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    160GB 5400 rpm vs 160GB 7200 rpm on MBP

    Discussion in 'Apple and Mac OS X' started by Streitzguy, Jun 5, 2007.

  1. Streitzguy

    Streitzguy Notebook Enthusiast

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    For 150$ extra I could get a new MBP with 7200 rpm. So would there be a significant advantage of the 7200 over the 5400? Does the 7200 shorten battery life? Is it simply not worth the money? Could someone explain? Thanks.
     
    Streitzguy, Jun 5, 2007
    #1
  2. sp00n

    sp00n Notebook Deity

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    There was an article that tested the battery life between the 5400 and 7200 RPM hard drives. The results revealed that there wasn't much difference in battery life between the two drives.

    The difference upgrading from 4200 to 5400 RPM is huge for a lot of people. However, the difference between 5400 and 7200 isn't as large as the difference between 4200 and 5400.
     
    sp00n, Jun 5, 2007
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  3. circa86

    circa86 Notebook Virtuoso NBR Reviewer

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    like many will post, you may not notice the difference in these HDD's unless you are using HDD intensive Apps, like Final Cut Studio, etc.

    but I am sure it is still slightly noticeable.

    like a lot of things with electronics/computers, is it faster? of course? how much? just a little, is it worth it? that you have to answer yourself, i don't think anyone else can answer it for you.

    good luck.
     
    circa86, Jun 5, 2007
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  4. Streitzguy

    Streitzguy Notebook Enthusiast

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    Take it easy. I purposely posted on this forum to get perspective NOT from Apple.
     
    Streitzguy, Jun 5, 2007
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  5. Notebook Solutions

    Notebook Solutions Company Representative NBR Reviewer

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    Well this 7200 rpm hard drive is Prependicular. So I think that you will really see improvement, especially in boot time.
     
    Notebook Solutions, Jun 5, 2007
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  6. otscay

    otscay Newbie

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    I'm not quite sure how to start a new post and I need to ask a question regarding installation of hard drives. I have a HP Pavilion dv9000t. It came with a 160gb 5400rpm single drive. I've purchased two 100gb 7200rpm drives that I've installed into drive bays 1&2. I know that the operating system ect. goes onto drive bay #1. Is there anything special I need to do when installing the 2nd drive into drive bay #2? Right now with both drives installed when I open up the HP Adviser program I'm not seeing an increase in available space on my hard drives. Presently, It's only showing me what's on the primary #1 drive? Does the PC automatically sense the 2nd drive? Should I be able to see the additional 100gb somewhere on my PC? I'd be greatful if someone could explain this to me. THANKS IN ADVANCE!!!


    otscay
     
    otscay, Jun 5, 2007
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  7. diver dan

    diver dan Notebook Geek

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    The big question is - what to you plan to do with your MBP?

    In general use the 7200 RPM drive will give a bit better performance in loading big files. So expect to see some improvements in boot times, load times for newer games, etc.

    Is this worth $150? That really depends on how much you hate waiting, but for me probably not. My last laptop was a Toshiba from 2001 with a 4200 rpm drive and I could live with it for everything it needed to do, which included running AutoCAD and SolidWorks and loaded pretty big part files in reasonable amounts of time.

    Now, the moment you start streaming anything (audio, video), or do anything else that involves moving alot of data around frequently, the 7200 RPM drive becomes much more useful. I record music among other things, and so the $150 suddenly becomes worth it for me.

    One other thing to note - and I may be wrong - but Seagate make the only 160gb 7200 rpm laptop hard drive I know of, and that drive uses new perpendicular write technology. Long story short, it gives even higher performance than conventional 7200 rpm drives.
     
    diver dan, Jun 5, 2007
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  8. shazzoz

    shazzoz Notebook Consultant

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    The 5400 160GB Notebook Hard Drive also uses the perpendicular techology. I have one, and it's great. Really no noticeable speed difference from a 100GB 7200RPM drive.

    (caveat - I don't do any significant video work, just photoshop, gaming, and office apps).

    I'd pick the 7200 RPM 160GB drive in a new MBP config, but - it's a 6 week waiting time. Not worth it to me.
     
    shazzoz, Jun 5, 2007
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  9. mjl2142

    mjl2142 Notebook Evangelist

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    I would suggest you go to the subforum "hp & compaq"
    http://forum.notebookreview.com/forumdisplay.php?f=3

    Search on your topic, and if you find something, use that thread, if not start a new one. This forum is mainly about macs, so your not going to find your answer here.
     
    mjl2142, Jun 5, 2007
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  10. Streitzguy

    Streitzguy Notebook Enthusiast

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    Would the 7200 add noise/heat?
     
    Streitzguy, Jun 10, 2007
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  11. pinwanger

    pinwanger Notebook Consultant

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    pinwanger, Jun 10, 2007
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  12. tsobanis

    tsobanis Newbie

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    tsobanis, Jun 11, 2007
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  13. teknerd122

    teknerd122 Notebook Evangelist

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    It's not the $150 that's the problem. It's the wait (how many weeks?) for the custom-configuration.
     
    teknerd122, Jun 11, 2007
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  14. PR0DiGY

    PR0DiGY Notebook Consultant

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    Hmm yeah

    I tried selecting a 7200 drive and it told me the expected shipping date is between 4-6 weeks.
     
    PR0DiGY, Jun 11, 2007
    #14