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    4200 RPM vs. 5400 RPM

    Discussion in 'Hardware Components and Aftermarket Upgrades' started by SmoothTofu, Aug 2, 2007.

  1. SmoothTofu

    SmoothTofu Inspiron 1420 Owner

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    Is there a noticable difference in hard drive performance when it comes one with 4200 RPM versus one with 5400? Does the 4200 RPM drive use less power?
     
    SmoothTofu, Aug 2, 2007
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  2. Homer_Jay_Thompson

    Homer_Jay_Thompson blathering blatherskite

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    I recommend 7200 RPM hard drives.
     
    Homer_Jay_Thompson, Aug 2, 2007
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  3. NinjaNoodles

    NinjaNoodles Notebook Evangelist

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    Yes. Much larger than the difference between 5400 and 7200.
     
    NinjaNoodles, Aug 2, 2007
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  4. moon angel

    moon angel Notebook Virtuoso NBR Reviewer

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    Based on the same design, 4200 is often much slower in general use than 5400, the difference is more noticeable than the gap between 5400 and 7200rpm drives.

    Having said that, if the drive is a large capacity the difference is much less noteicable. A 4200rpm 200GB drive is on par with a 5400rpm 160GB drive more often than not.

    Also, rpm does not necessarily dictate speed. The best guide when looking for a hard disk is to try to compare benchmarks. Tom's hardware has an excellent mobile hard disk comparison table:

    http://www23.tomshardware.com/storage25.html
     
    moon angel, Aug 2, 2007
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  5. Homer_Jay_Thompson

    Homer_Jay_Thompson blathering blatherskite

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    Since the addition of 250 GB 5400 RPM and 200 GB 7200 RPM hard drives, I do not see any reason to get a 4200 RPM hard drive. If you cannot afford these large drives, 120 GB 7200 RPM hard drives have dropped in price.
     
    Homer_Jay_Thompson, Aug 2, 2007
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  6. RogueMonk

    RogueMonk Notebook Deity

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    Yes, so do I.
     
    RogueMonk, Aug 2, 2007
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  7. moon angel

    moon angel Notebook Virtuoso NBR Reviewer

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    The only reason I think as you say would be a desire for high capacity with little regard for speed, maybe for an external drive etc. or simply low cost and high capacity where speed is less of an issue.

    Also some 7200rpm drives can be noisy and hot (note: some!) so a 5400rpm drive might be preferable in that case.


    Does anyone know if 4200rpm drives require less power to operate? Battery life dependant machines could potentially benefit there.
     
    moon angel, Aug 2, 2007
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  8. Homer_Jay_Thompson

    Homer_Jay_Thompson blathering blatherskite

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    I was concerned about noise and heat when I bout my laptop, but my 120 GB 7200 RPM hard drive works great.
     
    Homer_Jay_Thompson, Aug 2, 2007
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  9. SmoothTofu

    SmoothTofu Inspiron 1420 Owner

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    Umm.... can you please explain why that is? :confused: :p

    Why is the difference less noticable with a larger HD?
     
    SmoothTofu, Aug 2, 2007
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  10. knightingmagic

    knightingmagic Notebook Deity

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    The data is more densely located, so the little metal arm can travel less to get to your data.
     
    knightingmagic, Aug 3, 2007
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  11. moon angel

    moon angel Notebook Virtuoso NBR Reviewer

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    Honestly, I don't know, but through experience of using 4200, 5400 and 7200rpm drives most would conclude the same. I would expect it to be that 5400 and 7200rpm drives are newer and generally offer more up to date technology, thus making the difference more prominent than it might otherwise be if rpm was the only factor.

    Basically yes. The larger the hard disk, the more densely packed the data and hence the less time it takes to access.
     
    moon angel, Aug 3, 2007
    #11