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    7200rpm or 5400rpm Hard disk in my X61s?

    Discussion in 'Lenovo' started by the-box, Aug 5, 2007.

  1. the-box

    the-box Notebook Enthusiast

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    Should I take a 7200rpm or 5400rpm Hard disk in my X61s?
     
    the-box, Aug 5, 2007
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  2. KnightUnit

    KnightUnit Notebook Evangelist

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    Power consumption and heat are basically the same, so either pick slow or fast... upto you
     
    KnightUnit, Aug 5, 2007
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  3. stallen

    stallen Thinkpad Woody

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    It depends on price and performance. The $ per GB is a little more for 7200rpm drives but you get a performance improvement. I think it is worth it. Others don't think the added cost, heat, and energy consumption is worth it.

    A drive like the Seagate Momentus 160GB 7200.2 and the Hitachi 200GB 7K200 will give you a very noticeable performance gain. And, the technology has improved to the point that heat and energy consumption isn't much more than most 5400RPM drives.
     
    stallen, Aug 5, 2007
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  4. mdarter

    mdarter Notebook Enthusiast

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    In the past I've usually opted for 5400 just because of the heat and power drain on the battery. However, the newer generation 7200 drives are substantially improved in both areas. Having said that, the newer 5400 drives are getting bigger and faster, especially with perpendicular technology, allowing higher density and therefore faster read and access times.

    If performance is a priority, go with a 7200. If battery life is a priority, go with a 5400. Either way, you should consider an aftermarket drive and ordering with cheapest drive from Lenovo. You'll have better control of what you are getting and save some money.

    mdarter
     
    mdarter, Aug 5, 2007
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  5. mdarter

    mdarter Notebook Enthusiast

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    Stallen's right...on my T61 my Vista performance rating went from 4.4 with the OEM 5400 drive running x86 Vista to 5.2 after I installed the Seagate Momentus 7200.2 160 Gb 7200 drive. And the heat is barely noticeable. The other laptop in my sig runs extremely hot with the 7200 drive.

    mdarter
     
    mdarter, Aug 5, 2007
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  6. the-box

    the-box Notebook Enthusiast

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    Hmm I want a laptop there have a long battery time, and not warm, but I will also like one there is very quick. It is very difficult, but I think I am going for a 7200. Should it be Hitachi TravelStar 7K100 100 GB, Seagate Momentus 7200.1 ST910021AS 100 GB or another? I do not think I need more than 100 gb. Can I buy a normal 2,5 hard disk, or should I buy it from IBM?
     
    the-box, Aug 5, 2007
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  7. mdarter

    mdarter Notebook Enthusiast

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    Neither one; those are older drives. I'd order the machine with the smallest drive I could from Lenovo (which I assume would be the 80 Gb 5400 drive) and buy either the Hitachi 7K200 or Seagate Momentus 7200.2. I would not upgrade the drive from Lenovo.

    mdarter
     
    mdarter, Aug 5, 2007
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  8. the-box

    the-box Notebook Enthusiast

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    ok thanks :) should it be Hitachi 7K200 or Seagate Momentus 7200.2?
     
    the-box, Aug 5, 2007
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  9. mdarter

    mdarter Notebook Enthusiast

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    Now you're getting into a personal preference....I've had both and have good and bad luck with either company. Do a little research.

    I hope someone else chimes in here...my answers (and experience) are based on the T61...the tablet series may have some differences I don't know about.

    Here's a link to the Hitachi 7K200 120Gb drive... http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10006337. I didn't see either one in your size on Newegg.

    mdarter
     
    mdarter, Aug 5, 2007
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  10. Playmaker

    Playmaker Notebook Deity

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    It's hard to make blanket statements like this because it may be true when comparing certain models but not others. For instance, when going from a Hitachi 5K160 to a Seagate 7200.2, I found the noise wasn't that big a difference, but if you went from a Seagate 5400.3 to a 7200.2, the noise difference will be more noticeable because the 5400.3 is way quieter than the Hitachi.

    Here's a good webpage from Storage Review that gives idle noise and power consumption data from the most popular 5400rpm and 7200rpm notebook hard drives.
    http://www.storagereview.com/HTS722020K9A00.sr?page=0,5
     
    Playmaker, Aug 5, 2007
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  11. stallen

    stallen Thinkpad Woody

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    Out of these two drives the Hitachi has the edge. Obviously in size but also a little on performance. The Seagate, however is a good compromise between cost and performance.

    If a few extra $ isn't a concern go with the Hitachi. At around $1.10 per GB it's not so bad. I purchased my Hitachi 7K200 from zipzoomfly.com I've seen it anywhere from $219 to $239 with free shipping.
     
    stallen, Aug 5, 2007
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  12. Playmaker

    Playmaker Notebook Deity

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    I found my Seagate Momentus 7200.2 160GB from Dell for only $116.50. I guess Dell is good for something.
     
    Playmaker, Aug 5, 2007
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  13. stallen

    stallen Thinkpad Woody

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    Of course some would argue but they are also good for value/quality for monitors. I'd love to have the 2407WFP-HC.
     
    stallen, Aug 5, 2007
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  14. KnightUnit

    KnightUnit Notebook Evangelist

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    I just cant bring myself to like anything about Dells.
     
    KnightUnit, Aug 5, 2007
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  15. AceOfSpades

    AceOfSpades Notebook Consultant

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    get a 5400, save your money and buy a ssd whenever the tech gets cheap enough (probably a year or so)
     
    AceOfSpades, Aug 5, 2007
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  16. stallen

    stallen Thinkpad Woody

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    I'd guess about 3 years before you can get a reasonably priced 100GB SSD.
     
    stallen, Aug 5, 2007
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  17. Playmaker

    Playmaker Notebook Deity

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    Yeah if not more. SSD's will be out of the question for a while.
     
    Playmaker, Aug 5, 2007
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