5400 vs. 7200 RPM HD (on m1330 or 1420)

Last week, I was very close to purchasing the d630. However, I wanted to wait for the pricing of the m1330 to see if it was a feasible option. When the notebooks were finally released today, and I saw that the 1420 had very similar features to the m1330 (same keyboard, a higher-res screen, webcam, ...), that brought a 3rd machine into the picture.

That being said, one of the key factors that makes the pricing of these systems get pretty high is upgrading to a 7200 RPM HD. On the d630, it was relatively cheap to get a 120GB 7200. However, on these new ones, they only offer the 160 size, which is pretty pricey. As I use an external drive anyway (I have about 100gigs of music), I would rather save some $ on getting a lesser HD. However, I do not want to sacrifice much performance by getting a 5400 RPM HD.

Do any of you have info as to the performance on a 5400 RPM HD vs. a 7200 RPM HD? I would be getting the T7300 processor and 2GB RAM, btw. Also, would likely get the dedicated graphics card, and be running vista ultimate.

 

it's been discussed numerous times. 7200RPM is totally worth it. read http://www.tomshardware.com/2006/10/12/fujitsus_mhv2200bt/index.html and compare. "the Hitachi TravelStar 7K100, which has the highest transfer rates of the pack, is on average, 45% faster with half the storage and almost twice the rotational speed." check out the following as well: http://www.tomshardware.com/2005/11/11/fast_and_furious/

don't chase that extra space; although it is valuable, it can be easily added externally.

P.S. learn how to search the forum

 

PS. Please include a link that actually works. Thanks.

 

I would agree with that -- the only thing is that the 7200 option in both m1330 and 1420 is a 160GB HD, which is huge. There doesn't seem to be a smaller, more affordable option in 7200

 

which of the 3 models are you going to go with? i too am choosing between the 3. have been thinking 630 for the longest time till the 1420 came out. the xps is beautiful, but idk if i can go with it as i really wanted the port replicator

 

Neither the 1330 or the 1420 will have a port replicator, FYI.

And, it seems that the only 7200 RPM option on both models is the 160GB, which really drives the price up.

I'm really torn now... on average, the xps is about $400 more than the d630 or 1420, spec'd to the way I like ($1500 vs. ~$1900)

 

wow so if you're sure the 1420 wont have a port replicator then i guess my decision will be D630.

is it better to call and order, or order online?

 

If I get the M1330, I may just buy a Hitachi TravelStar from NewEgg.com and swap it out myself. It's crazy to spend a ton of money for a 160GB 7200RPM drive when I only need 60GB or so.

Michael

 

Agreed. I've been looking at the M1330s and $160 US for the 160GB 7200 rpm drive seems steep, especially when I know I won't need the storage. It makes more sense to buy a 100GB 7200 TravelStar for $100 and use the shipping drive as a backup if you need it.

 

Problem is, I don't want normal tasks to be running slower w/ the 5400 RPM HD. I'm not sure just how much faster tasks would run with the 7200. At any rate, accessing my music on iTunes would be via the external HD, which would be 7200...

However, if I did buy 160, I could potentially bypass buying an external....hmmm

 

What about heat? How much more heat will the 7200 rpm hd generate?

At least with the m1330, the preview said that it already gets pretty hot with just the 5400 rpm hd.

Not to mention the extra battery drain.

 

That's a debunked myth, 7200rpm uses like up to 5 minutes more battery life than a 5400rpm drive...

 

New generation of 5400rpm drives are approaching performance level of 1st generation 7200rpm drive.

Power consumption is different from every models. Take a look at this review.

http://www.storagereview.com/160notebook.sr