Comments on: MacBook Pro and the Seagate Momentus 500GB 7200RPM Drive http://jasontomczak.com/2009/06/07/macbook-pro-and-the-seagate-momentus-500gb-7200rpm-drive/ Technology, Photography, Miscellanea Mon, 23 Apr 2012 04:07:13 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Diana http://jasontomczak.com/2009/06/07/macbook-pro-and-the-seagate-momentus-500gb-7200rpm-drive/comment-page-1/#comment-36772 Diana Thu, 15 Dec 2011 02:31:00 +0000 http://jasontomczak.com/?p=152#comment-36772 Funny, I was about to buy myself one, and then I saw my Unibody Macbook Pro (late 2008) came with one. (Back then I opted for the "faster" Drive. However, the largest one back in the day was 320 GB. So this means, I already got the fast stuff inside, so I would not notice any difference. Gotta wait for the next generation until next summer with no upgrade. :( Funny, I was about to buy myself one, and then I saw my Unibody Macbook Pro (late 2008) came with one. (Back then I opted for the “faster” Drive. However, the largest one back in the day was 320 GB. So this means, I already got the fast stuff inside, so I would not notice any difference. Gotta wait for the next generation until next summer with no upgrade. :(

]]> By: Anton http://jasontomczak.com/2009/06/07/macbook-pro-and-the-seagate-momentus-500gb-7200rpm-drive/comment-page-1/#comment-30247 Anton Fri, 18 Nov 2011 16:11:10 +0000 http://jasontomczak.com/?p=152#comment-30247 *** Thanks, I know about the dirt on fan and when I was installing 750GB I cleaned it %) You see, this thing is 2 years old now and when my friend opened it to install SSD in Data Doubler by the time I grabbed some cleaning kit, he has already closed it %) Next time I did that myself and cleaned the dirt. BTW, also got 2x4GB RAM in the same order with HDD which costed only $50 and have this machine really strong now and fun to work on: SSD, 8GB RAM, 1TB total capacity. Finally CPU became a bottleneck :-D *** Thanks, I know about the dirt on fan and when I was installing 750GB I cleaned it %) You see, this thing is 2 years old now and when my friend opened it to install SSD in Data Doubler by the time I grabbed some cleaning kit, he has already closed it %) Next time I did that myself and cleaned the dirt.

BTW, also got 2x4GB RAM in the same order with HDD which costed only $50 and have this machine really strong now and fun to work on: SSD, 8GB RAM, 1TB total capacity. Finally CPU became a bottleneck :-D

]]> By: Anton http://jasontomczak.com/2009/06/07/macbook-pro-and-the-seagate-momentus-500gb-7200rpm-drive/comment-page-1/#comment-30245 Anton Fri, 18 Nov 2011 16:03:35 +0000 http://jasontomczak.com/?p=152#comment-30245 True, JasonTomczak so I did update that secondary 250@5400 to 750@7200 last month because of a) additional 250GB and b) could not find if they've sold standby mode issues in MacBooks. And well I can't say I noticed any performance growth in anything. I remember how much fun I had playing with my MBP just after moving to SSD but nothing even close that exciting after installing 750@7200. Just more space. That's it. period. True, JasonTomczak so I did update that secondary 250@5400 to 750@7200 last month because of a) additional 250GB and b) could not find if they’ve sold standby mode issues in MacBooks.

And well I can’t say I noticed any performance growth in anything.
I remember how much fun I had playing with my MBP just after moving to SSD but nothing even close that exciting after installing 750@7200. Just more space. That’s it. period.

]]> By: marshy http://jasontomczak.com/2009/06/07/macbook-pro-and-the-seagate-momentus-500gb-7200rpm-drive/comment-page-1/#comment-27105 marshy Thu, 27 Oct 2011 04:09:34 +0000 http://jasontomczak.com/?p=152#comment-27105 attempted a seagate momentus 7200 750 GB install to a late 2009 white mb. total fail - it would copy and install via usb but failed to boot or properly communicate inside the machine. : ( hope to share the wisdom to avoid the pain! attempted a seagate momentus 7200 750 GB install to a late 2009 white mb. total fail – it would copy and install via usb but failed to boot or properly communicate inside the machine. : (

hope to share the wisdom to avoid the pain!

