Hard drive size and RPM inverse relationship

[lamina]

Why is it that the bigger your laptop drive gets, the lower its RPM becomes?

 

[mad jew]

At a guess, heat dissipation? The higher density platters + fast speeds create more heat than the manufacturer is willing to allow for.

 

[tilman]

Why is it that the bigger your laptop drive gets, the lower its RPM becomes?

Some of the higher capacity laptop drives use perpendicular recording technology, which effectively packs the bits closer together along the tracks. That means a higher data rate at the same RPM. Or the same or even better data rates even at lower RPMs.