Thinkpads Forum

hi all
after reading previous posts in this topic, have some questions left.

I'm looking to buy a 320gb, preferably 7,200 rpm for my X60S (I currently have hitachi travelstar 5k100 100gb)

so far, I've seen two main candidates, the travelstar 7k320 and the WD scorpio black. there are also seagate, toshiba and samsung in the market but I don't know anything about these yet.

wanted to ask if you have some knowledge about the various models, have you seen some comparisons, what do you think, etc..

Is it true that the 7,200rpm drives vibrate more than the 5,400? I read some users with the WD complaining about that.
I wouldn't mind buying a 5,400rpm as well, if I know there isn't much difference or if it's better/safer/quieter etc..

any comment would be appreciated,
thanks

I have used both the 5400 and 7200 rpm versions of the WD notebook drives. In fact, right now I have two identical Thinkpad X60s' with the two different models in them. The 7200 is even quieter and smoother running than the 5400. That said, however, the 5400 is a quiet and vibration free hard drive. The 7200 "seems" a little faster than the 5400, but both ae excellent choices.

There is another player in the mix now - the 5400 rpm 500gb versions from both Samsung and WD. I've always had good luck with WD, so I'd consider them first.

Is their any measurable difference in power consumption between the 5400 rpm and 7200 rpm drives?

awolfe63 wrote:Is their any measurable difference in power consumption between the 5400 rpm and 7200 rpm drives?

yes, you can look in the comparison charts in tom's hardware, you can also see power consumption: http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/2-5- ... ks,25.html

thanks dstrauss for the post, that sounds promising.
i wish i heard some more opinions from people who have one of these hd's, to be sure about vibration issues . .

Looks like .1W between comparable generation 7200 and 5400 RPM drives. Not worth getting a slower drive for .1W. That would only give me an extra few minutes.