MBP Noisy HDD... I know I know, Just Read..

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Lately Ive noticed the HDD on my 2010' MBP 13" has become more noticeable...

It is a normal HDD noise, it sounds like the head reading/writing/searching for data... Ive just never noticed it before..

My first thought is that being that the case is aluminum it is just transferring sound throughout the unibody... but if you do a google search everyone is freaking out saying it will fail soon... And most of the stuff Ive googled is about a different noise...


just looking for some advice..

Thanks..
 

bobtomay

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15" MBP '06 2.33 C2D 4GB 10.7; 13" MBA '14 1.8 i7 8GB 10.11; 21" iMac '13 2.9 i5 8GB 10.11; 6S
Regular read/write noise - wouldn't think twice about it - some drives are just noisier than others - just because you've only now noticed it, doesn't mean it hasn't been doing it all along.

Having said that, whether the drive is quiet, noisy, or whatever else - if you don't have a backup, you're only asking for all your data to be lost.
 

bobtomay

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Yep, should be good with that.

If you start hearing the dreaded clicking noise or start experiencing the beach ball for 20-30 seconds at a shot when just clicking on a menu or something else that shouldn't take any time at all - then it's time to get yourself a new drive.
 
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I do get the beach ball a lot when using safari... :/

Maybe I should just go ahead and replace the HDD, Ive been wanting to upgrade to a 500GB anyhow, Its probably easier to install a new drive when the old on is still working...

Ill have to google how to replace a HDD, I am not sure how to do a full restore to a new drive from Time Machine.

What drives play nice with Mac? Ive always been a big fan of Seagate...
 

bobtomay

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I use a WD Black 7200 rpm and like it.

Other long timers here say the WD has a little too much vibration for them (I have not noticed it with mine) and will recommend the new Hitachi drives.

If you're only getting it while browsing the web, that's not a drive issue. I'd suggest doing a reset of Safari - after that, it could be an ad server slowing down some sites, loading flash content or any number of other things.

If you're hitting 30% free space or less, then I would say it's time to upgrade the drive size.

Head to ifixit.com for directions for your machine.
 
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Newegg has a Seagate 5400 500Gb for $54.... That's cheap for piece of mind... Apperantly from reading the reviews it comes with some cloning software.... I might add some ram too while I have the bottom cover off

:)
 
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Quick update...

I went to my local computer store (Micro Center) to get a Seagate momentus 500Gb 5400rpm HDD... They didn't have one, so instead they allowed me to buy a 650Gb Momentus LP for the same price.. :)

Installed it last night, did a fresh OSX install and restored files from Time Machine...

Everything is working great! No noises at all, I cant even tell that the new drive is spinning..

I was expecting to see a fujitsu drive when I opened my MBP up, but instead I found a Seagate...


Anyhow thanks guys for your help... :) *beer*
 
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If I ever hear my SSD making a noise, I'll be very worried.

Big or fast... That's always the question...;D
 
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Id go with western digital. Seagates have gone downhill. Their QC has gone down the tubes, and ALOT of seagate drives these days suffer serious dead sector issues, so I wouldnt get a Seagate drive. They also dont have a 5 year warranty like they used to have.
 

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Id go with western digital. Seagates have gone downhill. Their QC has gone down the tubes, and ALOT of seagate drives these days suffer serious dead sector issues, so I wouldnt get a Seagate drive. They also dont have a 5 year warranty like they used to have.

Although I have 3 which i have had for two years now, which are perfectly fine. And I mean, these drives take a battering in the back pack on a motorbike every week.

For me, Hard drive brand loyalty is something personal to the user, which they learn from experience alone. I don't like to push my opinion on people about it.
 
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Although I have 3 which i have had for two years now, which are perfectly fine. And I mean, these drives take a battering in the back pack on a motorbike every week.

For me, Hard drive brand loyalty is something personal to the user, which they learn from experience alone. I don't like to push my opinion on people about it.

They were still good 2 years ago. It was within the last year when they started going way down. I used to be all Seagate, but if I were to buy a brand new hard drive now id get myself a WD. You can get brand new Seagates that come with dead sectors on arrival, or even worse, DOA.
 
Joined
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Your Mac's Specs
2003 Powerbook G4, 768 mb's of ram 120gb hard drive, 17 inch dvd burner, or Superdrive
Although I have 3 which i have had for two years now, which are perfectly fine. And I mean, these drives take a battering in the back pack on a motorbike every week.

For me, Hard drive brand loyalty is something personal to the user, which they learn from experience alone. I don't like to push my opinion on people about it.

They were still good 2 years ago. It was within the last year when they started going way down. I used to be all Seagate, but if I were to buy a brand new hard drive now id get myself a WD. You can get brand new Seagates that come with dead sectors on arrival, or even worse, DOA. Im not trying to push you from not getting a Seagate, im merely just giving some advise, and prewarning people who may be buying a seagate hard drive.
 

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