Speed and memory capacity

My 2.4 GHz and 2 GB MacBook Pro, OS 10.5.2, purchased last November, is much slower with increasing photos and tunes, and I'm trying to determine how much capacity I have and how much is acceptable. I've been told I should have at least 25% capacity free -- is that true? The bottom of the Finder page tells me I have 24.71 GB available, as against 2 GB memory! Clicking on the apple and going to More Info, the Serial-ATA line under Hardware also tells me I have 24.71 GB available in my Macintosh HD, out of a capacity of 148.73 GB; but above that, my Fujitsu (under the Intel info) says I have 149.05 GB. Can anyone tell me how all this fits together, and does it affect my computer's speed or not?
Thank you!

Hello Nakoma,
I'm afraid you're confusing two different things. The computer has a hard drive - HDD (Hard Disc Drive) which is where all of your data and applications are stored - think of it like a filing cabinet. It is a good idea to keep about 10-15% of this as free space to prevent disk errors. Your hard disk is 148Gb and has 24gb free - which is fine. If you would like to free some space, get an external hard drive as extra storage - this will plug into your computer or you can buy blank DVDs which are 4Gb each and burn data to them.
Memory on the other hand generally refers to random access memory (RAM) of which you have 2Gb. This memory is not a drive but a chip or two chips and the computer uses these for short term storage whilst it processes information - a bit like a desk - the larger your desk the more things you can work on simultaneously. When the computer is started, it loads applications you are using into ram. Ram is much faster than a disk drive. The computer is very good at managing the use of ram, so when an application doesn't need to use ram any more, the computer makes the ram available to other applications. If you run short of ram, the computer will use some of your hard disk space as "temporary memory". If you close an application you can free the ram it was using.
So having more ram means you can prevent your computer using the disk drive as temporary or "Virtual memory" as it is called. You can get up to 4gb of ram (this is two chips) and they are easy to install. If you'd like to get them I would recommend buying from Crucial.com. However, if in fact your use of the computer doesn't cause the computer to run out of ram then you won't see any benefit from 4gb over 2gb.
The only way to tell is to look at ram usage over time. If you look in activity monitor (which is in the Applications/Utilities Folder - and click on the VIEW menu and DOCK ICON - change this to SHOW MEMORY USAGE. The dock icon will now show a pie chary with three colours. As long as there is some blue or some green showing you are not out of memory. Also, if you click on WINDOW/Activity Monitor at the top - and then select SYSTEM MEMORY - you can see how memory is being used. Look at the bottom where it says Page Ins and Page Outs - this is to show how much data has been written to the hard drive. As long as the ratio between the two is less than 20% or so, you are not running out of memory.
I do hope you don't mind the long explanation, but it's important to note that memory (RAM) and Storage - Hard Disk Space are two different things.
Hope that helps.
Best of luck.

Similar Messages

Detect cpu speed and memory

hi! i'm a newbie in java.
i have a web project requirement that needs to detect the client's cpu speed and memory and diplays it on the webpage. could i do this in java applet? can someone direct to the right resources on how i would be able to do this.
thank u so much!

Aside from the System.capabilities class, I don't believe you
can get
anything more without using one of the wrappers like
Director, or Zinc.
Dave -
Head Developer
http://www.blurredistinction.com
Adobe Community Expert
http://www.adobe.com/communities/experts/

Speed and memory update. . .

Ok - I have posted a few times about my concerns over speed and how Lightroom appeared to be much faster for a specific task, etc. . but how I like Aperture for the data mgmt features, etc.. .
Well, I am using Macbook (Core2 duo) and I got my memory upgrade (total 2GB) this week and what a difference it has made. Aperture runs wonderfully and I can actually use it with other programs running and there is little/no slow down. I can easily run with MS Windows via Parallel at the same time it is stable and fast.
I am very happy . . .!

