The Notebook Review forums were hosted by TechTarget, who shut down them down on January 31, 2022. This static read-only archive was pulled by NBR forum users between January 20 and January 31, 2022, in an effort to make sure that the valuable technical information that had been posted on the forums is preserved. For current discussions, many NBR forum users moved over to NotebookTalk.net after the shutdown.
Problems? See this thread at archive.org.

    Hard Drive for NP5793

    Discussion in 'Sager and Clevo' started by Spectre24, May 16, 2008.

  1. Spectre24

    Spectre24 Newbie

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    6
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    5
    So I'm looking at the options during the configuration stage, and I'm studying the hard drives available. Besides work related programs and whatnots, I plan on doing some serious gaming on this comp, specifically The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.

    I know the 7200 is a bit faster, but is the sacrificed 120GB worth 15 extra dollars for speed? Also, the double 16MB cache...is that compensating for the 200GB? I'm not too computer savvy, so forgive me if one has nothing to do with the other.

    320GB 5400RPM 8MB cache

    200GB 7200RPM 16MB cache

    The real question here is, which one should I go with?

    EDIT: Oh, and I had another quick question regarding the resolutions...is the 1920 x 1200 worth the price, or is there no noticeable difference graphics wise compared to the 1680 x 1050, or what?
     
    Spectre24, May 16, 2008
    #1
  2. Nirvana

    Nirvana Notebook Prophet

    Reputations:
    2,200
    Messages:
    5,426
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    this question has been asked many times.
    5k320 is as fast as 7k200 due to higher density.
     
    Nirvana, May 16, 2008
    #2
  3. Spectre24

    Spectre24 Newbie

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    6
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    5
    Oh ok...I'm sorry, I looked for the search function but I can't seem to locate it, and a google search only confirmed the fact that the 7200 was a bit faster.

    Density you say? What exactly does that mean...in laments terms? I mean I understand what you're saying, but could you dumb it down for me?
     
    Spectre24, May 16, 2008
    #3
  4. laptop4life

    laptop4life Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    25
    Messages:
    265
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    200GB 7200RPM 16MB cache
    alot faster and 200GB is more than enough you could fit like 100 games on it (WOULD NOT RECOMMEND DOING SO) And it would load stuff up alot quiker.
     
    laptop4life, May 16, 2008
    #4
  5. Spectre24

    Spectre24 Newbie

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    6
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    5
    So thats some conflicting information right there...but I appreciate the responses guys!

    Uhh, I guess I'll wait and see what other people have to say, since there are some obvious...differences, unless you two will argue this one out. :D
     
    Spectre24, May 16, 2008
    #5
  6. Nirvana

    Nirvana Notebook Prophet

    Reputations:
    2,200
    Messages:
    5,426
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    Nirvana, May 16, 2008
    #6
  7. Nirvana

    Nirvana Notebook Prophet

    Reputations:
    2,200
    Messages:
    5,426
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    the difference are quite hugh IMO, if you do gaming and HD videos a lot then definitely go for WUXGA
     
    Nirvana, May 16, 2008
    #7
  8. Spectre24

    Spectre24 Newbie

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    6
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    5
    Sounds great, thanks for the input and quick responses!
     
    Spectre24, May 16, 2008
    #8
  9. harrynom

    harrynom Notebook Guru

    Reputations:
    1
    Messages:
    71
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    15
    I have the 200, it's alright but understand you start off with only 186gb right away just from formatting. Then you lose another 10-15 gigs after installing vista so it starts disappearing quite fast, I've been losing space faster than I expected.

    If the 320g 5200 is equal in speed as nirvana shows then I think getting 200 would be a huge mistake, one that I made. Not only do you get much more space but I have a feeling that it runs cooler because of the lower rpm, perhaps that would even extend the drives life span. Curses
     
    harrynom, May 16, 2008
    #9
  10. Prasad

    Prasad NBR Reviewer 1337 NBR Reviewer

    Reputations:
    1,804
    Messages:
    4,956
    Likes Received:
    10
    Trophy Points:
    106
    I have 320GB but it's actually 298GB :)
     
    Prasad, May 16, 2008
    #10
  11. Rich.Carpenter

    Rich.Carpenter Cranky Bastage

    Reputations:
    91
    Messages:
    903
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    Spectre24 - To help clarify it for you, the 320GB drive has a higher density. That means that more data is stored in every square millimeter of surface area on the disk "platter" (the parts shaped like CD ROMS inside the drive). Therefore, even though the platter may be spinning at a slower speed, the area that the read head able to cover at that speed contains more data than that same area on a (smaller) 7200RPM drive. The 7200RPM makes up for a lower data density by spinning faster and covering more area in the same time. The (large) 5400RPM drives make up for the lower RPM by packing more data into the area the read head *does* pass over in that same length of time.

    Hope that helps.
     
    Rich.Carpenter, May 16, 2008
    #11