Best aftermarket 7200rpm HD for the Macbook Pro 15" Core i5 2.4GHz 8GB RAM

Ok <deep breath>. So I have been researching out the WAZOOOO now for the best aftermarket HD for my new Macbook Pro 15" 2.4 Core i5. It currently has the standard 320GB 5400rpm HD in it, so before I have too much data on it, I wanted to upgrade it so my machine will be faster and have more memory.
Requirements:
1. 500GB
2. 7200rpm (or faster if it exists which i don't does)
3. QUIET
4. Doesn't melt my computer (Temperature management)
5. No SSD, just too expensive for the 512GB ($1,300?!?!, are you crazy?)
Now from what I've read it has generally come down to 3 HD's, but what I don't have any perspective on is how they compare to EACHOTHER. So in no particular order:
1. HITACHI Travelstar 7K500 HD20500 IDK/7K 500GB 7200 RPM 2.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s
2. Western Digital Scorpio Black WD5000BEKT 500GB 7200 RPM 2.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s
3. Seagate Momentus XT ST95005620AS 500GB 7200 RPM 2.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s with NCQ Solid State Hybrid Drive -Bare Drive
Can someone please chime in on which is best in these 3 categories: (In order of importance)
1. Speed
2. Noise
3. Temp
Thanks in advance!
Message was edited by: FrancisHwang

I personally do not know much about the Seagate drive but when I researched the product, it did not have as good reviews as WD.
Hitachi 500gb 7200rpm drive that comes with MacBookPro has failed in my 3 month old i7 15" MacBookPro and to top it off Apple couldn't replace it in timely fashion. No store or Certified Service Repair shop had it in stock in a Tri-State Area (NYC). Took them 3 days to get a replacement drive in stock! This is a business machine and I could not afford being down for that long. Apple store and Apple Support on the phone both quoted me up to 7 business days to get the replacement hard drive in stock! I couldn't wait that long so I went out and bought the WD Scorpio Black 500gb 7200rpm from a local retail store.
Only reason why I went with WD is because the 320gb version had over 1000 reviews with 5 stars over all rating.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136280&cmre=wd_scorpio_black-_-22-136-280--Product
After installing the new drive I was back up and running in about an 2.5-3 hours time (over 150gb to restore). So far it works great! No complains here! If anything I would say it is quieter than Hitachi drive with less vibration. Regarding data throughput, I have not tested this yet.
I have owned various brands of hard drives in the past. Seagate, WD, Maxtor, IBM, Samsung, Hitachi, Toshiba, etc... had them all. Had most of them fail on me in one way or another, which in some cases warranted a replacement. Lately I have had great luck with WD and I feel that their quality control has definitely improved. Seagate used to be my first choice but I am hearing they are slowly starting to go down hill. I personally would go for WD followed by Seagate. Never Hitachi! Every drive I ever owned by them has failed without giving any warning. I feel that the quality is just not there, kind of how Maxtor drives were back in a day.
I am waiting for the price to drop more and then will splurge on a SSD. 2 choices I found, and was recommended, are OWC ( http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/internalstorage/Mercury_Extreme_SSD_Sandforce/Solid_StatePro ) and Cruical ( http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148349 )
Hope this helps in some way shape or form!

Similar Messages

  • What is the best carrying sleeve/case for the Macbook Pro 15"

    I just bought a Macbook Pro, an upgrade from my iBook G4, and need to get a sleeve. I definitely want something that has hard edges that will fit in my messenger bag, as I ride the bus and my bag sits on the floor of the bus when it is full. What are peoples recommendations? I was looking at the Booq Viper M2, but would welcome suggestions.
    Thanks,
    Ian

    Speck makes a great SeeThru hard shell cover.
    I picked up two on eBay real reasonable.
    -Bmer
    Mac Owners Support Group
    Join Us @ MacOSG.com
    YouTube.MacOSG.com
    iTunes: MacOSG Podcast
     An Apple User Group 
    Note: I receive no compensation for product endorsements.

  • What's he best portable hard drive for the Mac Pro?

    What's the best portable hard drive for the MacBook Pro?

    There is no best.
    Look at OWC for some options.  http://www.macsales.com/
    I am biased against the ubiquitous  low price Western Digital.
    I had good luck with DiskGo Edge in the past.

  • HT4110 What is the best battery setting for the MacBook Pro 13 Retina display?

    I want to know the best setting for the battery for the MacBook Pro 13 Retina display.

