Notebook HDD Upgrade Power requirements

Hey,

I'd like to upgrade my current notebook's hard drive (Toshiba MK2035GSS), a really slow 4200 RPM hdd (Requires +5V). In any case I'd like to replace it with a WD1600BEKT, a 2.5" notebook hdd with 7200 rpm (MFG site says it requires 5VDC)

Is 5VDC = +5V? (just making sure)

The notebook is pretty recent, around 2008 - but since 4200 rpm was the default hdd, can the notebook support a 7200 rpm upgrade? Would I need to worry about power requirements? Or does the fact that its a SATA drive make it universally compatible in power requirements, despite the RPM's?

And since the Toshiba is a Sata I, and the WD is a SATA II - Do both SATA standards use the same voltage requirements?

I noticed the Toshiba only requires 1.85 Watts to read/write, while the WD requires 2.50 Watts. Can I still replace the Toshiba with the WD hard drive, since they have the same voltage requirements?

(Sorry I know its a really noob question, but I'm not accustomed to working with notebooks. I'm especially concerned since you can't really upgrade a notebook's PSU, so Upgrades worry me..)

 

Power should be fine. Don't worry about it, you will be able to upgrade without issues. And yes 5VDC means +5V (DC is Direct Current).

 

Extra question if you don't mind.

I also bought 2 sticks of extra ram. I figured, why not max out the system (VGNCR220E, Sony).

I'm currently running Memtest86+ on both sticks, and its giving me some cause for concern. It completed a full pass, without errors.

This is what I purchased, CT25664AC800 - 2GB, 200-pin SODIMM , DDR2 PC2-6400 from Crucial.comUS.

This is what was recommended, Computer memory upgrades for Sony VAIO VGN-CR220E Series Laptop/Notebook from Crucial.com.

Everything is comparable, except the one I purchased had a better review.


Anyways, Memtest86+ is detecting it as DDR2-400, instead of 800 Mhz, but I understand that to be common since 800 is actually 400 in terms of RAM.

But what concerns me is the Cas Latency. Its reported as 5-5-5-15. The packaging on the ram states CL6.

So is 5-5-5-15 = CL6?

 

No, the first number is CAS latency (CL), and 5 is better than 6. Memtest86+ is a bit dated, check your memory with CPU-Z. It should be DDR2-800.

 

Just double checking, so 5-5-5-15, doesn't necesarily mean CL6, right? Do you happen to have a cliff note version as to understanding that 5-5-5-15 rating and its relation to CL6?

I dl'ed CPU-Z, and now that the OS is installed onto the blank HDD, I ran it.

The original sticks of ram that were in the notebook were PC2-5300, I believe thats only around 667 Mhz?

In any case under the Memory tab, the new RAM tests out @ DRAM Frequency :331.7 MHz (it fluctuates between 330-332 Mhz). If I read this post correctly, that's perfectly normal since I'm suppose to double that speed to get my actual frequency right? So I'd be right around 665-667'ish MHz?

Is that the logic behind a DDR2-800 reporting as DDR 400?

Under the SPD slot each Slot (#0 + #1) is reported as PC2-6400 (400MHz). Since my original sticks were PC2-5300, is it safe to assume its just downclocking as its suppose to?

 

5-5-5-15 means CL5 (the first number). Wiki "CAS latency" and "memory timings" for more details but yes, you've essentially got the rest. Btw PC2 speed calculation is DDR2 speed x 8, so PC2 speed = 667 x 8 = 5300 (roughly). DDR stands for double data rate, so it's double the actual clock rate (400 -> 800), irregardless of the type of DDR (ie. DDR, DDR2, DDR3).