is this true? hmmm... http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/12/macbook-pros-with-7200rpm-hdds-getting-a-touch-too-noisy/
I have a new (Mid-2009) Macbook Pro 17 with a 3.06Ghz Processor, 4GB RAM and 500GB 7200 rpm drive. I do not have any problems with the noise. I can barely hear it. If I am in a very quiet room I can hear the drive if I listen carefully but in any normal setting I cannot hear it. You can however feel the drive spinning. I find no problems with the 7200 rpm given the performance boost. If noise is such a great issue then the SSD option is available. I think the reviewer may be trying to nitpick at minute details as the mid-2009 macbook pro range are really great laptops. It is sometimes felt by reviewers that they need to find some negative points no matter how small. I upgraded from an early-2008 macbook pro 17 and am quite happy with the upgrade.
I think these are isolated cases of faulty drives... A minority of users have them while others do not. You can always have it replaced if ever you're lucky enough to have these faulty drives...
I think the solution to these issues is Applecare. There are bound to be issues that will crop up with defective units and I believe (from past experience with Apple and others) that Apple is the most responsive with service and warranty issues.
my mbp 13" with a 500gb 7200rpm hdd had a whirring sound when i lifted it up to connect to my printer... the noise wouldn't stop until i shut the mbp down... the next time it happened i tapped the mbp and the sound went away... any thoughts on this?
Probably its a structural issue on the mac itself. Its not the hard drive. I have the same capacity on my mini and can't hear pa naman. knock on wood.