The Notebook Review forums were hosted by TechTarget, who shut down them down on January 31, 2022. This static read-only archive was pulled by NBR forum users between January 20 and January 31, 2022, in an effort to make sure that the valuable technical information that had been posted on the forums is preserved. For current discussions, many NBR forum users moved over to NotebookTalk.net after the shutdown.
Problems? See this thread at archive.org.

    7200rpm or 5400rpm?

    Discussion in 'Hardware Components and Aftermarket Upgrades' started by BigBoy92, Aug 9, 2007.

  1. BigBoy92

    BigBoy92 Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    2
    Messages:
    512
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    I do mostly gaming, work, photoshop etc.. not much video unless 4 ipod! what do you guys think?
     
  2. theTORCH

    theTORCH Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    84
    Messages:
    650
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    A notebook's hard drive is involved with any load times for programs on your computer, and a faster hard drive will shorten these times (probably most noticeable while gaming).

    A 7200RPM HD is approximately 10-15% faster than a 5400RPM HD of the same make.

    Now that I've explained that, the hard drive of a notebook is generally the part that will perform most poorly in comparison to that of a desktop. I like having a fast hard drive, and I can tell the difference between using a 5400 and a 7200.
     
  3. Dal

    Dal Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    1
    Messages:
    212
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    7200 RPM is the better way to go IMO. The only downside to them is they eat a little more battery life, but it's hardly anything you will notice. When I upgraded my HD from 5400 to 7200, I think I lost about 5 minutes battery life. The performance jump in loading times was pretty noticeable though.
     
  4. Wiz33

    Wiz33 Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    54
    Messages:
    1,037
    Likes Received:
    19
    Trophy Points:
    56
    A 5400 should do, I went with a WD 250GB on my A8Js.
     
  5. illmatic2609

    illmatic2609 Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    104
    Messages:
    909
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    A 5400 RPM will be fine for all your needs. It's only slow if you have a 4200 RPM drive. If you are willing to spend some extra cash for faster load times, which are insignificant imo, then get the 7200 RPM HD.

    I'd suggest you go with 5400 RPM, though. A lot of people, not to speak bad about any of the members, are more....how you say....learned or experienced computer users. They have higher standards than the average user so....it all depends if you want faster load times or not.
     
  6. BigBoy92

    BigBoy92 Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    2
    Messages:
    512
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    Alrite thanks for all the great answers! but they still kind of leave me in between! lol =) what is the price difference from say a 160gb 5.4k, and a 160gb 7.2k?
     
  7. illmatic2609

    illmatic2609 Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    104
    Messages:
    909
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    There is no set price difference. Sometimes you can get a good 7200 RPM drive for cheaper than a 5400 RPM drive. You just have to look around.

    If you are planning to purchase a HD, look no further than www.newegg.com
     
  8. BigBoy92

    BigBoy92 Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    2
    Messages:
    512
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    Alright thanks for all the help :)