    To add just a little
    Keep it plugged in when near a socket so you keep the charging cycles down on your LiPo (lithium polymer) cells / battery, but not plugged in all the time. When not being used for several hours, turn it off.
    And best "tip" is if its near a socket,...plug it in as long as you can (especially at home) since cycle count on the battery are the "miles that wear out the tires (battery)", however again, not plugged in all or most of the time.
    http://www.apple.com/batteries/notebooks.html
    "Apple does not recommend leaving your portable plugged in all the time."
    General rule to remember of Lithium batteries is:
    Never drain them LOW  & dont always/often store them HIGH
    While cycle count is commonly seen to be the “miles” on your Lithium Ion pack cell in your Macbook, which they are, this distinction is not a fine line at all, and it is a big misconception to “count charge cycles”
    *A person who has, for example, 300 charge cycles on their battery and is recharging at say 50-60% remaining of a 100% charge has better battery usage and care than another person who has 300 charge cycles at say 15% remaining on a 100% charge. 
    DoD (depth of discharge) is far more important on the wear and tear on your Macbook battery than any mere charge cycle count.  *There is no set “mile” or wear from a charge cycle in general OR in specific.    As such, contrary to popular conception, counting cycles is not conclusive whatsoever, rather the amount of deep DoD on an averaged scale of its use and charging conditions.
                              (as a very rough analogy would be 20,000 hard miles put on a car vs. 80,000 good miles being something similar)
    *Contrary to some myths out there, there is protection circuitry in your Macbook and therefore you cannot overcharge it when plugged in and already fully charged
    *However if you don’t plan on using it for a few hours, turn it OFF (plugged in or otherwise) ..*You don’t want your Macbook both always plugged in AND in sleep mode       (When portable devices are charging and in the on or sleep position, the current that is drawn through the device is called the parasitic load and will alter the dynamics of charge cycle. Battery manufacturers advise against parasitic loading because it induces mini-cycles.)
    Keeping batteries connected to a charger ensures that periodic "top-ups" do very minor but continuous damage to individual cells, hence Apples recommendation above:   “Apple does not recommend leaving your portable plugged in all the time”, …this is because “Li-ion degrades fastest at high state-of-charge”.
                        This is also the same reason new Apple notebooks are packaged with 50% charges and not 100%.
    LiPo (lithium polymer, same as in your Macbook) batteries do not need conditioning. However...
    A lot of battery experts call the use of Lithium cells the "80% Rule" ...meaning use 80% of the charge or so, then recharge them for longer overall life.
    Never let your Macbook go into shutdown and safe mode from loss of power, you can corrupt files that way, and the batteries do not like it.
    The only quantified abuse seen to Lithium cells are instances when often the cells are repeatedly drained very low…. key word being "often"
    Contrary to what some might say, Lithium batteries have an "ideal" break in period. First ten cycles or so, don't discharge down past 40% of the battery's capacity. Same way you don’t take a new car out and speed and rev the engine hard first 100 or so miles.
    Proper treatment is still important. Just because LiPo batteries don’t need conditioning in general, does NOT mean they dont have an ideal use / recharge environment. Anything can be abused even if it doesn’t need conditioning.
    From Apple on batteries:
    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1446
    http://www.apple.com/batteries/
    Storing your MacBook
    If you are going to store your MacBook away for an extended period of time, keep it in a cool location (room temperature roughly 22° C or about 72° F). Make certain you have at least a 50% charge on the internal battery of your Macbook if you plan on storing it away for a few months; recharge your battery to 50% or so every six months roughly if being stored away. If you live in a humid environment, keep your Macbook stored in its zippered case to prevent infiltration of humidity on the internals of your Macbook which could lead to corrosion.
    Considerations:
    Your battery is subject to chemical aging even if not in use. A Lithium battery is aging as soon as its made, regardless.
    In a perfect (although impractical) situation, your lithium battery is best idealized swinging back and forth between 20 and 85% SOC (state of charge) roughly.
    Further still how you discharge the battery is far more important than how it is either charged or stored short term, and more important long term that cycle counts.
    Ultimately counting charge cycles is of little importance.  Abuse in discharging (foremost), charging, and storing the battery and how it affects battery chemistry is important and not the ‘odometer’ reading, or cycle counts on the battery. 
    Everything boils down to battery chemistry long term, and not an arbitrary number, or cycle count.
    Keep your macbook plugged in when near a socket since in the near end of long-term life, this is beneficial to the battery.
    Peace

  • What is the best usb turntable for the MacBook Pro?

    What is the best usb turntable for the MacBook Pro? I need to back up my vinyl records that are rare.

    Google, "best usb turntable for mac" and you do the research and read the reviews.

  • What is the best hard drive upgrade for my MacBook Pro

    I have a 320GB 13" MacBook Pro 2.3 GHZ i5 with 8GB ram; 2011 Model.  I want to upgrade my hard drive to a 750GB or 1TB.  Does anyone have a suggestion on where to buy and or which model I should get.

    Try http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/internal_storage/hard_drives_and_SSD
    Allan

  • How will an external Hard drive designed for the macbook Pro work with my White Macbook?  My  white macbook has a Firewire 400 and the G-Tech HD has a 800 to 400 compatible cable for the firewire.