]]> By: JasonTomczak http://jasontomczak.com/2009/06/07/macbook-pro-and-the-seagate-momentus-500gb-7200rpm-drive/comment-page-1/#comment-22344 JasonTomczak Thu, 22 Sep 2011 16:32:26 +0000 http://jasontomczak.com/?p=152#comment-22344 Anton - nice MBP/DataDoubler surgery page. Шок! Оно запускается! =) Your 250GB SSD is primary, so 90% of the speed you need is right there. Your secondary drive should <em>absolutely be a minimum of 7200RPM</em>. For a while, I used another SSD as my secondary drive and the speeds were fantastic. <strong>** </strong> As a side note, I would recommend you open your MBP again and clean out the main fan. It looks very dirty. It's a common issue, but that dirt/dust can cause your fan to become less effective and that will lead to a hotter, slower machine with a shorter lifespan. Get some compressed air and a soft, dry toothbrush (or Q-Tip) and gently clean the fan. Blow compressed air into the entire length of the cooling vents on the back side of the laptop (under the screen) and anywhere else you see dust accumulating. That should help keep your laptop happy. =) Anton – nice MBP/DataDoubler surgery page. Шок! Оно запускается! =) Your 250GB SSD is primary, so 90% of the speed you need is right there. Your secondary drive should absolutely be a minimum of 7200RPM. For a while, I used another SSD as my secondary drive and the speeds were fantastic.

** As a side note, I would recommend you open your MBP again and clean out the main fan. It looks very dirty. It’s a common issue, but that dirt/dust can cause your fan to become less effective and that will lead to a hotter, slower machine with a shorter lifespan. Get some compressed air and a soft, dry toothbrush (or Q-Tip) and gently clean the fan. Blow compressed air into the entire length of the cooling vents on the back side of the laptop (under the screen) and anywhere else you see dust accumulating. That should help keep your laptop happy. =)

]]> By: JasonTomczak http://jasontomczak.com/2009/06/07/macbook-pro-and-the-seagate-momentus-500gb-7200rpm-drive/comment-page-1/#comment-22343 JasonTomczak Thu, 22 Sep 2011 16:21:18 +0000 http://jasontomczak.com/?p=152#comment-22343 Hi Anton - I just got the Momentus XT 500GB hybrid drive for my wife's quad-core i7 MacBook Pro. It's pretty good - faster boot and some apps open & respond a little faster, but it's nothing like a Solid State Drive. The 4GB SSD portion of the Momentus XT drive does well, and may perform well as a secondary drive, but I really think you'd be better off with a 750GB or 1TB drive as your storage space. I doubt you'd notice 1/10 of a second difference in opening a photo into Photoshop. Best to have an extra 250GB or 500GB of drive space. Hi Anton – I just got the Momentus XT 500GB hybrid drive for my wife’s quad-core i7 MacBook Pro. It’s pretty good – faster boot and some apps open & respond a little faster, but it’s nothing like a Solid State Drive. The 4GB SSD portion of the Momentus XT drive does well, and may perform well as a secondary drive, but I really think you’d be better off with a 750GB or 1TB drive as your storage space. I doubt you’d notice 1/10 of a second difference in opening a photo into Photoshop. Best to have an extra 250GB or 500GB of drive space.

]]> By: Anton http://jasontomczak.com/2009/06/07/macbook-pro-and-the-seagate-momentus-500gb-7200rpm-drive/comment-page-1/#comment-22284 Anton Thu, 22 Sep 2011 03:49:23 +0000 http://jasontomczak.com/?p=152#comment-22284 Hell knows. 4GB SSD prefetching in Hybrid sounds sweet for working with recent photo session. But damn, size and reliability are on other hand. Hell knows. 4GB SSD prefetching in Hybrid sounds sweet for working with recent photo session. But damn, size and reliability are on other hand.

