5400 or 7200 HDD?

[pastorjay]

I am trying to decide between a 120 gb 5400 rpm and a 100gb 7200 rpm drive. I am going to get a MBP from the refurb site (it will be my first mac), and it seems like these are the two big options at the $1999 price level for the 17" series.

Anyone had both and care to tell me if you noticed any difference?

Thanks!

 

[moss918]

I would imagine that a 7200 drive would simply eat away at more battery life for a not so noticeable speed bump. 5400 should be fast enough and I'd rather extend the battery life to be honest.

 

[pastorjay]

Thanks for the reply. From what I understand, the HDD is not a user serviceable part on the MBP. I just do not want to regret getting the 5400. I keep my laptops plugged in MOST of the time, so the battery is not to big an issue for me.

 

[moss918]

I have the 5400 in my Macbook and it is fine. Obviously we all want things to run faster but I've never been bothered by the speed of the drive. If battery life isn't an issue then just go for the 7200, you're only losing 20gig and if you're mostly plugged in at home then you can always get an external.

It's definitely a shame they're not user-serviceable, I'm upgrading to a 160 5400 soon and am very glad it's such an easy job on the Macbooks.

 

[caribiner23]

I put a larger 5400 RPM drive in my MacBook, and it works beautifully. I was more concerned with capacity than anything else.

 

[Reel1]

The battery life does not disappear with the 7200 My MacBook still gets well over 3 hrs with a full charge.

The Seagate that I installed is fast and quiet, as well I have never seen the temperature over 63c

 

[jram]

http://barefeats.com/mbcd7.html

 

[pastorjay]

http://barefeats.com/mbcd7.html

Wow! Great, just what I needed! Thanks!

 

[mac57]

GREAT info jram!! +REP!!

The *key* bit of info in there wrt to this thread was:

d) If you are concerned about battery usage (and heat generation), the 5400rpm drives had a lower wattage rating than the 7200rpm or the 4200rpm drives. Based on capacity, speed, and power usage, it's easy to see why Apple's standard drive choice for the MacBook Pro is the 5400rpm model.

So, go for the 5400 if you are worried about battery life.

 

[kgeier82]

stick with 5400. size just isnt there yet in 7200's

 

[kaidomac]

stick with 5400. size just isnt there yet in 7200's

FYI

http://www.techspot.com/news/24631-seagate-presents-new-25”-160gb-7200rpm-hdd.html

Also a 7200rpm hard drive will only decrease your battery by about 5 minutes. There is the added heat factor, however. If you don't mind your left palm being a little bit more warm, then the upgrade is definitely worth it. Keep in mind that the MBP is very hard to get back together...I upgraded my brother's 15" with a 100gb 7200rpm and it was a real pain to put back together, and I do IT work at my job all day long.

 

[kgeier82]

FYI

http://www.techspot.com/news/24631-seagate-presents-new-25”-160gb-7200rpm-hdd.html

Also a 7200rpm hard drive will only decrease your battery by about 5 minutes. There is the added heat factor, however. If you don't mind your left palm being a little bit more warm, then the upgrade is definitely worth it. Keep in mind that the MBP is very hard to get back together...I upgraded my brother's 15" with a 100gb 7200rpm and it was a real pain to put back together, and I do IT work at my job all day long.

nice find.

its about time something higher than 100

 

[Richie_Gecko]

I just installed a 7200 RPM 100GB drive in my MacBook, and I love it. The battery life doesn't seem to be affected much, and the speed difference is noticeable. It does run hotter, but it's a small price to pay for an upgrade in both capacity and speed.