5400 vs 7200 HD

[mbpjohnson]

Hi all....complete newbee to Macs...first post and first post.

Wife needs a new computer and have decided to go MBP. I was set to order a 17 inch I7 with 7200 rpm hd but found out the local store has them in stock with the 5400 rpm HD. Will I notice much differance, I suspect not?

thanks
Phil

 

[bobfitz14]

the 7200 will be a lot faster than the 5400, but for everyday usage you might not need the increased speed so just save the extra money. depends on what the MBP will be used for though

 

[Hellhammer]

She'll be fine with 7200rpm. As it sounds like you are not having shortage of money, it'd better to get SSD is she needs more speed but as bobfitz14 said, it depends on her usage

 

[mbpjohnson]

The 50 dollars doesn't make much difference one way or the other its just a matter of waiting a week or running down to the store and picking one up.
It will be for the wife who uses it for her pictures, email, chat, and maybe some video editing. Just normal home use..no games or high end stuff.

Phil

 

[Hellhammer]

The 50 dollars doesn't make much difference one way or the other its just a matter of waiting a week or running down to the store and picking one up.
It will be for the wife who uses it for her pictures, email, chat, and maybe some video editing. Just normal home use..no games or high end stuff.

Phil

Then 5400rpm HD is fine, it can easily be upgraded later on if she thinks it's "slow" (which it's not gonna be ). 7200rpm HD can cause heat, battery and vibration issues, that's why some people don't like them

 

[diablo2112]

I just put up a post in regarding my experience with the 5400 vs. 7200. I've had both in a new MBP in the last few days. Bottom line, vibration in the 7200 rpm drive was much, much higher. So much, I took it out and went back to a 5400 drive. Perhaps a slight performance hit, but the reduction in vibration and noise is worth more to me. Eventually, I'll put an SSD in, anyway.

 

[mbpjohnson]

Thanks for the quick replies I think I will just pick one up locally and be happy with the 5400 drive. I am sure it will be quite an upgrade from the 10 year old windows laptop she has now. The daughter talked me into going Mac and have been quite impressed with the demos I have seen, so excited to join the Mac crowd. Now if I could just get that new IMac 27 inch for me I would be all set.

thanks
Phil

 

[Mark Booth]

A) No way I'd pay $50 to upgrade a 500GB drive from 5400rpm to 7200rpm when I can go to Frys or Amazon and buy a 500GB 7200rpm drive OUTRIGHT for $89. For $39 more, I'd have BOTH drives.

B) No way I'd be happy with either a 5400rpm or 7200rpm drive in my MacBook Pro. SSD is the only way to fly. But that's a different financial commitment entirely.

Mark