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View Full Version : MacBook Pro 7200 RPM effect on noise, battery life, performance?



amberashby
Feb 28, 2006, 07:11 AM
Hi all,

I'm about to place my order and I'm still trying to decide between the 5400RPM or 7200RPM drive. I'm not as concerned about the extra $100 as I am about the effect on noise/battery life and extra heat too. Also, is the performance boost noticeable?

Any comments regarding this would be appreciated.

Thanks.

Amber


Spies
Mar 4, 2006, 04:36 PM
I'd like to know this too.
Flyinace2000
Mar 4, 2006, 04:44 PM
I'd like to know this too.

Whatever it is the performance benifit has to be worth it. When i book my G4 PB off an external FW hard drive it FLYS!!!
treblah
Mar 4, 2006, 09:44 PM
Good question.

As I will usually run my MBP as a desktop replacement I didn't even consider the 7200rpm (which I opted for) vs. 5400rpm in terms of battery life. :o
amberashby
Mar 5, 2006, 07:45 AM
Good question.

As I will usually run my MBP as a desktop replacement I didn't even consider the 7200rpm (which I opted for) vs. 5400rpm in terms of battery life. :o

I'm leaning toward the 7200RPM. Like you, I mostly use my laptop as a desktop replacement (plugged in). I'm mostly concerned with any extra noise, but I think it would be negligible.
kkapoor
Mar 5, 2006, 08:03 AM
The difference in battery life is negligible. Barefeats.com did a comparison not long ago. Go for the 7200 rpm drive.
Winstonp
Mar 5, 2006, 08:16 AM
5400 is a thing of the past. This 7200rpm whips along. I suggest it, highly.
BornAgainMac
Mar 5, 2006, 08:22 AM
What are some benchmarks for this faster drive? Everything starts up fast with the slower drive I can't see the point of having a faster drive. What apps would take advantage of it?
fyzle
Apr 26, 2006, 04:19 PM
What are some benchmarks for this faster drive? Everything starts up fast with the slower drive I can't see the point of having a faster drive. What apps would take advantage of it?

Spotlight, Finder, starting any program, copy/pasting files etc.
dmw007
Apr 26, 2006, 04:37 PM
BareFeats has a nice benchmark comparing the MacBook Pro with the stock 5,400rpm HDD vs. the 7,200rpm HDD.

http://www.barefeats.com/5472.html
Scottyk9
Apr 26, 2006, 05:08 PM
Spotlight, Finder, starting any program, copy/pasting files etc.

the barefeats article above suggests that you will not realize any speed advantages with the above unless you are transferring very large files (video, audio)
lilstewart
Apr 26, 2006, 05:25 PM
5400 is a thing of the past. This 7200rpm whips along. I suggest it, highly.
And here I am on a 4200RPM iBook. :o
aquajet
Apr 26, 2006, 05:26 PM
BareFeats has a nice benchmark comparing the MacBook Pro with the stock 5,400rpm HDD vs. the 7,200rpm HDD.

http://www.barefeats.com/5472.html

Looks like it's time to upgrade the crappy 4200 rpm drive in my PB. :eek:
Malcster
Apr 26, 2006, 06:14 PM
Another vote for 7200, can't even hear the 7200 in my mbp when its accessing, also the power requirements difference between it and a 5400 drive are miniscule, so no battery issues either.

i defy anyone to work out whether it makes an mbp hotter! there all hot ;) and besides apple wouldn't offer it as an option if it couldnt handle it would they?

Zips along too :)
steve_hill4
Apr 26, 2006, 06:20 PM
If I had a 7200 internal, I doubt it would make too much noise/heat difference to me, especially when most of the time I have a 7200 external also plugged in making noise louder than my 5400. As for battery life, for me I have my MBP plugged in most of the time at the moment, (no Airport as of yet, still hanging in for Express AV in the near future). If it was unplugged, it would perhaps mean dropping 20 minutes of life I guess.
rick6502
Apr 26, 2006, 06:30 PM
As an owner of a MacBookPro (only slightly gloating) with a 7200RPM drive, I can say that I am fine with the battery performance. I also notice that the finder is very snappy and I attribute some of that to the drive speed. I didn't even hesitate when I purchased mine, and I don't regret that aspect of it. (What do I regret you say? That maybe I should have waited for the 17". Ahh well.)
dailo
Apr 26, 2006, 08:20 PM
Are you guys doing the install yourself or taking it to somewhere else? I don't want switching out the drive on my MBP to ruin my warranty. Thanks.
amberashby
Apr 26, 2006, 10:08 PM
Are you guys doing the install yourself or taking it to somewhere else? I don't want switching out the drive on my MBP to ruin my warranty. Thanks.


I don't think anyone is suggesting swapping out a 5400 for a 7200 after purchase. It isn't THAT big of a speed difference. However I'm about to place an order and was debating what RPM drive to go with.
dmw007
Apr 26, 2006, 10:38 PM
And here I am on a 4200RPM iBook. :o

Same here.... :o
velocityg4
Apr 27, 2006, 12:04 AM
The difference in battery life is negligible. Barefeats.com did a comparison not long ago. Go for the 7200 rpm drive.

I read the same on Toms Harware. Here's an article showing some in depth battery and speed benchmarks.

http://www.mobilityguru.com/2003/10/31/fast_and_furious/page3.html

Basically, battery life changes by 5-10 minutes, but boot time, applications opening and read/write are all greatly improved.