Replacing hard drive in MacBook: what brand?

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Dear all,
I've recently run into the problem of my macbook's internal hard drive dying.
So, now I'm in the market for a new replacement hard drive. I've done a bit of searching on this forum as well as on the net in general.

Specifically, I've read about the actual how-to/step-by-step process of replacing the hard drive. Also, I've read discussions of greater capacity hard drives vs. faster speeds (5400 vs 7200). Very detailed, and fasicinating stuff for a computer tinkering noob like myself.

Now, I'd like to ask for some opinions (and shopping links) on brand specific hard drives. The consensus seems to be hitachi and/ or seagate. I've read of some people upgrading to a Western Digital.

Personally, I don't really care about capacity vs. speed debates as I intend to do frequent data backups. 200gigs is enough for me and as long as it's 5400rpm, I think it's all good. So, at this point, it's a price game for me.

So can any kind souls provide any specific opinions in terms of these 3 hard drive companies? And perhaps post some nice shopping links for me?

Please understand, I don't mean for others to do my shopping research for me. I'm just a computer noob who doesn't know what exactly to search for in google or computer shopping websites. If someone could provide specifics on hard drive (techinical stuff/ specifics) shopping search tips, I think I can do the rest.

Thanks again, everyone! I'm glad to have found this resource.

Sherm
 
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I haven't used Hitachi. But I have used seagate. I wasn't a fan of them then (90's) so I haven't really used them since. I use western digital for all of my computers when they need a new hard drive. I have never had a problem with one. And I have used them for years so it's become a habit.

Everybody has there own favorites though I am sure.

http://www.westerndigital.com/en/products/products.asp?driveid=314&language=en
 
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I upgraded my original HD to a Western Digital. Worked great for a year until I dropped my laptop and the drive died. But then WD replaced it under warranty no questions asked.
 
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I have used WD and Hitachi with no problems whatsoever. Try to stick with 7200 rpm so your hard drive isn't the bottleneck of your system.

Thought I would double check...Is your warranty up? One, they should replace the hard drive for free if its not, and two, opening up the macbook will void that warranty.
 
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Thanks!

Thanks for all the replies, everyone.

rich6490, thanks for the advice on speed. I failed to consider that. And, yes, the warranty is out.

Off the top of your heads, can any of you recall how long Western Digital's warranty is? 1 year? I think seagate's warranty is 5 years.

Okay, so let's see if I have this down.
The notebook hard drives I should be looking for should fall within these parameters for a macbook:

2.5 inch SATA notebook hard drive.
9.5mm height



Where to shop? other world computing? new egg?

Thanks,
Sherm
 
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Where are you from, Newegg for sure if your in the US, but I can't recommend them for other places, I have heard they don't do as much out of the country.
 
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here is a link to newegg's laptop hard drive page.

western digital hard drives come with a 3 year warrenty.

when i upgraded my hard drive i went with a western digital 320 gb hard drive
 

cwa107


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I would highly recommend Seagate's notebook drives. Performance and price differences between the brands are negligible, so you might as well get the one with the longest warranty - particularly in an application that has the potential to be more harsh toward the longevity of a hard drive, like a notebook.
 
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I have used WD and Hitachi with no problems whatsoever. Try to stick with 7200 rpm so your hard drive isn't the bottleneck of your system.

Thought I would double check...Is your warranty up? One, they should replace the hard drive for free if its not, and two, opening up the macbook will void that warranty.

Just thought I'd clear up a misconception - opening up the Macbook to replace a hard drive does not void the warranty. Matter of fact, the Macbook manual shows you how to do that!

If I'm wrong, I'm in trouble because I changed mine after 1 month :Smirk:

Please correct me if I'm wrong about this,

Noel
 
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No, you are totally correct. Upgrading the hard drive on a Macbook does NOT void its warranty.
 
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i'm about to upgrade myself. so there is no heat issues with the current breed of 2.5" 7200rpm drives?
because that is my only concern.
if they will run without heat issues then i will get one tomorrow....
 
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you should not see a heat issue with the 7200 rpm drive. if you monitor your stats you will notice that it will run a few degrees hotter. but that is not a problem
 
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i dont have no mac's
i only use WD on all my machines....not one has failed yet....except for the one that was dropped down the stairs while transporting it to its new home....

i would not invest in a faster drive, only more space
-chris
 
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I think I'd like to get one of those 300GB WD Velociraptor HDDs, 2.5" SATA, 10,000 RPM, but they are $300 to start with. Maybe they'll be cheaper when I'm ready for another new HDD. And I already have a 320GB on my Macbook...

If you can afford it, this would be a great addition!

Noel
 
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15.4 MacBook Pro 2.2 Ghz; 200 GB Toshiba 7k200; 2 GB stock RAM; Leopard 10.5.3
Hitachi Travelstar 7k200
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822145160&Tpk=7k200

It is soo fast.
If you don't care about absolute speed get a 5400 rpm 320 GB drive or whatever is the biggest standard 2.5 in HD is now a days. Don't get the 500 or 400GB drives, I read somewhere that they are too thick and therefore won't fit in.
Western Digital Scorpio WD3200BEVT 320GB 5400 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Notebook Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136197

I have both and they are great. The WD 320GB I have is inside a WD passport drive. WD usually put their own drives in their externals, it makes sense.
 
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Close to making a decision...

Thanks everyone again for all your help!
It's been a couple of years since I've had computer and electrical engineering friends on hand to help me with this stuff. So, learning on my own with your help has really increased my knowledge. Little stuff, but I got to start somewhere!

So I am close to making a decision, and once that happens I'll let all of you know how the installation process went.

Coach_z, why would you suggest more space over speed? Just a personal preference?
 
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Just purchased a Toshiba SATA 250GB 2.5'' @ 5400 RPM for my MacBook Pro today. It's in the repair shop being assembled and Mac-formatted. Will let you know tomorrow how it is.
 

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