5400rpm vs 7200rpm

Hi, all. I wonder if you can help an old fart purchase his first notebook. (I'm not yet eligible for Social Security, but I am eligible for AARP!)

After conducting some on line research, as well as visiting brick-and-mortar shops to get a feel for some notebooks, I have decided to purchase an XPS mainly because I like the way they look. (I know, I know, that is a stupid way to decide.) I've decided on a 1530 as opposed to a 1330 because I like the larger screen and I'm not going to be carrying the computer around a lot (mainly from home to office and back each day).

My main reason for purchasing a laptop is so that I can surf the net, write e-mails, and do some word processing when I'm away from my desktop or out of town. I am not a gamer, so graphics are not an issue. Given these parameters, will I notice any difference at all between 5400 and 7200 rpms? I am planning on purchasing a T7500 processor if that makes any difference. Money is not an issue at all, but I still don't want to just throw away an extra $100 or so if it will make no difference. I'm planning on getting the 1400 x 900 LED LCD and will also go with the built-in Verizon wireless since I had already planned on using their broadband netwoork.

TIA

 

One of the advantages of getting a Penryn processor (T8300 or higher) is that it gets better battery life than the older Merom processors (like the T7500). I don't know if that's a concern of yours or not.

You might notice the time it takes to boot the computer being a little better with the faster hard drive. Other than that, you're probably just as well off with the slower drive.

 

Yes you'll see a nice speed bump by using a faster drive i.e programs will open faster, the system will boot quicker but you'll also notice the laptop will run warmer because of the higher speed drive.

 

7200 RPM drives open applications faster, boot faster, etc. but since they do spin faster, they do consume more power. Keep that in mind when making your decision.

 

The laptop will not only run hotter with a 7200RPM, but it will be noiser. I've read a lot of complaints of people being able to hear the hard drive scratching noises(which would irritate me). I would 100% stick with the 5400 if I was intending to use the computer for the purposes you listed.

 

the fastest drive on the market right now is 5400rpm 320gb. I'd stay away from the 7200rpm drives as they're smaller and more expensive than the 320gb 5400rpm drives.

 

When comparing just the 5400RPM drive to the 7200RPM drive, it shows that the 7200RPM drive is about 28% faster at accessing files. In reality, the amount of time it can take to open a folder or access a single piece of data with a 5400RPM drive is a fraction of a second. With a 7200RPM drive, it'll take even less time to open that folder, but it would barely be noticeable. You'll really only notice the difference when booting up the computer or playing a game.

 

that graph is for drives of equal size. speed grows with data density(size) and thus the biggest(and fastest) 5400rpm drive(320gb) is just barely faster than the biggest (and fastest) 7200rpm drive(200gb)

 

BTW, what are 5400 RPM Hybrid drives? Is Dell shopping them?

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hybrid_drive

 

Actually, now the biggest 7200RPM drive is 250Gb. That's what they now offer on the dell website http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?c=us&cs=19&l=en&oc=DYDWHF1&s=dhs

 

My 7200 rpm drive is not noisy at all, and I don't believe it's any hotter than the slower drive. I'm glad I chose the faster drive. I do see programs load faster when compared to another computer (comparably equipped) I have with a slower drive.

 

unless you really need to run pwerful programs (CAD, professional image/video editing) i would use the money on a newer processor, as this should give you more battery life, and a slight performance increase. also vista on my 1530 uses the hdd loads so you would probably bleed battery from the 7200!

 

I'd say as long as you keep your hard drive in check with routine maintenance/cleanup it won't matter much which drive you get. 320GB filled up and unmaintained will be as slow as previous generation drives.
As for the noise of the 7.2k drive - I, for one, cannot complain.
If I were to choose the drive for my system now, I would definitely pick up 320GB 5400 RPM drive just because it is more capacity for less dollar comparing to the largest 7.2K drive.

 

I would go with the 5400...the difference wont be noticable to you. Don't spend any more then you need to on a hard drive. If your not gonna be filling it up with multimedia and games then just get the smallest 5400 available. Down the road you might want to upgrade to a solid state drive when the prices drop a bit more.

 

Hey, everybody, I really appreciate all of your comments and suggestions. Based on what I've read from you all to this point, I think I'm going to go with the recommendations to get the 5400. Thanks again.

 

Negative on both accounts.
I have 2 Seagate Momentus Drives (7200rpm) running in RAID. I choose Seagates as they are the quietest drives I have every used - and trust me, Ive used a lot of laptops at work! Hitachi 7200rpm drives ar elouder, and have the scratching noises. This comes from a test I conducted myself. Hence this arguement comes down to whitch 7200rpm manufacturer you choose.
Seagates are also known to run cooler then other drives.

