I am just looking for a portable hard drive, and I don't do any film or audio editing. I just need to store photos and other various files. Does it really make a difference wether I choose 5400 or 7200 RPM?
The 7200 rpm hard drive of the last generation are better. But the latest generation of 5400 rpm HD can easily outperform an oldest 7200 rpm HD (due to the lesser density of the plates). But faster RPM give better access time and better data transfer rates.
The difference of prize is not very big : choose the latest generation of 7200 rpm HD.
There is the question of durability, however. It appears, the faster the platters turn, the shorter the expected lifespan of your drive is. It is something to bear in mind. I don't know if the difference between 5400 and 7200 is so big, but it does become a serious issue with 10000 and 15000 rpm drives. However, I speak not of personal experience, so somebody else may shed more light.
<strong>Cache in the drive is a huge factor. The newer 8MB cache 5400 rpm models will usually outperform a 2MB 7200 rpm model unless you are routinely dealing with files that are at least 2-3 times larger than that 8MB cache in rapid succession.
So unless you are doing things like streaming video or Photoshopping, the 5400 with a bigger cache is better. And if you are doing those things then you should really be looking at 15000 rpm solution packages.
I'd like to see hard evidence on that. A recent CNET 'By the Numbers' series article showed little real-world performance increase betweem 8 vs 2 MB models.
"While this story was being researched, in the middle of an interview with an executive at a hard-drive company, a distressed marketing person broke into the conversation. "Look," she said, "I don't want to see a quote saying it doesn't matter which hard drive you buy." She had reason to worry: in responding to our questions about the wide range of hard-drive options available to consumers, the exec was repeatedly drawn to the conclusion that performance differences among current-model hard drives were so slight that most desktop users wouldn't notice. This is not exactly the kind of information that will make it into the company's future marketing efforts."
Read this article, I doubt you will find any bias toward a particular manufacturer.
<strong>I am just looking for a portable hard drive, and I don't do any film or audio editing. I just need to store photos and other various files. Does it really make a difference wether I choose 5400 or 7200 RPM?
Thanks.</strong><hr></blockquote>
I'll always have to reccomend the fastest option...
No matter what you're doing, when it comes to virtual memory, Hardrive speed will boost the responsiveness of your computer...
Laptops can also mean less memory, so this can become even more important in this case...
Of course, the slower your harddrive, the more important it is to have more memory... but everything has to be loaded at least once...
Comments
The difference of prize is not very big : choose the latest generation of 7200 rpm HD.
<strong>Cache in the drive is a huge factor. The newer 8MB cache 5400 rpm models will usually outperform a 2MB 7200 rpm model unless you are routinely dealing with files that are at least 2-3 times larger than that 8MB cache in rapid succession.
So unless you are doing things like streaming video or Photoshopping, the 5400 with a bigger cache is better. And if you are doing those things then you should really be looking at 15000 rpm solution packages.
[ 12-15-2002: Message edited by: AirSluf ]</strong><hr></blockquote>
I'd like to see hard evidence on that. A recent CNET 'By the Numbers' series article showed little real-world performance increase betweem 8 vs 2 MB models.
From the article:
"While this story was being researched, in the middle of an interview with an executive at a hard-drive company, a distressed marketing person broke into the conversation. "Look," she said, "I don't want to see a quote saying it doesn't matter which hard drive you buy." She had reason to worry: in responding to our questions about the wide range of hard-drive options available to consumers, the exec was repeatedly drawn to the conclusion that performance differences among current-model hard drives were so slight that most desktop users wouldn't notice. This is not exactly the kind of information that will make it into the company's future marketing efforts."
Read this article, I doubt you will find any bias toward a particular manufacturer.
<strong>I am just looking for a portable hard drive, and I don't do any film or audio editing. I just need to store photos and other various files. Does it really make a difference wether I choose 5400 or 7200 RPM?
Thanks.</strong><hr></blockquote>
I'll always have to reccomend the fastest option...
No matter what you're doing, when it comes to virtual memory, Hardrive speed will boost the responsiveness of your computer...
Laptops can also mean less memory, so this can become even more important in this case...
Of course, the slower your harddrive, the more important it is to have more memory... but everything has to be loaded at least once...