]]> By: Anton http://jasontomczak.com/2009/06/07/macbook-pro-and-the-seagate-momentus-500gb-7200rpm-drive/comment-page-1/#comment-22283 Anton Thu, 22 Sep 2011 03:41:48 +0000 http://jasontomczak.com/?p=152#comment-22283 Any problems with MBP and the drive? I currently have 250SSD + 250HD 5400 rpm both of which are full, so need more capacity for media storage but doubt 500GB is enough I'd rather go for 750GB. But there's no hybrid 7500. So I wonder how big is the performance gain if it's used for fast random access to media files? The only performance I need from it is a fast read of photo RAW files of 100GB+ library. BTW check how I upgraded to MBP to 2 drives: http://www.bielousov.com/2011/owc-data-doubler/ Any problems with MBP and the drive? I currently have 250SSD + 250HD 5400 rpm both of which are full, so need more capacity for media storage but doubt 500GB is enough I’d rather go for 750GB. But there’s no hybrid 7500. So I wonder how big is the performance gain if it’s used for fast random access to media files? The only performance I need from it is a fast read of photo RAW files of 100GB+ library.

BTW check how I upgraded to MBP to 2 drives: http://www.bielousov.com/2011/owc-data-doubler/

]]> By: Alain http://jasontomczak.com/2009/06/07/macbook-pro-and-the-seagate-momentus-500gb-7200rpm-drive/comment-page-1/#comment-21090 Alain Wed, 07 Sep 2011 09:54:34 +0000 http://jasontomczak.com/?p=152#comment-21090 Hello, I upgraded with this Momentus XT / 500GB on my 2010 15"MBP, it was alright to start with, Battery life decreased a bit, but not that much. But after 1 month of use (rather intensive Music Making), it started to crash very often... I mean, every day, several times a day... Did experience this kind of problem on the long run? Hello,
I upgraded with this Momentus XT / 500GB on my 2010 15″MBP, it was alright to start with, Battery life decreased a bit, but not that much.
But after 1 month of use (rather intensive Music Making), it started to crash very often… I mean, every day, several times a day…
Did experience this kind of problem on the long run?

]]> By: Siju http://jasontomczak.com/2009/06/07/macbook-pro-and-the-seagate-momentus-500gb-7200rpm-drive/comment-page-1/#comment-15477 Siju Fri, 17 Jun 2011 03:41:05 +0000 http://jasontomczak.com/?p=152#comment-15477 Dear, I would like to purchase one macbook pro 13". after going through this discussion what i understood it is better to go for 5400 rpm hard disc... but what is your opinion about SATA and ATA, which is the best drive suitable for macbook pro 13" and more over is it worthy to have 8 gb RAM in that, or better to go with 4gb RAM...? looking forward for your reply, .... thank you Dear,
I would like to purchase one macbook pro 13″.
after going through this discussion what i understood it is better to go for 5400 rpm hard disc…
but what is your opinion about SATA and ATA,
which is the best drive suitable for macbook pro 13″
and more over is it worthy to have 8 gb RAM in that,
or better to go with 4gb RAM…?

looking forward for your reply, ….

thank you

]]> By: JasonTomczak http://jasontomczak.com/2009/06/07/macbook-pro-and-the-seagate-momentus-500gb-7200rpm-drive/comment-page-1/#comment-13977 JasonTomczak Fri, 20 May 2011 01:43:26 +0000 http://jasontomczak.com/?p=152#comment-13977 Nathaniel - the Momentus 500 I was writing about is not the new hybrid. That said, you should be able to partition the hybrid drive just the same as any other HDD. The 4GB SSD component isn't actually on the 500GB drive platters, so it'll serve 2 partitions (or 10) the same way it would serve 1 partition. From what I've read, it's a fast drive and should be pretty nice to use. Good luck! Nathaniel – the Momentus 500 I was writing about is not the new hybrid. That said, you should be able to partition the hybrid drive just the same as any other HDD. The 4GB SSD component isn’t actually on the 500GB drive platters, so it’ll serve 2 partitions (or 10) the same way it would serve 1 partition. From what I’ve read, it’s a fast drive and should be pretty nice to use. Good luck!

]]> By: Nathaniel http://jasontomczak.com/2009/06/07/macbook-pro-and-the-seagate-momentus-500gb-7200rpm-drive/comment-page-1/#comment-13931 Nathaniel Thu, 19 May 2011 01:46:18 +0000 http://jasontomczak.com/?p=152#comment-13931 This article was exactly what I was looking for. Quick question though. How would this drive deal with partitions? I have a 15" aluminum 2.2 and I'm going to replace the hard drive with the momentus 500. I'm planning to partition about 120GB for OS and stuff and the rest for audio recording and samples. Because the drive is "hybrid" would this effect any part of my plans??? This article was exactly what I was looking for. Quick question though. How would this drive deal with partitions? I have a 15″ aluminum 2.2 and I’m going to replace the hard drive with the momentus 500. I’m planning to partition about 120GB for OS and stuff and the rest for audio recording and samples. Because the drive is “hybrid” would this effect any part of my plans???