You mean the largest drive on the market is a 5400rpm 320GB.
The fastest would e a 7200rpm - and I believe you can get 250GB now.

 

Well if Dell aren't shipping the 7200rpm, 250GB drive. That would leave the 5400rpm 320GB to be the fastest.

 

Denser drives are faster. A 5400rpm 320GB drive is faster than a 160GB 7200rpm drive.

 

Agreed. I literally have to put my ear an inch away from the palmrest to hear the HD drive spinning. And even with playing games for several hours the computer is barely warm.

But for the OP's useage the 5400RPM drive may do him well.

 

Well I'm sure there are better(quieter/cooler) drives on the market than what dell offers, but that's what we're comparing here. A ton of complaints about noise and heat with the 7200's that come standard.

 

A ton minus one, anyway.

 

I have a hitachi 7200rpm 200 gig and I have never heard it make a noise. Maybe I just got lucky *shrug*

 

I've had three Hitachi 7200rpm Drives (two 60GB and one 100GB). The clicking noise on both 60GB drives were driving me nuts. Had to use the acoustic management to get rid of the noise. The 100GB Drive was OK.

My current Fujitsu 7200rpm Drive is quiet.


.

 

Well, guys, after all this discussion, and my initial decision to save money and go with the 5400, I ended up buying a preconfigured special in the EPP section today that came with a 250GB 7200rpm SATA drive already included. In fact, there was no other option. Here is my total configuration (let me know if you think this was a good deal):

Midnight Blue
T7500 processor (paid $75 to upgrade from T7250)
250GB 7200rpm SATA drive (included - no other option)
4 GB memory (included)
1440 x 900 LED LCD (paid $150 to upgrade to LED)
Intel Next-Gen Wireless N mini-card (included)
ExpressCard Sound Blaster Xtreme Audio Sound Card (paid $50 to upgrade)
Verizon built-in cellular mobile broadband (EVDO Rev A) (paid $150)
Bluetooth travel mouse (paid $25)
6 cell battery (included)
3 yr warranty (included)

My total was $1,429 + Tax.

Configured system came to $2,553 before discounts of $749 by buying the pre-configured system today, an additional discount of $180 by using a 10% EPP discount coupon, and then an additional $195 for the regular 12% EPP discount for buying a system over $1,600.

Oh, I almost forgot. I have a rebate form to get $100 back once I activate the Verizon service. So that actually brings my total out-of-pocket cost for this system down to $1,329 + tax.

How'd I do?

 

You did pretty well!
Let us know how LED display turns out.
Also, did you get the complete care with the 3-year warranty, or not?

 

No, it did not include the complete care accidental damage coverage. It was just the standard 3yr in-home warranty. However, after you pointed that out, I called Dell up and had the complete care package added. The cost was an additional $149, reduced by the 10% & 12% discounts to $118.

 

How did you get an EPP discount and the 749 instant savings? I can't find the system anywhere when browsing the member purchase store, and if I go to the deals from the front page and then laptop deals to find the one with $749 IS, it logs me into a normal account.

 

I'm a late arriver to the thread, but I'll share my accounts...

It all depends on how good your hearing is and what the rest of your computers specs are...

For me...

I had the beauty of buying my i1520 with a 5400RPM drive then switching it to a 7200RPM hoping for more speed and then dropped it back down to a 5400RPM drive.

For me I have Vista x64 and 4GB of RAM with SuperFetch turned on. As a result I noticed ZERO speed difference between my 5400RPM and my 7200RPM. I did notice the increased noise and heat (only during heavy HD activity) though.

I have really good hearing I guess as I can hear both my 5400RPM and my 7200RPM spinning in a fairly quiet room, but the 7200RPM was far too loud spinning for me to be happy.

So, my advice is stick to 5400RPM if you are going Vista with a nice amount of RAM (2GB or more).

 

Here is what I did step-by-step.

1. Go to Dell.com
2. Place the curser on "Laptops"
3. Click on the government, education, etc. section.
4. Click on employee purchases
5. Click on "laptop" (again)
6. Click on the banner ad that says "More great deals. Up to $749 off selected laptops.
7. That takes you to the configuration screen.

I just tried it again a moment ago and it is still there.

I hope that helps.

 

Even for additional 118, I believe you got a pretty good deal
My system in my signature was a bit over 1400 + tax with EPP a month ago, and that without the EVDO and X-Fi card

 

Thanks, that did it. The tax kills you though. $114.96, ouch.