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    Heat and Noise: 5400 rpm vs. 7200 rpm

    Discussion in 'Hardware Components and Aftermarket Upgrades' started by ensoll, Jun 2, 2007.

  1. ensoll

    ensoll Notebook Enthusiast

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    I know there is not much difference in power consumption between the two speeds but is there a noticeable difference in heat and noise generated by a 7200 rpm drive compared to a 5400 rpm drive?
     
  2. Homer_Jay_Thompson

    Homer_Jay_Thompson blathering blatherskite

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    I heard the 7200 rpm hard drive consumes more battery life.
     
  3. SideSwipe

    SideSwipe Notebook Virtuoso

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    yup some 7200rpm drives run hotter and noisier but the new seagates I heard consume just as much as a 5400 drive with little or no noise difference
     
  4. John Ratsey

    John Ratsey Moderately inquisitive Super Moderator

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    Tom's Hardware's 2.5" HDD charts include the Seagate 7200.2.

    You can compare the idle power and maximum power with other drives and draw your own conclusions. More electricity in = more heat out.

    The biggest cause of notebook HDD noise is the head movements, not the drives rotation. Some Hitachi and Toshiba HDDs are relatively noisy while, in my experience, Samsung and Fujitsu HDDs are relatively quiet.

    John
     
  5. bmwrob

    bmwrob Notebook Virtuoso

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    This may answer a few questions.
     
  6. Cheffy

    Cheffy Notebook Evangelist

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    REalistically, there is minimal difference in terms of power consumption, with the 5400 sparing a few minutes at best.