Aperture's performance depends a lot on how fast it can read and write the numerous files contained in the library (or elsewhere on disk). If you can't improve your disk IO performance, or even in addition to doing that, you can help the situation by providing lots of RAM that the OS will use as buffer cache. On systems with slow disks (like laptops) this will greatly reduce the amount of real disk IO and speed up Aperture considerably.
I've got 4GB of RAM and while I've never seen Aperture using more than 1.5GB, almost all of my RAM is used as buffer cache after I've run Aperture for a while.
Cheers
Steffen.

Suggestions needed on cpu size/speed and memory req's for ilife/gar. band

as is noted, I've got an older ibook/processor, w/limited RAM. Suggestions on updates to present ibook g4 vs. purchase of new mac of same size?
What have other OS X 10.39 users found helpful to speed up/free up space. I keep getting the message that i can't play a certain track(s) because of space/speed needs. any help you can give is appreciated

Quote
Originally posted by blue_heart
the programs which going to run are mainly microsoft office programs,OE, IE, photshop.
In this case, I cant strongly enough recommend LOTS of ram; you wont need a fast hard drive if you can hold the whole high-res image in core I would also suggest you consider a trinatron monitor at 18" or so; so you can have purty 1600x1200 images (except for the dead line which trinatrons have) to play with; might make keeping cost under control difficult, but they *are* the only eyes you have got
Your point about real time virus scanning and loading large files (later) is well taken; in light of this I cant fault your choice of hard drive (although there is a 72GB version available at the same speed, not cheap tho.).
Quote
IMO, dropping $30 from the graphic card and $40 from hard disk will not save that much to get critical component or get higher one, if i do so i can add $30 to get another stick of 512 ram, but i rather keep the HD and GC, and for now the capacity is not an issue for me
Life in the US is good if such components are cheap; over here is Aus the high end graphics and disks are still BLOODY expensive whilst ram is relatively cheap.
Indeed, going from the drive and gfx card you have to a 80gb ata-4 and a more basic gfx card would save ~250 AUD; which is another stick of 512MB PC3700.
Lucky you.
Anyway, in light of your comments, I cant strongly enough recommend RAM; but your other components seem good (I tend toward HP printers down here, but that relates to print reliability at high ambient temp and ink costs); Dont forget a GOOD PSU (many discussions about such, I recommend Antec TruPower 480W).
Of course, I cant resist recommending you go linux, openoffice and GIMP (photoshop workalike); that would save you a LARGE chunk of cash to spend on better hardware (about ~$1200 bucks if you planned to buy XPpro, OfficeXP and Photoshop down here).
err!
jak.

CPU Fan Speed and Memory Questions

I"ve noticed recently that my fans sound a little different. When using aperture and sliding some of the image adjustment controls the fan will increase as I'm sliding the controls and stop when I stop.
I've been monitoring with istat pro, and my CPU fan is almost always at 0, I've seen it not at 0 a few times but very rarely.
Readings:
Power Supply: 599
Exhaust: 655
CPU Fan: 0
HD/Expansion: 499
Temperatures seem normal except northbridge has always run a little hot since I got the machine. About 180F
I did the hardware test and the message I got was:
4MOT/1/4000002:CPU_MEM
I'm assuming this means that one of my memory chips is bad but where do I go to find out what this code means? And does this mean there is no problem with my CPU fan or did the test just end when it found this error?

Good news about the RAM. Have you checked to see if the fan is gunked up with dust and dirt or some other obstruction? Could free it up or be the source of a fan failure.
A simple procedure is to reset the SMC (System Management controller). Here are Apple's instructions:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3964
The SMC has control over the fans. The reset won't do any harm but follow the instructions.

Setting up new iphone from a back up and it's trying to sync all apps, this is going over memory capacity. it's also not bring over any of the music that i had on my old phone, any help greatly appreciated. thanks

hi,
i'm setting up new iphone from a back up and it's trying to sync all apps, this is going over memory capacity. it's also not bring over any of the music that i had on my old phone, any help greatly appreciated. thanks

Geesh - all this information and no one has any clue to this? Not even someone from Apple?
Can someone at least point me in the right direction?

Processor speed and built-in memory of iPad Air and iPad Mini with Retina Display?

