TiBook HD upgrade questions...

Hi Benjamin,

Welcome to Apple Discussions.

What are the performance differences between a 4200, 5400, and 7200 speed HD?

Soon after the 7200's first hit the market, I saw a good review of 9 or 10 drives, with a few of each speed. Results showed a much bigger speed improvement going from 4200 to 5400, than from 5400 to 7200; what the actual numbers are, I don't recall.

If I opt for the less expensive 4200 will I actually notice the difference in cpu speed and file access times if not using performance-heavy software?

I notice the difference between 35 and 45MPH going down the road without looking at the speedometer. Three out of the four others in the car could not. Will you notice the difference? Hard to say, but it will be there. Most users consider it significant.

Will the 4200 put off less heat?

This is drive dependent. Due to improving technology, some newer/faster drives actually run the same temp or cooler than older drives (FDB: Fluid Dynamic Bearings).

Will a 4200, since it is operating at a lower performance rate (true?) last longer than a faster HD?

Interesting question, but again, newer technology . . . the last time I checked (maybe a little less than a year ago?), then "current" faster (5400/7200) drives had the same MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures) specs as older 4200 drives.

What's the biggest size internal drive a Tibook can handle? Is there a limit?

Unless they've very recently come out with something bigger, 120GB is the largest 2.5" HD made, and the TiBook will handle it.

What's the best way to transfer all my data to the new drive from the old one?

Run Repair Disk, Repair Permissions, Background Maintenance, and use an app such as Carbon Copy Cloner or Super Duper to clone your entire HD to an external source, then install new HD and clone old HD back.

Another option is to buy an external HD enclosure, install your old HD in it, and clone it back to your new HD.

Lastly, are there brands/manufacturers that I should look out for?

Opinions will vary widely on that. Is Ford or Chevy or Chrysler better? Toyota or Honda or Subaru?

I have put Toshibas in both my laptops and am pleased with the performance. In my tibook I went for a 5400, and really noticed no speed increase over the 4200. As far as size, the only deciding factor is your needs and budget. Go as big as you can afford. I believe the largest your tibook will handle is 120 gigs, but I am not sure they are even available. My advice is that if your budget is limiting you to a small 7200 or a large 4200, go for the 4200.

A 5400 RPM drive spins 29% faster than a 4200; a 7200 spins 33% faster than a 5400. A 7200 spins 71% faster than a 4200. There are performance improvements with each bump in rotational speed, but they aren't as great as the percentage increases in RPM. Anecdotally, it's been reported here that the performance boost from 4200 to 5400 RPM is much more satisfying, especially on a per-dollar basis, than the boost from 5400 to 7200, and it's generally noted that the best price/performance values are currently found in 60-100GB 5400 RPM units.

Performance improvements come in reduced read, write and seek time. CPU performance is unaffected. The more disk-intensive your usage is, the more diffference a faster disk will make.

Tibooks can't use any of the temperature-monitoring software that's out there, so it's hard to be sure about additional heat due to a faster-spinning drive. Anecdotally again, it doesn't seem that faster drives give off proportionally more heat, though they may produce somewhat more than slower drives. They don't draw proportionally more power, either, though again, they draw somewhat more — a consideration for those who use their PBs often on battery power.

The largest currently available 2.5" laptop hard drives are 120GB, and Tibooks can use them without any problems. 160GB drives are in the works and may be available soon. 120GB drives are now much more expensive per GB than 100GB and smaller drives, and you can probably expect 160GB drives to be similarly costly when they appear.

I wouldn't hesitate to buy a Fujitsu or Hitachi drive. I'd stay away from Western Digital and Toshiba and approach Seagate with caution. Others will probably take issue with my preferences, and you can be lucky or unlucky with any brand of drive. See the Drive Compatibility Database at www.xlr8yourmac.com for user reviews and comments on various laptop drives.

Search this forum for Carbon Copy Cloner and you'll find instructions for transferring data from your old drive to a new one.

A couple of other things to be aware of are that some manufacturers offer longer warranties.

Additionally some manufacturers may offer features not found on other drives. For example, Western Digital drives include similar technology to Apple's Sudden Motion Sensor whilst Seagate include encryption technology and Hitachi include AV optimisation.

Furthermore, not all manufacturers have yet released 120GB drives. WD, for example, do not yet have a 2.5" 120GB drive available. At the same time others like Fujitsu and, I believe, Seagate have announced 160GB drives.