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    Laptop Hard Drive upgrade worth it?

    Discussion in 'Hardware Components and Aftermarket Upgrades' started by cn_habs, Dec 1, 2009.

  1. cn_habs

    cn_habs Notebook Deity

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    Instead of getting an external hard drive for a complete PC backup, I decided to repalce my OEM HDD with a quicker one instead. That way, I can still have a complete backup of my current OS. So if anything goes wrong I don't have to waste time reinstalling everything. Another reason behind my decision is that it's got a bit hotter than before as I can feel the heat right below the arrow keys.

    Hitachi 160G 5400rpm is the one that came with the laptop. However, I am not sure of which HDD I should get. Please take a look at the 5 choices of 320 HDDs that I have narrowed down to.

    http://www.newegg.ca/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010150380 4026 1309733643&name=320GB
    1. Seagate Momentus 5400.6 ST9320325AS 320GB 5400 RPM
    2. HITACHI Travelstar 5K500.B HTS545032B9A300 (0A57913) 320GB 5400 RPM
    3. Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD3200BEVT 320GB 5400 RPM
    4. SAMSUNG M6 Series HM320JI 320GB 5400 RPM
    5. HITACHI Travelstar 5K320 HTS543232L9A300 (0A56417) 320GB 5400 RPM


    It seems that Scorpio Blue is the best choice according to the user reviews. How much faster it will be compared with my current drive? Or do I need a 7200rpm drive instead? My Hitachi is the only audible part of my laptop. I hear that clutter sound all the time.

    I realy don't know much about computer hardware so any input is appreciated. I mostly use my laptop for Internet Browsing, Word and Excel and Videos.

    HD Tune result of my Hitachi 160G 5400rpm is attached below. Thank you very much in advance.
     

    Attached Files:

    cn_habs, Dec 1, 2009
    #1
  2. nodeffect

    nodeffect Notebook Evangelist

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    A 5400rpm will be just fine for Internet Browsing, Word and Excel and Videos.

    Anyway, I would get the Western Digital HDD 320GB....
     
    nodeffect, Dec 1, 2009
    #2
  3. BaldwinHillsTrojan

    BaldwinHillsTrojan Notebook Evangelist

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    you r paying post Black Friday prices now. Would go wit Hitachi again or WD.
     
    BaldwinHillsTrojan, Dec 2, 2009
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  4. afhstingray

    afhstingray Notebook Prophet

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    the 7200rpm 500gb hitach is only about 80 bucks now, why not just get that?
     
    afhstingray, Dec 2, 2009
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  5. tilleroftheearth

    tilleroftheearth Wisdom listens quietly...

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    tilleroftheearth, Dec 2, 2009
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  6. afhstingray

    afhstingray Notebook Prophet

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    wonder if it'll come down again soon. it went up for a day then it went back down to $70.

    myself i'm saving up to get an SSD. 250GB seems about enough for me, so when the 256GB SSD's pricing gets less insane i'm gonna take the plunge lol
     
    afhstingray, Dec 2, 2009
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  7. tilleroftheearth

    tilleroftheearth Wisdom listens quietly...

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    I predict that 320GB (or larger) will be more affordable than any current 256GB SSD.

    Hope the price comes down again too - I already have people asking me how I like my new drive - I don't even have it yet! (To excited though and I'm telling everyone!).
     
    tilleroftheearth, Dec 2, 2009
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  8. cn_habs

    cn_habs Notebook Deity

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    cn_habs, Dec 2, 2009
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  9. sean473

    sean473 Notebook Prophet

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    get the 7K500... worth every cent... half as fast as an SSD....
     
    sean473, Dec 2, 2009
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  10. cn_habs

    cn_habs Notebook Deity

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    It's 125 on Newegg.ca which places it off my price range.

    1. Seagate Momentus 5400.6 ST9320325AS 320GB 5400 RPM
    2. Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD3200BEVT 320GB 5400 RPM

    The Seagate is 5 bucks cheaper should I still get the WD?
     
    cn_habs, Dec 3, 2009
    #10
  11. tilleroftheearth

    tilleroftheearth Wisdom listens quietly...