Does anyone know the Processor Speed and Built-in Memory Size of iPad Air and iPad Mini with Retina Display?
Header 1
Processor Speed
Built-in Memory
The New iPad (iOS7)
1 GHz
1 GB
iPad Air
iPad Mini with Retina Display
I tested them side-by-side in Apple Store today and after the same 10 apps loaded, I didn't feel significant speed gain from iPad Air and iPad Mini with Retina Display from my New iPad.
I wonder what Processing Speed and Built-in Memory do the iPad Air and the iPad Mini with Retina Display have.
Can someone who has upgraded give any feedback?

Thanks Diavonex.
Header 1
Processor Speed
Built-in Memory
The New iPad (iOS7)
1 GHz
1 GB
iPad Air^
1.4 GHz
1 GB
iPad Mini with Retina Display#
800 MHz*
1 GB
iPhone 5S
likely 1 GB
* Battery Doctor app revealed.
# Apple APL0698 SoC A7 Processor
^ Apple APL5698 A7 Processor
No wonder I don't fee much speed improvement on iPad mini with Retina Display (128 GB WiFi + Cellular).

New system drive and memory setup - please help!

Please excuse these newbie questions. I DO understand that these issues have been discussed ad nauseam in this forum. But I have spent probably ten or twelve hours exploring the various threads, and partly owing to my ignorance, partly to the specifics of my situation, partly to the disagreements between various posters, and partly to my concern that some of the clearer statements on e.g. SSD’s may have been outdated by the progression of technology, I would greatly appreciate it if I could get some recommendations for my specific situation.
I am going to purchase an HP Z820 sometime in the near future. I do NOT want to build my own machine; I have just enough technical knowledge to be dangerous, as they say, and want one-stop shopping for technical support if my machine develops problems.
While I will use this machine for a variety of applications, my main concern is to optimize it for Premiere Pro. Based on Harm Millaard’s (who to my untutored eye seems to be one of the most prolific, knowledgeable, and helpful individuals in this forum) “Guidelines for Disc Usage” of two years ago, I plan to install a 300GB SSD for my boot drive, and to construct a RAID 5 array out of the remaining drives. (The Z820 does not support RAID 3.) The array drives will be either five (5) more 300GB SSD’s, or four (4) 600GB 15,000 RPM SAS HDD’s.
Assume for the sake of argument that cost is not a factor, and that the 1.2TB storage offered by the 5 SSD drives in RAID 5 (vs. the 1.8TB offered by the 4 SAS drives) is perfectly adequate, which would you choose? And why?
I should add that I am a video hobbyist, not a professional, so the outfit will receive a lot less pounding than a professional’s machine. Thus, I don’t THINK that the theoretically more limited life span of the SSD’s should be an issue, over, say, the next 3-4 years. (Correct me if that SHOULD be a concern.)
Re memory, I am planning on 32GB of unbuffered memory, the maximum the system will support. I COULD get 64MB, but it would have to be registered RAM, which I understand slows things down. The slight improvement in reliability with registered RAM is not really a concern from my hobbyist standpoint; and I think 32GB should be adequate. I use 1080/60p footage, which of course is demanding, but don’t use a lot of special effects, or other Adobe applications for input to Premiere (aside from Photoshop, occasionally). Anyone disagree with this choice?
Finally, is there a role for a RAMdisk in this outfit, for e.g. cache files? Would this increase the speed, or decrease the using up of write cycles on the SSD’s to a degree that would be significant for practical purposes? If so, how much RAM would you dedicate to the RAMdisk?
Again, sorry if you feel these questions have been adequately addressed in pervious threads, but try as I might I simply can’t manage to put it together on my own. And thanks in advance for any help.

