HARD DRIVE RPM..................

Hi I am going to buy a compaq R3000t notebook and I was wondering since Im getting the 100 GB Hardrive with 4200 RPM, will the RPM amount slow anything down, what does the RPM Effect ?
Please tell me so I have a easier decision, THANX
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When someone annoys you it takes 42 muscles to frown about it but it only takes 4 muscles to extend your arm and punch the crap out of them

 

well, nice to see you gave the smileys here some exercise, thanks!

back to the HDD question. A hard drive is basically a magnetic platter that spins around. an "arm" with a sensor on it reads and writes data as the hard drive spins past. the RPM, revolutions per minute, is how fast the hard drive spins. the faster it spins, the quicker the sensor can get to the data, which means better performance.

Desktop computers normally have 7200 RPM drives, notebooks tend to have 4200 RPM drives, and the middle ground is 5400 RPM drives. At 100 gigs, you don't really have much choice in the matter, I don't believe there are many, if any, drives faster than 4200.

If size is more important than speed, then don't worry about it. It's not THAT huge a deal.

 

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by spets

 

speed of the HDD will affect game loading time, yes. but once that is done, then it wouldn't really matter as most of the data is being grabbed from the RAM, so actual play would be quick. it's just things like loading new levels.

I'd agree, you will probably be better off with more RAM.

 

The 100 GB hard drives are all 4200 RPM...for now.
Hitachi makes an 80 GB hard drive at 5400. Others are at 4200.
60 GB hard drives come in th 4200, 5400, and 7200 RPM flavors, as most drives below this speed to 20 GB. Anything below 20 GB, and the speed is once again pretty stuck at 4200RPM, as the technology is relatively old and has been bypassed.

A faster hard drive will increase performance, but so will a RAM upgrade by a larger margin. If you need to pick one or the other , take the RAM. Both is, of course, best.

 

So am I better off with a gigbyte of memory (512x2) and 80 GB 5400 rpm ? or should I get the 100 Gigabyter with that much memory, cause I want to hav some space on my hard drive for games and work ..... and also what is the real big difference between a 2.8 and 3.0 prossecor, is there much difference ? What does that effect ?
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When someone annoys you it takes 42 muscles to frown about it but it only takes 4 muscles to extend your arm and punch the crap out of them

 

Most people will tell you to buy more ram instead of a faster harddrive.

A 0.2 different in processing power will not really be noticeable, unless hyperthreading is thrown into the mix.

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Fujitsu S6210: 1.6Ghz PM ~ 768MB RAM ~ 60GB 7200RPM Hard Drive
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Remember too that the faster the hard drive, the more battery power it will draw to run any task.

As for processor speeds, it depends on what chip. For example, chips of the same clock speed but different lines will run differently. For instance (in theory), a 3.2 GHz Pentium 4 EE will run faster than the Prescott which will run faster than the Northwood, all at the same clock speed. Also remember that .2GHz is 200MHz, which was huge just two years ago.

The difference between a 2.8 and 3.0 of the same line is slightly noticeable, but not enough to justify more than a $50-$75 increase in price for that feature alone. For Athlon 64s, however, that extra .2 GHz means, usually, a 10-15% direct increase in performance. That is noticable.

 

Definitely...A computer at 2.8 GHz with hyperthreading will run just as fast or faster in most cases than a computer with a non-HT 3.0 GHz P4.

In basic terms, hyperthreading creates the illusion of two cores to the OS instead of just one, thus, in theory, doubling the amount of work the CPU does per clock cycle.

 

From my experience, and from what others on this message board have said, the decrease in battery life is VERY small, if even noticeable.

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by ReverendDC

 

What if there is Hyperthreading ? its a 3.0 ghz with hyperthreading proccesor, does that change anything ?

When someone annoys you it takes 42 muscles to frown about it but it only takes 4 muscles to extend your arm and punch the crap out of them

 

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by ReverendDC

 

If comparing a 3.0Ghz w/HT and one without, they will run at the same speed. The only difference will be if the applications have been programed/designed to use Threads, if so, then the HT will kick in and have an advantage, otherwise they should operate identically.

Regarding the speed of the HDD, the larger the drive the faster the RPM must go. Comparing a 100GB 4200rpm HDD to a 40GB 4200rpm HDD should show that the 100GB drive will perform overall slower than the 40GB. So I'd recommend getting an 80GB 5400rpm HDD if you had to choose between HDD's.

-Vb-