WD5000BEVT (500GB 5400RPM) + 1.5Gb/s

I am planning on upgrading my stock 120GB to a WD 500GB 5400RPM HDD. Because of SATA limitations on my 2007 MBP, it has transfer rates of 1.5Gb/s and not 3.0Gb/s. I was told that HDD's do have firmware or jumpers that can use 1.5Gb/s.

I've seen alot of members who have used this HDD, but I'm not sure if you guys have 1.5Gb/s or 3.0Gb/s transfer rates and whether or not it will work with this HDD. Can you guys clarify this issue for me? Thanks.

 

These are the transfer rate limitations of SATA. Your HDD will not be able to reach these; heck even SSDs can't reach these yet.

I can't see why it wouldn't work

 

Both HDDs and SSD are capable of achieving more than the SATA I standard. E.g. Data from the HDD's cache to main main memory can have a throughput of more than 250MB/s. Intel SLC SSDs can achieve speed of more than 200MB/s read and write

 

For daily use, even for intensive video or 3D work, no HDD currently available will be seriously bottlenecked by SATA1.

 

OK, I'm a bit out of touch with SSDs and had to google up and I concede you are correct.

However, HDDs found in notebooks are not going to be bottlenecked by the SATA 1 limitation. Sure it'd slow down the buffer to memory transfer speeds, but as long as it's greater than the HDD to buffer speed then it's not going to matter. The only way you'd get problems is with 10-15K RPM drives where the HDD to buffer speeds can exceed SATA 1 specs. However these are simply not found in many notebooks and is not what the poster is questioning.

 

I'm just saying they're capable of achieving faster speed than SATA I interface can offer.

 

Who cares? Fragile said in the first place is correct, and you're just being annoying.

Why don't you go and download 8-9Gb of data in 5-10 minutes.

 

My Velociraptor does not even saturate SATAI. You need RAID to get over the 1.5Gbs with HDDs.

 

15MbYtes sec download is needed to achieve 9Gb in 10 minutes, meaning that one would need a 120Mbps connection.

The fastest cable connection offered by Shaw is 25mbps. Business class Comcast is 50mbps.

Sorry to derail your thread, Knp, but it was already being threadcrapped.

 

Not sure how that is related to the WD HDD...

 

Haha, I was wondering where this thread was heading to. All I really wanted to know is whether or not the WD HDD had the proper firmware/jumpers to run 3Gb/s because on the WD site, the 500GB was under the 3Gb/s section and not the 1.5Gb/s one. In addition, I was wondering if anyone here had experiences with this HDD and 1.5Gb/s.

 

SATAII is backwards compatible with SATAI.

 

except some earlier models which does indeed require a jumper/firmware setting to run at SATA I mode. But that 500GB hdd is not one of them.

 

Most HDDs, if there is a jumper, is set to SATAI out of the factory.

 

Where did you find that information? I couldn't locate it anywhere on the WD site, unless I missed something.

 

Only very old SATA hdd has them due to some compatibility problems in early motherboards/OS/whatever. Now, you don't have to worry about it because all the kinks have been worked out and manufacturer don't need to use a jumper. You still change the SATA I or SATA II settings in the drive's firmware though, the same place where you can adjust the hdd's performance and noise output.

 

Where do I do that? I don't want to end up installing the HDD and nothing will boot!

 

try to google a bit.

 

Sorry to hijack your thread, but I've heard hard drives other than the ones Apple ships with their laptops are making a lot of clicking noises and whatnot. Is this just for 7200RPM drives? Am I safe if I go 5400RPM?

Thanks

 

you are safe with the 5400 wd. i have read lots of reviews on this drive. it rocks

 

Thanks man