Huge difference between 5400 and 7200 RPM

[JoshOohAh]

first off im going to upgrade my 13'' macbook pro. Is their a big difference between 5400 7200 rpm that's noticeable. i understand it will cause the hard drive to spin faster thus access files quicker but how much quicker?

also it has to cause more heat since its spinning faster and will that heat cause other parts in my computer to slow down over time? I want a good 3-4 years out of this thing.

 

[thejadedmonkey]

first off im going to upgrade my 13'' macbook pro. Is their a big difference between 5400 7200 rpm that's noticeable. i understand it will cause the hard drive to spin faster thus access files quicker but how much quicker?

also it has to cause more heat since its spinning faster and will that heat cause other parts in my computer to slow down over time? I want a good 3-4 years out of this thing.

I don't know about the speed, but I can tell you that a 4500 or 7200 RPM drive will last just as long (meaning you won't notice it fail due to the RPM speed). The 7200 rpm drive will create more heat and use more power, however, the amount of heat and power created and used is negligible.

I also understand (although have no first hand experience) that the 7200rpm drive is faster, although unless you need fast HDD access, is probably unnecessary.

 

[upinflames900]

I also understand (although have no first hand experience) that the 7200rpm drive is faster, although unless you need fast HDD access, is probably unnecessary.

Trust me when I say that 7200rpm is significantly faster and makes a noticable difference for all users not just some who need fast hard drive access. It is worth the measly $50 which is practically a rounding error with the price of a MBP.

 

[thejadedmonkey]

Trust me when I say that 7200rpm is significantly faster and makes a noticable difference for all users not just some who need fast hard drive access. It is worth the measly $50 which is practically a rounding error with the price of a MBP.

Once again, this depends on the person. I've booted off of an iPod, and I found that to be slow. I find my 4500 rpm drive to be more then speedy enough for what I use it for, and only run into issues when I'm playing around in final cut.

If the OP uses his/her MBP for light internet/document usage, or even games, they're not going to notice a big difference.

Let's say it cuts the time it takes each program to open in 1/2 (which I would think is grossly over-estimating it). That would mean iTunes opens in .5 seconds, as opposed to 1 second. For someone like me, that's hardly worth the $50 when I could spend $20 and add a gig of RAM.

 

[upinflames900]

Once again, this depends on the person. I've booted off of an iPod, and I found that to be slow. I find my 4500 rpm drive to be more then speedy enough for what I use it for, and only run into issues when I'm playing around in final cut.

If the OP uses his/her MBP for light internet/document usage, or even games, they're not going to notice a big difference.

Let's say it cuts the time it takes each program to open in 1/2 (which I would think is grossly over-estimating it). That would mean iTunes opens in .5 seconds, as opposed to 1 second. For someone like me, that's hardly worth the $50 when I could spend $20 and add a gig of RAM.

Yea...I guess, but there is a significant difference between the two, it is just whether you would be affected by it with your computer usage.

 

[thejadedmonkey]

Yea...I guess, but there is a significant difference between the two, it is just whether you would be affected by it with your computer usage.

If I went to upgrade, I'd probably skip right over the 7200 rpm and head straight for an overprices x-25 SSD

 

[upinflames900]

If I went to upgrade, I'd probably skip right over the 7200 rpm and head straight for an overprices x-25 SSD

There is a significant difference between $50 and $500 though... to the OP there is a difference, but your choice as to what you choose.