I'm almost convinced that i should save 90$ and get the 100g 7400rpm, instead of the base configured 160g 5400rpm. Could anyone make a case for staying with the 160g?
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Macbook Pro HDD
- Thread starter curiosa863
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Got it... Space isn't an issue because i've got a couple of externals for my media. But i hadn't thought about the battery and heat issues. I don't think a 17" is a very portable laptop in the first place though. Does anyone have numbers on the difference in battery life between the 7200 and 5400 drives in MBP?
*edit*
How significant are the performance gains? Specifically in boot up, perhaps ripping a dvd. Will a 5400 drive keep up with say, handbrake ripping a dvd?
*edit*
How significant are the performance gains? Specifically in boot up, perhaps ripping a dvd. Will a 5400 drive keep up with say, handbrake ripping a dvd?
I rip DVDs with handbrake using the standard 120gig 5400RPM HDD, and have never had any problems. To me, it runs extremely fast, but I have nothing to compare it to save a Windows machine.
How quick does your MBP do it? My ibook is horribly slow... anywhere from 1/2x to 1/4x. Does a MBP go 1x or 2x? I know that bitrate makes a difference, but do you ever touch say, 50 frames a second?
I honestly have never paid any attention. I would say it never takes more than an hour (it usually goes faster than that), but beyond that, I couldn't say.
Battery life won't actually be any worse - it does use more power when operating but it works faster and so spends less time using that power, if you get what I mean.
I read about this in some review a few months back and the 7200 rpm actually uses a fraction less power than the 5400rpm overall although don't have the time to link you up to it at the moment
I read about this in some review a few months back and the 7200 rpm actually uses a fraction less power than the 5400rpm overall although don't have the time to link you up to it at the moment
I will take your word for it then, thats the kind of comparison i was wanting to hear.
What issues arise from heat? Anything other than discomfort on your lap?
By recording you mean actually creating right? Like with garageband or another program. Sorry if that is a dumb question.
I would presume (although this is only a presumption) that heat would be similar to power usage - it makes more heat when operating but doesn't spend as long doing so causing a fairly similar heat output.
Also, looking from a physics aspect, the power that goes into the hard drive comes out as wasted energy in the form of heat and sound. If the 7200rpm is using roughly the same power then there won't be any more heat (theoretically).
Obviously this wouldn't apply to operating sound as its an on/off thing with sound not average over time.
For me the benefits on paper outweigh the negatives if space isn't an issue as it's just plain faster although possibly a little louder.
Also, looking from a physics aspect, the power that goes into the hard drive comes out as wasted energy in the form of heat and sound. If the 7200rpm is using roughly the same power then there won't be any more heat (theoretically).
Obviously this wouldn't apply to operating sound as its an on/off thing with sound not average over time.
For me the benefits on paper outweigh the negatives if space isn't an issue as it's just plain faster although possibly a little louder.
That too makes sense. Same power consumption, same heat output, albeit in shorter, more intense bursts. Sound isn't much of an issue to me either, so i am going to close the case on this issue. Thanks for all of your takes and feedback.