]]> By: Woody ONeal http://jasontomczak.com/2009/06/07/macbook-pro-and-the-seagate-momentus-500gb-7200rpm-drive/comment-page-1/#comment-9071 Woody ONeal Sun, 23 Jan 2011 15:56:59 +0000 http://jasontomczak.com/?p=152#comment-9071 Follow up to my last post. I did install firmware SD 24 without a problem either...I read elsewhere that SD23 intentionally was designed/release to NOT let the drive sleep because of complaints that SD22 wound not let the drive wake up! Clearly, Segate has some bugs to work out with the drives compatibility with SATA controllers/OS X software. Follow up to my last post.

I did install firmware SD 24 without a problem either…I read elsewhere that SD23 intentionally was designed/release to NOT let the drive sleep because of complaints that SD22 wound not let the drive wake up!

Clearly, Segate has some bugs to work out with the drives compatibility with SATA controllers/OS X software.

]]> By: Woody ONeal http://jasontomczak.com/2009/06/07/macbook-pro-and-the-seagate-momentus-500gb-7200rpm-drive/comment-page-1/#comment-9069 Woody ONeal Sun, 23 Jan 2011 15:45:04 +0000 http://jasontomczak.com/?p=152#comment-9069 Last week, I installed the Momentus XT in my mid-2007 MBP. I did a clone via Super Duper...booted up clean, and fast. Love this drive. A bit noisier but not too big an issue. What IS an issue is that it will not let the MBP "put the hard disk to sleep when possible". Only by prompting the MBP to sleep, via mouse and click, will it EVER sleep. Even a lid closure will not sleep the drive. I have the Power Saver settings configured correctly. Does anyone know if resettint the PRAM will help this issue? Thanks a ton. Last week, I installed the Momentus XT in my mid-2007 MBP. I did a clone via Super Duper…booted up clean, and fast. Love this drive.

A bit noisier but not too big an issue.

What IS an issue is that it will not let the MBP “put the hard disk to sleep when possible”. Only by prompting the MBP to sleep, via mouse and click, will it EVER sleep. Even a lid closure will not sleep the drive.

I have the Power Saver settings configured correctly.

Does anyone know if resettint the PRAM will help this issue?

Thanks a ton.

]]> By: Jason http://jasontomczak.com/2009/06/07/macbook-pro-and-the-seagate-momentus-500gb-7200rpm-drive/comment-page-1/#comment-6174 Jason Mon, 27 Sep 2010 05:36:14 +0000 http://jasontomczak.com/?p=152#comment-6174 Hi Linh, Some vibration is to be expected. If the laptop is really shaking or the hard drive is noisy or clicking, then I'd be concerned. But just feeling a little hum is perfectly ok. Jason Hi Linh,

Some vibration is to be expected. If the laptop is really shaking or the hard drive is noisy or clicking, then I’d be concerned. But just feeling a little hum is perfectly ok.

Jason

]]> By: Linh http://jasontomczak.com/2009/06/07/macbook-pro-and-the-seagate-momentus-500gb-7200rpm-drive/comment-page-1/#comment-6153 Linh Sat, 25 Sep 2010 22:01:26 +0000 http://jasontomczak.com/?p=152#comment-6153 Hi I replaced the original drive that came with my 13" macbook pro 2.66 (bought in 8/10) with this drive. I feel a slight vibration when I put my hands next to the hand rest (both sides of the track pad). It's not loud or anything, but most of the time I can feel the light vibration. Is it normal and expected? Hope someone sees this post. Much appreciated! Hi
I replaced the original drive that came with my 13″ macbook pro 2.66 (bought in 8/10) with this drive. I feel a slight vibration when I put my hands next to the hand rest (both sides of the track pad). It’s not loud or anything, but most of the time I can feel the light vibration. Is it normal and expected? Hope someone sees this post. Much appreciated!