    I am asking this because I want the G-Tech Hard drive  says that it is designed for the macbook pro.  Yet, I want to back up faster with by using my firewire 400 which is not an option on the one designed for the white macbook that does not have a firewire (only a USB port.)  The G-Tech Hard drive comes with the 800 to 400 compatible cable and has 5400 RPM with 750 GB.  Also, I've heard that laptops with low battery (mine all the time)  won't have the power for a bus powered Hard drive (as in no ac plug in adaptor.)  Can I just plug in my laptop?  Any one know the answers from experience with this hard drive?

    As far as I know, if a harddrive works with a Macpro, it should work with the Macbook: if your Macbook is low on power, plug in the AC adapter
    If your Macbook has a firewire port, then it should be fine. BUt i would do somemore research first.

  • HT3986 I got a macbook pro Retina and I installed a windows 7. The problem is I can't find drivers for the Macbook pro retina hardware which work for windows 7

    I got a macbook pro retina and I installed windows 7. How can I get the windows 7 drivers for the Macbook Pro Retina?

    Read the Boot Camp Instructions, you have to download the drivers using Boot Camp Assistant
    If you missed that I suggest that you read the instructions again.

  • Can I use my iMac (20" G5) as a display for the MacBook Pro 13"?

    Can I connect an iMac(20" G5) as a display for the MacBook Pro 13"? If yes, what adapters I need? Does it need modification or software for the iMac?

    You need to use ScreenRecycler or a VNC client.
    (49933)

  • Please update the specs for the MacBook Pro - 8GB RAM Max

    Hello,
    Someone needs to upgrade the specifications for the MacBook Pro now that 4GB laptop SoDIMMs are shipping and compatible with the MacBook Pro.
    See my blogpost on the subject at http://blogs.technet.com/keithcombs/archive/2008/07/05/testing-my-apple-macbook- pro-with-8gb-of-ram.aspx.
    Thanks,
    Keith Combs
    Microsoft

    Hello again,
    Regarding having them update the specs, one can dream. Dreams are free. LOL. Hopefully the memory makers will update their specs as more makers start supporting a large memory configuration.
    The 4GB sticks I am using are http://shop.kingston.com/partsinfo.asp?ktcpartno=KTL-TP667/4G
    I did not do an extended test of the sticks in my MBP. Their home is in the ThinkPad I have because it is running Windows Server 2008 with Hyper-V.
    As you can see from the link above, these little suckers are pricey. But consider the price of 2GB SoDIMMs were $950 when they entered the market a couple of years ago. The price will drop.
    I asked the Kingston rep that sent these to me if online sites like newegg.com would have them soon. She indicated no, but the corporate buying sites like CDW and Zone would. So check around. They just started shipped a couple of weeks ago so be patient.
    If you have any other questions, please stop by http://blogs.technet.com/keithcombs/archive/2008/07/05/testing-my-apple-macbook- pro-with-8gb-of-ram.aspx and ask there. I'll see them much more quickly.
    Cheers,
    Keith Combs
    Microsoft

  • Where is the User Guide for the MacBook Pro 13-Inch 2012?

    Hi there,
    Trawling the Apple Support Manual pages (http://support.apple.com/manuals), I couldn't seem to find the correct User Guide.. even searching with my Serial Number.
    I am looking for the MacBook Pro 13-inch (2012 10.8.2 Mountain Lion) User's Guide.
    Searching with my Serial Number, the results are:
    MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid 2012) - Quick Start Guide
    MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid 2012) - Important Product Information Guide
    Searchng manually, all i can find are:
    MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid 2010) - User Guide
    MacBook (13-inch) - User Guide... which is the OS X v10.4 Tiger version
    Is there not a "MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid 2012) - User Guide" ????
    Thanks,
    Chris

    I have already worked out that there's no full User's Guide.
    Why would a new mac User, like myself, want a Quick Start Guide (which came in the box), and then not want access to an actual full User Guide.
    I have been using the other PDF's for general guidance, but I shouldn't have to make do with other guides.
    Apple.... Is it too much to ask that my £1250 purchase comes with the proper documentation ?!

  • Is it bad for the MacBook Pro to play World of Warcraft?

    Is it bad for the MacBook Pro to play World of Warcraft?

    There will just be a little more wear and tear than "normal" use, because the heat goes way up and the fans max out while playing, as with most gaming. I guess that affects the overall lifespan of the laptop.
    I played all the time on my MBP early 2008, and still play on my 2011 MBP. The '08's fans had to be replaced but still works fine.

