Ok, I'm getting a 2.16 Ghz MBP, the choices are a 100 GB 5400 rpm, 120 GB 5400 rpm, or a 100 GB 7400 rpm. Which is better 100 GB 7400 rpm or 120 GB 5400 rpm???
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MBP Hard Drive question
- Thread starter winterdude010
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winterdude010 said:
the 7200 rpm hardrive will drain the battery quicker and make MORE heat than the 5400 rpm drive
If you are only doing basic web stuff e.g. surfing/IM/iPhoto etc.. I would gould go 5400..
If you doing Medium Loads e.g. PhotoShop/CSS etc then go for the 7200 rpm
iphil said:
Depends on what you value more, speed or storage space/slight battery performance gains. If you do Photoshop/Pro Tools/Video Editing on your MBP and plan on running the project files off the laptop's HDD, definately 7200 RPM. However, if you plan on using a 7200 RPM Firewire external HDD to run the project files off of or aren't planning on anything intensive running off the laptop hard drive, 5400 RPM will give you what you need and more space to boot. I find that the program can run off a 5400 RPM HDD easily, its when you run both the program and the project file you are working on from a 5400 RPM HDD that speed becomes an issue.
I personally would go for the bigger drive. I know the advantages of the higher performance drive, but storage is premium for me. But I have huge iPhoto libraries, a fairly large iTunes collection that is rapidly growing thanks to video purchases, and I like the to retain the capability to edit some DV footage while on the go. So I would spring for the bigger drive, but I don't think you can really go wrong. It just depends on what you value the most.
iphil said:
False: The 7200 rpm HD would only use more power to start up but in general it will use the same amount of power as the 5400. It is negligable. You can say what you will about it but there are tons of articles that state it is about the same on battery life. You may see a 1% decrease with the faster HD just due to heat production. And having a MBP with a 7200 RPM, I can say that it does not create as much heat as you might thing. The computer is a bit warm compared to say a iBook but that is nothing big. I like it. It really is not bad at all. The load times on things is really quick. Love the speed. You should do what you think is best. Speed or space. The battery life is not a reason to choose otherwise. I get 4.5 to 5 hours on energy saving methods and light use.