7200rpm HDD in 12" PBG4

[TheMacGuy]

So my PowerBook G4's hard drive has one foot out the door (its making noises) and its time to replace it. I mean, its original from January 2005, so its going on 8 years old.

My question is, I was strongly advised not to put a 7200rpm in my iBook G4 by you guys because the heat could warp the plastic. Now, the PowerBook is made out of aluminium, but could the heat the 7200rpm drive puts off damaged the computer in any other way? Or should I just get a new 5400rpm one?

 

[Byrd]

A 2.5" 7200rpm HD won't melt plastic or cause any damage, it will run slightly warmer than 5400rpm (think a few degrees), maybe it'll be a little louder, but 2.5" 7200RPM drives are designed to fit into cramped unventilated enclosures like any other. I've got a 7200rpm drive in my PB Ti and also in my TAM, neither cause any issues.

 

[TheMacGuy]

Good to know. Thanks byrd!

I'm curious, has anyone used or heard anything about those KingSpec IDE SSDs that are always on eBay? It seems I can get one shipped from the US for around $1-1.50 a GB, but are they any good? If they are, I might just order one and put it in the PowerBook since it is my secondary machine and I do use it quite often.

 

[Byrd]

Those KingSpec SSDs on eBay are pretty cheap and nasty - I'd be worried about their reliability, especially in a computer that you use a lot. You'd probably find a fast 7200RPM drive to perform close to it. I wouldn't buy any SSD these days apart from Intel or maybe Samsung due to reliability concerns with other manufacturers.

If they were < $75c/GB I'd consider picking up a KingSpec IDE SSD to try one out myself, but they're very expensive for what they are, as a generic brand with no proven track record of reliability.