCal $155. with tax. Just thought I give that FYI

how is the performance.

solofx7 · Nov 17, 2008, 11:04 AM

do they make 500gb laptop drive with 16mb buffer?

tooki · Nov 17, 2008, 11:59 AM

Buffer sizes don't matter.

solofx7 · Nov 17, 2008, 12:43 PM

Originally Posted by tooki

Buffer sizes don't matter.

huh?
meaning?

Simon · Nov 17, 2008, 12:53 PM

Tooki is hinting that you would see no advantage if you had a 500 GB HDD with 16 MB vs. the prevalent 8 MB models.

solofx7 · Nov 17, 2008, 04:39 PM

ok, thanks...

P · Nov 18, 2008, 04:43 AM

Originally Posted by solofx7

thanks for the info, yet my confusion looms...

Because you don't define "fast". Usually what is meant is the random seek time - the time it takes to find any single piece of data (cf. network latency). Harddrives work by storing data on rotating discs, called platters, which is then read and written by drive heads. If you have 320 gigs on 2 platters you have 4 heads (one per side). If you move to 500 gigs, you have 3 platters and 6 heads to find it - more or less the same deal. If you move to denser platters, you can fit more data on each platter. If you want to keep capacity the same, you drop to fewer platters. When you do that, seek time usually increases, but the transfer speed - how much data you can read or write in a second (cf. network bandwidth) - goes up. Going to fewer platters and heads also drops the price.

If you increase the rotation speed for a given platter, the seek time decreases but the transfer speed goes up. This requires that the electronics can handle the increased transfer speed - if they can't, you have to move to a lower platter density. This then drops transfer speed back down, and also decreases the capacity of the harddrive. In this way, you can trade off transfer speed, seek time and capacity.

Over time, platter density inches steadily upwards. Transfer speed follows it up, but seek time has only moved slightly since the late eighties - it's been more or less 10 ns ever since, and the boost has come from more cache rather than real improvements. Hideously expensive server-grade drives can rotate as fast as 15000 rpm, which improves seek times, but regular consumer drives are stuck at lower speeds.

Jasoco · Nov 18, 2008, 08:50 AM

I just ordered a Seagate 500GB for my MacBook on Sunday. It's scheduled to arrive today. Can't wait!

solofx7 · Nov 18, 2008, 09:40 PM

Originally Posted by Jasoco

I just ordered a Seagate 500GB for my MacBook on Sunday. It's scheduled to arrive today. Can't wait!

which macbook?
i think that i am going to order the 500 gb for my macbook pro 15inch... the new model...
i am just running out of space on my 320 gb...

solofx7 · Nov 18, 2008, 09:49 PM

what brand do you all recommend?

Jasoco · Nov 18, 2008, 09:50 PM

Last years white ones. But they use the same HD's.

BTW, it arrived today (God I love NewEgg. They ship from Edison, NJ and my stuff always arrives next day, plus rush processing cuts two days off by making it ship almost immediately.) and after a bit of searching the house for the screwdrivers again I got it swapped so easily. Cloned and swapped and it's like I never even changed HD's.

I just want to add something. I got a Seagate this time because of two reasons. The first being that I have had a bad experience with the WD Scorpios. I bought last years 250GB model and within 6 months it started to show death throes. It still works, but barely. It forgets where files are kept if it gets suddenly disconnected (i.e. when it is turned back on, the Finder shows the file names, but the data? It's not attached. So I get all new files with Zero KB sizes and a message "In use by OS X" when I try to open them. This is NOT normal behavior for a HD. A HD should at least secure its links even if the HD is turned off suddenly. That's just one of the horrible things it's done. So when I saw the prices for the 500GB laptop HD's had dropped drastically (I paid more for my 250GB Scorpio last year than I did for this 500GB Seagate on Sunday!) and there was a sale of $20 off making it a measly $120, I just had to get it.

Now I have an 80GB and a 250GB spare. The 250 will need some testing to make sure it actually is dead. And the 80GB is just too small for anything I have. But I can't just toss it. Maybe I can use it for backing up certain things and storing them elsewhere. Like stuff I rarely change but need to keep.

solofx7 · Nov 18, 2008, 10:10 PM

Originally Posted by Jasoco

Last years white ones. But they use the same HD's.

