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    5400 rpm vs 7200 rpm heat/noise/speed comparison

    Discussion in 'Hardware Components and Aftermarket Upgrades' started by drew08867, Aug 6, 2009.

  1. drew08867

    drew08867 Notebook Enthusiast

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    I will likely be getting a new hard drive for my Inspiron 1420 that currently has a WD 120 GB 5400rpm drive in it. It runs hot as it is (it occasionally shuts down and on reboot informs me that it shut down because it overheated), so I was curious if there were any discernable heat or noise differences between 5400 rpm and 7200 rpm drives. Specifically, I am looking at the 5400 rpm WD Scorpio 320 GB
    and the 7200 rpm WD Scorpio 320 GB . I know there are other posts discussing 5400 rpm vs 7200 rpm, but they are older, and I am wondering particularly about the above mentioned drives. If you have any personal experience please contribute. Thanks.
     
    drew08867, Aug 6, 2009
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  2. sgogeta4

    sgogeta4 Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    The newest 5400 and 7200RPM drives aren't really that different in terms of any of these factors (heat/noise/speed). There are a lot of variation between models and companies, some 5400RPM can be louder, noisier, or even faster than some 7200RPM drives, so it's hard to say. Even comparing the same model, different hard drives have different properties. I would just get the cheaper of the two, sometimes you find a good deal, like the Seagate 500GB 7200RPM drive for $72 in the deals forum.
     
    sgogeta4, Aug 6, 2009
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