  • Does anyone know the difference between the Applecare Warranty for the Macbook Pro and the Applecare Protection Plan Auto Enroll 607-8192-B APP FOR MacBook

    Does anyone know the difference between the Applecare Warranty for the Macbook Pro and the Applecare Protection Plan Auto Enroll 607-8192-B APP FOR MacBook

    AFAIK, the difference is that the auto-enroll occurs automatically when you purchase the device and you will have to disburse the cost right there and then. Whereas the other comes in a box, can be purchased separately later and you must manually enroll your device into the system to activate the additional protection. This must occur before the base one year warranty is over.
    So, if you don't want to pay up at the moment you buy the computer, you can wait up to say 11 months and buy the AppleCare warranty extension later. Just be sure to complete the enrollment BEFORE the base warranty is over, else Apple will not honor the extension (all in the fine print). This applies to all devices that offer an AppleCare option: notebooks, desktops, iStuff, etc.

  • Has Apple pulled the SMC update for the Macbook Pro Retina from the App Store

    Does anyone know if Apple pulled the SMC update for the Macbook Pro Retina? I can no longer see it as an update in the app store. I am refering to the update that enables power nap on the Macbook Pro Retina.

    It showed up in my ML App Store.
    What is your SMC version?
    Mine is
    SMC Version (system):          2.3f28
    and I don't have the update installed.
    Message was edited by: psedog

  • My Macbook Pro 2014 ran out of battery while mid-slideshow. Now the slideshow won't skip through photos and I can't figure out why? Macbook Pro 2014 13-inch Intel i5 8GB RAM 128GB flash, iPhoto library is on external HDD

    Macbook Pro 2014
    13-inch
    Intel i5
    8GB RAM
    128GB flash SSD,
    Integrated Graphics
    iPhoto library is on external HDD
    I was in a slideshow, with around 1,911 photos in it. About halfway through, my Macbook ran out of battery. Now when I restarted and charged the Macbook and reopened iPhoto, the slideshow won't advance through photos, and I can't figure out any reason why it would do this.
    I thought it may be corrupted, so I deleted and reinstalled iPhoto library, iPhoto itself, and disconnected and reconnected my external HDD.
    This didn't work, the photos still won't advance.
    I don't know any reason why this would be happening, and there is ample space on my internal drive.
    I'm happy to provide more information if needed!
    Many Thanks,
    James

    Make a few tests, James, to narrow down the problem and find out, if the slideshow is corrupted, your iPhoto Library, or settings in your account.
    To test, if only your slideshow has a problem, create a new slideshow, just for testing. Just use "File > New Slideshow" and add a few photos. Does this slideshow play correctly?
    If the test slideshow does not play either, create a new iPhoto Library. Use the File menu in iPhoto: File > Switch to library > Create New. Import a few photos and create a slideshow.  Does it play?
    If even a new library does not solve the problem, test in a different user account (see this document:  Isolating an issue by using another user account - Apple Support):   
    This process involves creating a new user account, logging in to it, and testing for the issue.
    Create a new standard or admin user account in Users & Groups preferences.
    Use these instructions for OS X Mavericks.
    See these instructions for OS X Mountain Lion.
    See this video, or these instructions for OS X Lion.
    Optional: If you have any specific files you wish to test with, copy (don't move) those items to the /Users/Shared folder in the Finder.
    Log out of your current user account by choosing Log Out from the Apple () menu.
    Log in with the new account you created.
    Attempt to reproduce the issue you were seeing in your regular user account.
    After you have completed testing, log out of the test account by choosing Log Out from the Apple () menu.
    Log in as your regular account.
    After you have completed all testing with the test user account, you may want to delete it. You can delete an account in the Users & Groups pane of System Preferences.
    Note: Prior to deleting a test account, make sure you are completely done with it. If you have files in the Guest User you wish to keep, you should copy them to the /Users/Shared folder .
    If you should find, that slideshows only play in a new user account, post back.

Maybe you are looking for

  • SharePoint List Filter to narrow a folder structure

    Hello, The company I work for has a document library containing folders for each of their hundreds of clients.  The current process now is to load all of the folders in alphabetical order in order so that the users can scroll through and find the cor

  • "File download - security warning" when running a report

    Hi all, Few of our users are having an error on their PCs when trying to run a report in Internet Explorer 8 with Adobe Reader 10.1.3 installed on their PCs. The error is: "File Download - Security Warning" Do you want to save this file, or find a pr

  • Stored Procedue that returns dataset

    How to create a stored procedure that returns a dataset ?

  • I can't get my facetime to work.

    My facetime has not been working on my mac book pro.  It comes up and says the server encountered an error processsing regitration. please try again later. I have shut my computer off & force quit facetime and neither have worked.

  • SOLAR01

    Hi , I want to disable the INSERT LINE(ICON) and DELETE ROW(ICON) in SOLAR01 in tab Structure, Kindly help me out in solving this... Regards Arun