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.

    will hdd upgrade use improved access time

    Discussion in 'Hardware Components and Aftermarket Upgrades' started by key, Nov 1, 2006.

  1. key

    key Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    12
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    5
    hi,

    i'm on the verge of buying a new drive.

    i think i understand that a replacement ata7 drive will only run at ata6 performance but does that include the access times?

    the drive i'm looking at is 7.4ms but it's ata7 and my drive is ata6.

    it's going in a travelmate 4600 and i don't know but i guess it's only going to be ata6.

    the new one is 7200 and bigger so i'm gaining anyway but was wondering if anyone knows whether i would get the improved access times as well, or even if there could be a performance drop.
     
    key, Nov 1, 2006
    #1
  2. Pitabred

    Pitabred Linux geek con rat flail!

    Reputations:
    3,300
    Messages:
    7,115
    Likes Received:
    3
    Trophy Points:
    206
    ...there is no such thing as an ATA7 drive? Make sure you're getting an IDE drive, and not an SATA drive.

    Either way, yes, it will use the improved access times and transfer speeds. You won't experience any drop in performance.
     
    Pitabred, Nov 1, 2006
    #2
  3. Zero

    Zero The Random Guy

    Reputations:
    422
    Messages:
    2,720
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    55
    ATA-7 does exist. Its basically ATA-133, meaning it can transfer data at 133 Mb/s, but it never reaches that speed. If you go for a 7200 rpm drive, you should get a faster access time because of the higher spin rate.
     
    Zero, Nov 1, 2006
    #3
  4. key

    key Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    12
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    5
    :) response much appreciated. thanks.
     
    key, Nov 1, 2006
    #4
  5. theoak

    theoak Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    90
    Messages:
    296
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    It depends what you define as improved "performance" however. With a higher RPM based drive, you battery performance may suffer. If battery performance is not a concern - enjoy! :)
     
    theoak, Nov 1, 2006
    #5
  6. Pitabred

    Pitabred Linux geek con rat flail!

    Reputations:
    3,300
    Messages:
    7,115
    Likes Received:
    3
    Trophy Points:
    206
    They've done tests, and higher RPM drives have an unmeasurable impact on battery life.
     
    Pitabred, Nov 1, 2006
    #6
  7. matt.modica

    matt.modica Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    7
    Messages:
    248
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    Also make sure to get one with an 8 MB cache or one with 16 MB if possible. That will help also.
     
    matt.modica, Nov 1, 2006
    #7
  8. key

    key Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    12
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    5
    i'm trying to get a 100/120 at 7200 with low access as is everyone else it seems as they are out of stock.

    no rush... and thanks again all.
     
    key, Nov 2, 2006
    #8