Pardon me for jumping in. (I realize the question is to Harm.)
I am going to purchase an HP Z820 sometime in the near future.
Congrats, this is a great system.
... I plan to install a 300GB SSD for my boot drive, and to construct a RAID 5 array out of the remaining drives.
The 300GB SSD - is that an HP model? If so please reconsider: it's an older Intel SSD X25-M series that is slow, and runs at SATA 3G speeds (not 6G), which doesn't do the Z820 justice. Intel 520 series has been tested (by yours truly among others) and can be used in the Z820.
The array drives will be either five (5) more 300GB SSD’s, or four (4) 600GB 15,000 RPM SAS HDD’s.
As Harm will probably tell you: unless you also run a database server on that system, there is no advantage to 10K, 15Krpm or even SSD drives for video purposes, with the exception of possible reliability (enterprise class 10-15K drives and SSDs are tested much more extensively than desktop and nearline drives) and throughput in case of SSDs if, for instance, your workflow demands extreme bandwidth (e.g. recording of uncompressed 4K 12-bit RGB signal).
Assume for the sake of argument that cost is not a factor, and that the 1.2TB storage offered by the 5 SSD drives in RAID 5 (vs. the 1.8TB offered by the 4 SAS drives) is perfectly adequate, which would you choose? And why?
Hypothetically, I'd choose SSDs: higher reliability, responsiveness, performance, lower power consumption. I'd do research though to ensure they'd keep up with a lot of write I/Os thrown at them.
In reality, I'd choose neither, for reasons I mentioned above. 7200rpm nearline drives have sufficient performance for the purpose, and the capacity is much higher per dollar.
I COULD get 64MB, but it would have to be registered RAM, which I understand slows things down.
Not necessarily. The 2% difference between ECC and non-ECC memory (negligible as it is) is not at play here because Z820 does not support non-ECC memory. Registered or not, it has to be ECC, and registered memory is not necessarily slower than unbuffered. Even if it was, the 2% difference is unlikely to make any perceptable dent in performance given that no editing system runs its memory at 100% bandwidth at all times. Then again, if cost is not a factor, you could always swap unbuffered for registered later on.
Finally, is there a role for a RAMdisk in this outfit, for e.g. cache files? Would this increase the speed, or decrease the using up of write cycles on the SSD’s to a degree that would be significant for practical purposes? If so, how much RAM would you dedicate to the RAMdisk?
For timelines with limited number of effects, I wouldn't bother, with the premise that Premiere Pro has decent memory management on its own, and that memory will serve better if just given to Premiere Pro.
If on the other hand you do start using AE heavily, you might want to dedicate a (portion of your) SSD to "global performance cache" which is a fantastic time-saving feature of AE CS6.
HTH.

How important is memory capacity?

just wondering how many people here who have 16GB iphones use anything close to the full memoryof the phone?
Id like to buy an iPhone on pay as you go in the UK, but I think the price is really too high.
Im hoping that when the next updates come it might be possible to pick up a cheaper outgoing 8Gb model... just a bit worried about the smaller memory capacity.
Given it now has 3G.... (not quite sure how truthful it is to say its got "broadband speeds") but how true is it to say the phone memory is getting more irrelevant in the sense you have access to the net, and potentially "unlimited storage"? in fact wasnt there a company that was specifically advertising online storage that you can access with the iphone?
I spose the onboard phone memory will be needed for App and itunes storage? or are there options for taking those storage requirements online and thus outside the phone, and accessing them when needed?
sorry for all the questions!

but how true is it to say the phone memory is getting more irrelevant in the sense you have access to the net, and potentially "unlimited storage"?
Not really true - the things that would take up the most space, i.e. music and videos, cannot be streamed to your iPhone (with the exception of many YouTube videos).
I spose the onboard phone memory will be needed for App and itunes storage?
Yes.
or are there options for taking those storage requirements online and thus outside the phone, and accessing them when needed?
No.
Basically, since you cannot add memory to the iPhone, if you think you might want more storage capacity, get it now.
Personally, I have ~1000 songs, 350 pics, ~35 apps and I still have ~9.5 GB available. Videos take up the most space - a full length movie will run about 1 GB, a 30 minute TV episode (really, 22 minutes of footage) will run ~250 MB.