BTW, it arrived today (God I love NewEgg. They ship from Edison, NJ and my stuff always arrives next day, plus rush processing cuts two days off by making it ship almost immediately.) and after a bit of searching the house for the screwdrivers again I got it swapped so easily. Cloned and swapped and it's like I never even changed HD's.

I just want to add something. I got a Seagate this time because of two reasons. The first being that I have had a bad experience with the WD Scorpios. I bought last years 250GB model and within 6 months it started to show death throes. It still works, but barely. It forgets where files are kept if it gets suddenly disconnected (i.e. when it is turned back on, the Finder shows the file names, but the data? It's not attached. So I get all new files with Zero KB sizes and a message "In use by OS X" when I try to open them. This is NOT normal behavior for a HD. A HD should at least secure its links even if the HD is turned off suddenly. That's just one of the horrible things it's done. So when I saw the prices for the 500GB laptop HD's had dropped drastically (I paid more for my 250GB Scorpio last year than I did for this 500GB Seagate on Sunday!) and there was a sale of $20 off making it a measly $120, I just had to get it.

Now I have an 80GB and a 250GB spare. The 250 will need some testing to make sure it actually is dead. And the 80GB is just too small for anything I have. But I can't just toss it. Maybe I can use it for backing up certain things and storing them elsewhere. Like stuff I rarely change but need to keep.

thanks for the info....
i just had a scorpio in my cart about to buy it...
i have always loved WD.
they are my personal preferred brand, but i guess that is mostly for desktops until this point.

Jasoco · Nov 18, 2008, 11:48 PM

I bought a WD MyBook a few months ago. It's the 1TB version and I haven't had any problems. It's a full size HD though. I don't know if their laptop drives have known problems or if I just got unlucky. I'm just one guy with an opinion. There are probably people with good experiences out there.

When I bought the WD Scorpio last year, I did it based on all the people who said they bought it for the same reason. (To put in a MacBook) I didn't see any bad reviews. At the time. I'm probably just an exception. But it has made me wary of WD's laptop drives now.

BTW, I have two LaCie Porsche's with 3.5" normal sized HD's in them and they're both Seagates. But I can't say Seagate has a better track record. I had 4 LaCie's in the past. All Seagates. Two died. One was 5 years old though. The other a bit less. But it did get used excessively.

solofx7 · Nov 19, 2008, 11:50 AM

I just ordered the samsung overnight.
i will let you all know how it goes

mduell · Nov 19, 2008, 04:49 PM

Originally Posted by solofx7

what brand do you all recommend?

Hitachi.

solofx7 · Nov 20, 2008, 01:49 PM

i am still waiting patiently for my drive

P · Nov 20, 2008, 04:21 PM

Originally Posted by solofx7

what brand do you all recommend?

The only one that never failed on me was Seagate. IBM that became Hitachi was very good to me for a long time, but I got stung by the 75GXP drives. Anyone else I'd be very wary of. Have a Samsung in the HTPC now, but it's doing funny things when it's been on for too long.

solofx7 · Nov 20, 2008, 04:36 PM

Htpc ?

Simon · Nov 20, 2008, 05:01 PM

I would have agreed with Hitachi until a half a year ago. I was severely let down by them when we bought 8 1TB drives of which 2 were DOA and 2 more died during their first week of use.

And BTW, HTPC = home theater PC

solofx7 · Nov 20, 2008, 05:06 PM

thnks, i hope my 500gb will be there when i get home

Jasoco · Nov 20, 2008, 09:49 PM

My "Home Theater PC" is a Mac Mini connected to an assortment of backup drives and a 1TB MyBook full of ripped DVD's. Which allows me to either play them on my Xbox 360, or mount the drive on my MacBook and watch them via FrontRow.

My install went flawlessly.

First I put it in my external laptop drive case I bought from them a while ago and cloned my current internal drive to it.

Then I swapped them. Put the 500 inside the MacBook and booted up. The clone worked 100% flawlessly and the computer didn't even know the difference.

I love it. So much flex room.