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MacBook (Late 2008) with a 7200rpm HD

Hello,

I read on several forums that it is possible to install a 7200rpm hard drive on the latest MacBook (late 2008). Because Im getting this laptop myself I had some question regarding this issue:

1) How come this option is not available on the official mac website?
2) If it is possible, will there be any side effects? Such as unusual vibrations, noise, battery reduction?
3) What are the best (price is not an issue) hard drives that I can put in a macbook? I was thinking about a WD Scorpio Black.

If all this is possible, and I change the hard drive, how do I install Mac OS X on it?

Thanks in advance.

MiniDevo

I've actually installed this in my own Macbook. The only thing you'll need to make sure is that the drive will fit, as some of the 7200 rpm drives are a little too big. I have to admit, the battery life has gone down considerably, but that doesn't bother me much as I'm usually tethered to a wall socket anyway. And vibration will depend on the drive you get, but yes, you're looking at more case noise and vibration than you're used to.

The reason they're not available through Apple's website is due to the above reasons. The battery drain is pretty sever, depending on the manufacturer, and case noise is another factor.

ldjalal

ASKER

Thanks for the info. Eventhough this probably sounds much better on paper then it actually performs, the drive that I mentioned above states the following: "With technologies like IntelliSeek", which calculates optimum seek speeds to lower power consumption and SecurePark", which reduces power by parking the heads during low power idle mode, this drive delivers 5400 RPM-equivalent power consumption in a 7200 RPM drive".

And back to my question, what are the best drives out there? Can the battery consumption and vibration be reduced with more expensive, higher qualiy drives?

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MiniDevo

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ldjalal

ASKER

Does anyone know if the WD Scorpio Black fits perfectly in the latest macbooks?

aleghart

Go to MacSales.com (Other World Computing). I've been buying from them since my original iMac and Bronze PowerBook.

These drives will fit your notebook:

http://eshop.macsales.com/Search/Search.cfm?Ntk=Primary&Ns=P_Price|0&Ne=5000&N=6897&Ntt=2.5+hard+drive

The Scorpio Black is 9.5mm high, and is listed here for $110.

If you want to, buy a kit, which includes an external drive enclosure for you original hard drive.

ldjalal

ASKER

When you say its 9.5 mm high, do you mean that it will fit or that it wont? If it does fit, I think thats the one im going to go for.

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aleghart

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