P45 Neo2 and Memory

Before you all start flaming me, I know that my memory is not "true" 1066 memory. What I want to find out is if there is a way to make it work at that speed stable. Anywho, here's the situation.
I've got a P45 Neo2 motherboard that won't accept 4x2GB memory chips from Patriot. They're 1066MHz 5-5-5-15 chips (2.1v) and I've tested them all individually and they work like a dream.
The problem lies when I plug all 4 of them in. Unfortunately, plugging in all 4 causes the board to "boot loop" when the enhancer is on. I've tried with the memory enhancer setting off, and it will get past POST, but then bluescreens (read: fun) on boot attempt. (Note: For this I've been manually setting the timings to 5-5-5-15 and the voltage to 2.1v.) I'm not sure what I should be setting the memory sub voltages to. I've set them to 0.995v as read in another post (as well as turning off enhancer) and as I said, it POST's, but no boot. I'd really like to use all the memory I purchased and didn't realize that this would be an issue when I purchased them. I can still take them back, I've got another week on the return policy.
I can plug in two, set them to the proper voltage and speeds, and they run great. I had 4gb of memory before the upgrade to the new P45, but with all the work I do concurrently on the computer, I'd still run out of memory quite quickly, and I thought it'd be an easy upgrade. Guess not.
The motherboard does recognize them as 800MHz chips, but after a reboot it switches them automatically to (proper?) speed of 1066.
I have plugged in one module to all four ports, and I've tried each memory module individually, so I'm pretty sure it's not the motherboard or the memory (directly) causing the problem. I am using bios revision 3.30 (updated from 3.10,) which is the newest offered by the MSI updater service. The newest out is 3.40, but unfortunately I don't have access to a floppy drive at the moment and it's not on the auto-update listing yet. (I've emailed MSI about that just today so hopefully I can get my BIOS update obsession fixed.)
So, should I just return these and buy true 1066 memory and save myself the hassle, or is there a way I can get this system stable with what I've got?
Thanks in advance,
Cc2iscooL

Quote
I'm not sure what I should be setting the memory sub voltages to. I've set them to 0.995v
Try again with 0.955V for both values (with DRAM Voltage @2.1V) and Spread Spectrum Disabled as well.
Can you get all four sticks to stably work @DDR2-800 @1.95V?
Please note, that the Intel P45 Chipset does not officially support DDR2-1066 (according to Intel Specifications it supports DDR2-667 and DDR2-800 only). That and the fact that you are not using "real" DDR2-1066 memory modules, but DDR2-800 sticks that have to be overclocked and overvolted to have a chance to work stable, decreases your chances that your memory overclock will yield a stable system when all four slots are populated. Your chances would be a lot better when you were using 2x2GB sticks.

Upgrade chip and memory

Can I upgrade the chip and memory? if so what can I use. The system is a little too slow. Yes I have all the software to speed it up. Thanks
HP 2000 Notebook PC Windows 8.1 64-bit [Edited for Personal Information] AMD E-300 APU with Radeon(tm) HD Graphics microprocessor 4GB SODIMM Kinston 800MHz memory 188B KBC Version 69.18 system board F.37 system bios HGST HTS545032A7E380 SATA Disk Device Product number: E0M17UA#ABA AMD E-300 APU with Radeon(tm) HD Graphics

Here is the Service Manual:
http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c03763129.pdf
Go through Page 16-17. Each different processor is soldered to the board, so you've to replace the whole motherboard for that, you can see that their part numbers are different according to three different boards.
I suggest RAM upgrade from 4 to 8GB by adding another 4GB in the other vacant slot, with configuration DDR3 1333MHz dual channel boost.
thanks,
++Please click KUDOS / White thumb to say thanks
++Please click ACCEPT AS SOLUTION to help others, find this solution faster
**I'm a Volunteer, I do not work for HP**