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    Your number 2 choice is my number one choice over the Seagate.

    The WD SB is a faster system drive and definitely warrants the additional $5 over the Seagate.

    However, if you're really interested in increasing performance, the Hitachi 7K500 already mentioned above almost doubles your drive's HD Tune scores - isn't that worth an additional $50 to you?

    Remember to take into account your time to re-install your O/S, your programs and setup everything exactly how you want.

    When all is said and done and you really value a much smoother & snappier O/S, the small one time additional cost will be quickly forgotten and you'll be appreciating your decision with each time you use your 'new' computer.

    Good luck.
     
    tilleroftheearth, Dec 3, 2009
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  12. cn_habs

    cn_habs Notebook Deity

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    Thanks for the input.

    As for the Hitachi 7k500, is the 250Gg or 320Gg drive any slower than the 500Gg one? Will it really reach the 80mb/s mark for average transfer rate?

    I just did a clean install recently and I wouldn't want to start over everything again. Would cloning work in this case?
     
    cn_habs, Dec 3, 2009
    #12
  13. ellalan

    ellalan Notebook Deity

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    ellalan, Dec 3, 2009
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  14. sean473

    sean473 Notebook Prophet

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    no it won't be slower... might be a little ... but also might be faster... whatever the case.. its worth every penny...
     
    sean473, Dec 3, 2009
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  15. cn_habs

    cn_habs Notebook Deity

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    Besides Newegg.CA, are there other websites shipping to Canada that often offer great deals on HDDs?

    The only 7k500 on Newegg.CA is 125 CAD.
     
    cn_habs, Dec 3, 2009
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  16. portableds

    portableds Newbie

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    Samsung or hitachi would probably be best
     
    portableds, Dec 4, 2009
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  17. sean473

    sean473 Notebook Prophet

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    You get what you pay for and in this case every penny is worth it... half of SSD performance is still cheaper... like 5 times... so 7K 500 is strongly recommended by me...
     
    sean473, Dec 4, 2009
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  18. comp_user

    comp_user Notebook Consultant

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    In the 7200 RPM space I found the Western Digital Black to be noticibly nosier than Seagate 7200.3. Both were 160gb(single platter, same generation).
     
    comp_user, Dec 4, 2009
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  19. cn_habs

    cn_habs Notebook Deity

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    I just located a local store that has 7K500 for 115 CAD taxes included.

    Once I cloned my current 160G drive and replaced it with the 7K500? Can I put my oem drive in a 2.5 enclosure and still use it as my system backup drive connected to my laptop via a usb cable at all time?

    Which enclosure should I purchase? Thank you all.

    http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817392019
    http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182143
    http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817816008
     
    cn_habs, Dec 17, 2009
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  20. sean473

    sean473 Notebook Prophet

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    sean473, Dec 18, 2009
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  21. dtwn

    dtwn C'thulhu fhtagn

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    Only the first works with the 7k500 as it has a SATA interface.
     
    dtwn, Dec 18, 2009
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  22. cn_habs

    cn_habs Notebook Deity

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    Ahh...thanks guys I just learnt something new today. :)

    Can I fully take advantage of the performances of the 7K500 with my T61's SATA 1 limitation (1.5Gb/s)?
     
    cn_habs, Dec 18, 2009
    #22
  23. dtwn

    dtwn C'thulhu fhtagn

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    Yes, not an issue yet. PS: the 7k500 is not 5x cheaper than a SSD, not at current prices anyway. ;)
     
    dtwn, Dec 18, 2009
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  24. tilleroftheearth

    tilleroftheearth Wisdom listens quietly...

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    Yes, more like 10x cheaper, if the SSD has the same capacity?
     
    tilleroftheearth, Dec 18, 2009
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  25. sean473

    sean473 Notebook Prophet

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    might be 20X if SSD's had the same capacity...
     
    sean473, Dec 20, 2009
    #25