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    Is it ata or sata??

    Discussion in 'Asus' started by goldrunner, May 11, 2008.

  1. goldrunner

    goldrunner Notebook Enthusiast

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    Sorry to bother, but my son is buying a 160 gb. 7200 rpm hard drive for my
    laptop ( the one I got is full already ), but he needs to know if it is ATA or SATA and I have no idea wich one it is, my laptop is a F3KA where can I find this out??
    Help, thank U
     
    goldrunner, May 11, 2008
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  2. David

    David NBR Random Reviewer NBR Reviewer

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    David, May 11, 2008
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  3. goldrunner

    goldrunner Notebook Enthusiast

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    Thank you very much, emporiumboutique!!!
     
    goldrunner, May 11, 2008
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  4. E.B.E.

    E.B.E. NBR Procrastinator

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    But I would advise going instead for a similarly-priced, larger-capacity, 5400RPM drive. They are as fast nowadays, if not faster, than 7200RPMs.
     
    E.B.E., May 12, 2008
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  5. Oldman

    Oldman Notebook Evangelist

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    I'd only add 5400rpm drives are more reliable
     
    Oldman, May 12, 2008
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  6. E.B.E.

    E.B.E. NBR Procrastinator

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    I wouldn't know about that, never researched it...
     
    E.B.E., May 12, 2008
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  7. goldrunner

    goldrunner Notebook Enthusiast

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    Thank you very much for your help guys, like always very prompt and informative, thank you!!!
     
    goldrunner, May 13, 2008
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  8. Oldman

    Oldman Notebook Evangelist

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    Or Gosh, amidst all this advices and clarifications nobody mentioned importance of HD cache memory that probably more important than speed and density. More memory is better as usual
     
    Oldman, May 13, 2008
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  9. E.B.E.

    E.B.E. NBR Procrastinator

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    I wouldn't know exact numbers on how cache influences the performance and whether it is more important than speed & density, but yes, it does matter.
     
    E.B.E., May 14, 2008
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  10. AlexF

    AlexF Notebook Deity

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    Sustained transfer rate (ie: copying files) is affected by platter density and speed.
    Burst transfer rate (ie: loading pictures in a row and other frequently loaded data files) is affected more by the amount of cache memory and feature set, but the platter density and speed still play a role.

    More cache is typically better. It saves the drive mechanism from having to do another access.

    Faster HDDs theoretically tend to have a higher chance of getting damaged, though there's so many safety mechanisms in place that wouldn't really worry about it.

    I had upgraded the 120GB 5400rpm Seagate HDD in my V1J to a 200GB 7200rpm Seagate HDD on my system and while it moves a bit faster, it isn't really all that noticeable under normal use.

    Unless you need the extra speed, the 7200rpm isn't going to give you that much more. Expect to pay a premium for it. It has a faster seek time, but in general, a larger capacity 5400rpm disk will give you comparable (but *slightly* less) performance but more capacity for storage. You can get 320GB WD Scorpio 5400rpm disks for about 140$USD while a 200GB Seagate 7200rpm disk goes for about 150$USD.

    If you're feeling insane, you can get the WD VelociRaptor (300GB 10krpm) and void the warranty (it might also cook the notebook, but it's faster...). ;)

    http://www.wdc.com/en/products/products.asp?DriveID=459
     
    AlexF, May 15, 2008
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  11. Oldman

    Oldman Notebook Evangelist

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    About memory cache.(this is only my perception)

    2Mb - not enough
    8Mb - just right (today)
    16Mb - overkill (money do not work for you)

    What makes HD slow is a junk (especially tmp and registry) and drive becomes slow when is close to a full capacity
     
    Oldman, May 15, 2008
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  12. E.B.E.

    E.B.E. NBR Procrastinator

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    Technically, that is not correct. The drive is working just fine even at full capacity. But the OS is working more slowly, because it needs to write files in many fragments, read fragmented files, and perhaps also because there's no more room to increase the swap file when necessary.

    Registry also slows down the OS, and not the HDD.
     
    E.B.E., May 16, 2008
    #12