W520: How to get full speed and turbo on battery power

Here is how you get around the on battery max frequency limitation (of 1.2 GHz, at least for my i7-2620M) and no turbo (well, almost, read on):
0. Assuming you have max performance enabled everywhere possible (BIOS/PowerManager/Windows Power Scheme)
1. Load ThrottleStop.
2. Set the multiplier manually to your maximum multiplier (e.g., 27x for i7-2620M, 23x for i7-2820QM, etc...) or Turbo (which is the setting after your max multiplier).
3a. Enable ThrottleStop
3b. (optional) Check in CPU-Z and make sure that your highest multiplier is being used when the CPU is utilized. If you selected Turbo, you should have turbo enabled at this point.
4. Disable ThrottleStop
5. Exit ThrottleStop, so that it doesn't waste any battery power, since it is no longer needed
This will change the max frequency (and max multiplier) available from whatever Lenovo decided to arbitrarily fix it at (e.g., 1.2GHz) to the correct max frequency (which in my case is 2.7 GHz / 3.2 GHz for turbo). Now your laptop will be able to correctly go from 800MHz to whatever is the max frequency of your CPU, using both EIST and C1E. Turbo will also kick in, if you enabled it in ThrottleStop and the Lenovo PowerManager app will even show it as enabled.
Thanks Unclewebb for letting us get around this stupid max CPU frequency limitation that Lenovo has imposed on us.
Disclaimer:
Do this at your own risk, since Lenovo does not officially support it.
Turn on active cooling, if you do CPU intensive stuff for any prolonged period of time. This will take away some on battery time, but if battery time is of ultimate concern to you, then this change is probably not for you to begin with.
If you go through prolonged periods of CPU intensive activity, you will lower your battery life and produce a lot of battery heat, because you will have a relatively high discharge rate. A high discharge rate reduces both the number of charge cycles and the maximum charge capacity of a Li-Ion battery. I don't know how safe all of this is, so do this at your own risk and probably monitor temperatures along the way. Other laptops can do Turbo and full speed on battery power (e.g., the slim 3 lb Sony Z, with the i7-2620M), but then other laptops have different designs and cooling systems, so who knows how the Lenovo W520 hardware will react to this.

Hi,
I have the opposite problem - my i7-2720QM is fixed at 2.2GHz no matter how hard I spank 1, 2 or all cores, and no matter what System Performance settings I apply. It even runs at this speed, and gives the same bench marks when on battery with the "system performance" set to Low.
No one even knows what the various System Performance settings actuall mean. E.g. Neither Lenvo support nor these forums could tell me what the difference between "Maximum Turbo","Turbo" or even "Low" under "System Performance" in the Lenovo power manager Advanced settings.
I have been trying go get turbo boost to work for 2 months. I have wasted so much time with this machine, I could have bought 2 Macbook pros for the cost of the time lost.
I dont know why Lenovo have disabled the turbo boost (and the opposite, turbo drop?) feature for this CPU - is it deliberate, or incompetence? Its certainly false marketing and extremely annoying that I have to use my ancient PC to do single threaded type work which I know the Laptop can manage if it were not crippled.
So people whos clock speed drops when on battery are the lucky ones. Mone doesnt even if I want it to.

Hard Drive and memory upgrade on macbook pro (13" mid 2009)

I want to upgrade my current hard drive and memory (currently 250gb and 4 gb) but i'm having trouble to find out which one is going to fit.
I considered buying this ones
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Western+Digital+-+Scorpio+Blue+1TB+Internal+Serial+A TA+Hard+Drive+for+Laptops/9960668.p?skuId=9960668&productCategoryId=pcmcat189600 050008&id=1218253425468
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Kingston+Technology+-+4GB+PC3-8500+DDR3+SoDIMM+Lapto p+Memory/2129381.p?skuId=2129381&productCategoryId=abcat0506002&id=1218404812331
Any ideas?

OWC is a reputable supplier of hard drives and RAM upgrades to the Mac community.
Go to their site, lookup your model MacBook Pro and see what upgrades are available.
The 1tb WD Scorpio Blue is a 5400rpm drive and slower than the crop of 7200rpm drives.
Do you need space over speed?

Hard drive on HP notebook PC failed. After replacement, can I upgrade OS and memory?

