M1530 250GB 7200 v 320GB 5400

Very simple question I need answered.

Which hard drive would be better to get? I'd like to know if the extra speed would justify the decreased battery life and increased heat, especially since if I've read correctly the 320GB drive rivals other 7200 RPM drives in performance since it has such dense platters.

 

You are correct, all bout them platters. I would say a)price b)do you need it? Then get the one that best suits you.

 

The 320GB 5400rpm hdd rivals a 160GB 7200rpm in performance. The 250GB will be faster, the question is - between price, performance, and battery life, which is the most important to you?

 

In my opinion, the difference in battery life will be minimal(i.e. a few minutes less).

 

I'd go for the 320, just because it's bigger.

 

The 320gb is very fast and has lots of storage. I would go with it.

 

I ordered my M1530 yesterday, and i went with the 320GB 5400rpm. I knew it would be fast because of its size, and plus. I would rather have size than a bit mor performance, since i always end up using what i get.

 

Thanks for the input guys. I ended up going with the 250 GB 7200 RPM drive cause I've got a nice large external HD.

 

I read that 7200 RPM on larger 2.5'' drives doesn't make a big difference in speed since the platters are small and the data is more compact so the 5400 RPM is more efficient at reading the data and can be faster.

 

Although density increases speed. I believe i read that a 200GB 7200RPM drive is still faster than a 500GB 5400RPM drive. 7K200 vs 5K500 to be exact. Perhaps spindle speed has greater effect on speed than density.