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    looking for some real differences in HD's

    Discussion in 'Hardware Components and Aftermarket Upgrades' started by somhavoc, Dec 26, 2008.

  1. somhavoc

    somhavoc Notebook Consultant

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    anyone know how much of a performance increase you can get from a 5400RPM SATA2 drive and a 7200 one? I know models differ but, in actual performance on a whole, is it better for gaming/loading? Can you tell a difference when you do these things? I know the 5400 would be better for laptop battery, but is it worth performance/battery life to just go with the 7200rpm one?

    :cool:
     
    somhavoc, Dec 26, 2008
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  2. Andy

    Andy Notebook Prophet

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    Battery life/power consumption varies from one model to another. This is the general (and incorrect) statement that a 5400RPM drive gives more battery life than a 7200RPM. There are loads of 5400RPMs that have a much higher power consumption than 7200RPMs. I think the 2.5" HDD with the highest power consumption is a 5400RPM drive. :rolleyes:

    It depends upon from which HDD are you upgrading. I did notice a slight boost when moving from 320GB 5400RPM to 7200RPM. Moving from a 5400RPM to a 7200RPM does improve loading times a bit due to the lower access times, even if the R/W rates are similar.

    Checkout the HD Tune thread and compare various HD Tune banchmarks, with that of your HDD.
     
    Andy, Dec 26, 2008
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  3. somhavoc

    somhavoc Notebook Consultant

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    great thanks for thr tips!
     
    somhavoc, Dec 30, 2008
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  4. Phil

    Phil Retired

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    This review answers your questions:
    http://techreport.com/articles.x/15079

    To me it would be worth it to have a fast 7200rpm drive (not just any 7200rpm drive). I like responsiveness and fast opening applications a lot.
     
    Phil, Dec 30, 2008
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