7200 vs. 5400 Hard drives

Oistrakh · Nov 30, 2007

Do 7200RPM hard drives get hot easily and use up more energy compared to 5400 RPM Hard drives? (lower battery life) How noticeable are those differences?

cwa107 · Nov 30, 2007

Oistrakh said:
Do 7200RPM hard drives get hot easily and use up more energy compared to 5400 RPM Hard drives? (lower battery life) How noticeable are those differences?

Well, physics applies as always. Yes, a 7200 rpm drive will generate additional heat and consume more power. The differences are not terribly significant in my experience. But you can probably expect a few minutes less battery life as a result.

Cherokee · Nov 30, 2007

Read and write speed more than make up for it, IMO.

Geeky1 · Nov 30, 2007

See this post:
http://www.mac-forums.com/forums/showpost.php?p=492979&postcount=3

In short, in the real world, the extra speed has no real impact on battery life as far as I can tell, and my experience has mirrored that. Heat is the same deal-the 7.2k drives use, at most, a couple tenths of a watt more power than their 5400rpm counterparts. You will never notice a difference between the two drives' heat output.

cwa107 · Nov 30, 2007

Geeky1 said:
See this post:
http://www.mac-forums.com/forums/showpost.php?p=492979&postcount=3

In short, in the real world, the extra speed has no real impact on battery life as far as I can tell, and my experience has mirrored that. Heat is the same deal-the 7.2k drives use, at most, a couple tenths of a watt more power than their 5400rpm counterparts. You will never notice a difference between the two drives' heat output.

That really is the definitive post on this subject. Geeky, you should really consider writing a FAQ for the FAQs subforum!

Geeky1 · Nov 30, 2007

Maybe after the treatment program for the carpal tunnel I gave myself writing the RAM guide runs its course

7200 vs. 5400 Hard drives

Oistrakh

cwa107

Cherokee

Geeky1

cwa107

Geeky1

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