I have an HP Pavilion Entertainment Notebook PC, Model dv9617nr (HP pn GS730UA). An error message on boot-up says "Operating System not found" so my Windows Vista Ultimate 32-bit (upgraded two years ago) will not load. I am assuming this means that my hard drive has failed. How can I verify this assumption? Again, assume I am correct, and I order the recommended replacement (HP pn 590736-001) from SpareParts Warehouse ($142.50 plus shipping). Are there instructions on the internet for doing this replacement? After I do this replacement, I thought I could install Windows 7 I already have and upgrade the memory to 4GB SODIMM from the 1GB SODIMM that was originally used. What problems would I have with Hardware Compatibility using Windows 7? If the memory module I use has the same specs as the HP recommended replacement (HP pn 598861-001), i.e. 800MHz, 200 pin, PC2-6400, SDRAM, but a larger 4GB memory capacity, would I have any compatibility problems using it? Please advise me on these issues. Thanks, Jeff
This question was solved.
View Solution.

Hi, Jeff:
Let me break down your question...
First, to confirm your HDD died, go into your BIOS menu. There should be a hard drive and memory diagnostics utility. Run the HDD diagnostics utility and see what it reports. More than likely the HDD has crashed and is no longer usable.
You can order a replacement drive or you can get any SATA II hard drive --either 5400 RPM or 7200 RPM.
You could go to 250 to 500 GB if you choose. Unfortunately right now, HDD prices are unreasonably high due to the flooding in Thailand where many HDD manufacturing plants are located. Some were damaged heavily, causing HDD prices to triple almost overnight.
This is a drive you can get that I think is better than what you have now: This one is 7,200 RPM. Faster but uses more battery power.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136279
You can get the 5400 rpm version too...similar. Not as good as the caviar black. This is more along the line of what you would get from HP.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136387
Read the reviews on both or you are free to get the one from HP.
There are instructions to install the hard drive and memory on your notebook's support and driver page. Click on Manuals on the right side of the page.
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c01278446&tmp_task=prodinfoCategory&cc=us&dlc=en...
Then you want to look at the maintenance and service guide.
You can upgrade the memory to a maximum of 4 GB using 2 x 2GB of PC2-6400 memory. You can get it from HP or you can get it at the link below. This is the memory I use. As a matter of fact I just ordered this very same memory to install in my sister-in-law's dv6700.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148159
Now, you can install W7 just fine. I installed W7 Home Premium 64 bit on my dv6810us that has pretty much the same hardware as yours and 4 GB of memory (the same as I posted above).
Here is the catch though. It depends on what version of W7 you have. If you have a W7 upgrade version, you must install a qualifying operating system on the hard drive before you can upgrade it.
If you have a full version of Windows 7, then you can install it on a blank hard drive.
If you have the upgrade version, contact HP support and order a set of Vista recovery disks. Install Vista and then uprade to W7 if you have the upgrade version of W7.
You can use the vista drivers from your notebook's support page for any drivers you need that W7 didn't supply.
One thing...DO NOT flash (update) the BIOS when running Windows 7. You can only flash it using windows vista.
Hope this helps. If you have any other questions, please let us know.
Paul

I have reached full memory capacity on my 500GB Time Capsule. I am considering purchasing a 2TB Time Capsule. Do I need to resave all existing data on the new hard drive or can I start afresh? Or can I link both time capsules to operate independantly?

Hi,
I have reached full memory capacity on my 500GB Time Capsule. I am considering purchasing a 2TB Time Capsule.
a) Do I need to resave all existing data on the new hard drive or can I start afresh?
b) Or can I link both time capsules to operate independantly?
Thanks,
Paul

You may not need to buy a new Time Capsule.
You can connect a USB drive to the Time Capsule, and use it in addition to the TC's internal HD. You may need a powered USB hub as well.
Exactly what is on your TC? If it's only Time Machine backups, you may not need to do anything -- Time Machine will delete the oldest backup(s) automatically when it needs room for new ones. But if you have more than about 250 GB on your internal HD, that 500 GB may not be large enough to keep backups long enough.
If you have other data on the TC's internal HD, besides your backups, you could back up to the external HD and use the internal for the other data, or vice-versa. But TM backups cannot "span" two drives, and you shouldn't mix backups and other data on the TC's internal HD.

Speed and memory capacity

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