]]> By: Alex http://jasontomczak.com/2009/06/07/macbook-pro-and-the-seagate-momentus-500gb-7200rpm-drive/comment-page-1/#comment-4654 Alex Mon, 12 Jul 2010 21:56:09 +0000 http://jasontomczak.com/?p=152#comment-4654 I've got a 2.33 Ghz MacBook Pro ('06/'07) and I'm looking to upgrade the Hard Drive. Right now I'm torn between the 320 GB WD Scorpio Black (http://www.wdc.com/en/products/products.asp?driveid=477) and the 320 GB Seagate Momentus XT (http://www.seagate.com/www/en-us/products/laptops/laptop-hdd). Both are 320GB 7200 RPM drives, and the only discernible difference between the two is the Seagate's 4GB SSD, which makes it a hybrid drive. I'm leaning towards purchasing the Seagate, but I'm afraid of some of the newegg reviews that suggest it may cause the laptop to vibrate or make tons of noise. It would appear that the WD doesn't suffer from the same problems, but I've had some mediocre WD hard drives in the past and don't want to get burned again. I would appreciate hearing about anyone's experiences with either of these drives in their MacBooks/MacBook Pros. Thanks! Alex I’ve got a 2.33 Ghz MacBook Pro (’06/’07) and I’m looking to upgrade the Hard Drive.

Right now I’m torn between the 320 GB WD Scorpio Black (http://www.wdc.com/en/products/products.asp?driveid=477) and the 320 GB Seagate Momentus XT (http://www.seagate.com/www/en-us/products/laptops/laptop-hdd).

Both are 320GB 7200 RPM drives, and the only discernible difference between the two is the Seagate’s 4GB SSD, which makes it a hybrid drive. I’m leaning towards purchasing the Seagate, but I’m afraid of some of the newegg reviews that suggest it may cause the laptop to vibrate or make tons of noise. It would appear that the WD doesn’t suffer from the same problems, but I’ve had some mediocre WD hard drives in the past and don’t want to get burned again. I would appreciate hearing about anyone’s experiences with either of these drives in their MacBooks/MacBook Pros.

Thanks!

Alex

]]> By: Ivan http://jasontomczak.com/2009/06/07/macbook-pro-and-the-seagate-momentus-500gb-7200rpm-drive/comment-page-1/#comment-4550 Ivan Thu, 08 Jul 2010 12:48:13 +0000 http://jasontomczak.com/?p=152#comment-4550 This is for Greg, I'm having similar problems with an Hitachi 7K500 drive to replace the stock Hitachi 5K250 of my brand new MBP 13" 2010. Battery life dropped from 10+ hours to 5+... awful. The original drive is firmware locked to 1.5 Mbps and this may be the difference as you suggest. Now the information to you... with Hitachi there was a DOS application (so you'd need a PC) to change the settings (1.5 to 3 Gbps among them), so I'll give it a try tonight. Maybe you should check your manufacturer's website for an application like that. Ivan. This is for Greg,
I’m having similar problems with an Hitachi 7K500 drive to replace the stock Hitachi 5K250 of my brand new MBP 13″ 2010. Battery life dropped from 10+ hours to 5+… awful. The original drive is firmware locked to 1.5 Mbps and this may be the difference as you suggest. Now the information to you… with Hitachi there was a DOS application (so you’d need a PC) to change the settings (1.5 to 3 Gbps among them), so I’ll give it a try tonight. Maybe you should check your manufacturer’s website for an application like that.

Ivan.

]]> By: ANTHONY http://jasontomczak.com/2009/06/07/macbook-pro-and-the-seagate-momentus-500gb-7200rpm-drive/comment-page-1/#comment-4013 ANTHONY Sun, 13 Jun 2010 00:16:14 +0000 http://jasontomczak.com/?p=152#comment-4013 PLEASE!!!!! THANK YOU PLEASE!!!!! THANK YOU

]]> By: ANTHONY http://jasontomczak.com/2009/06/07/macbook-pro-and-the-seagate-momentus-500gb-7200rpm-drive/comment-page-1/#comment-4012 ANTHONY Sun, 13 Jun 2010 00:15:20 +0000 http://jasontomczak.com/?p=152#comment-4012 I am interested and need one someone contact me I am a video editing student at the Art Institute and I really really need something so I could work from home can anyone please help me out? I am interested and need one someone contact me I am a video editing student at the Art Institute and I really really need something so I could work from home can anyone please help me out?

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