Thinkpads Forum

I'm thinking about buying a Thinkpad Edge 14" from Lenovo with the following setup:
- Intel Core i5-480M
- 4GB DDR3
- 500GB @ 7200rpm

If I buy it from OfficeDepot, I will save $50, but the 500GB HDD will only be 5400rpm.

I'm wondering if the extra speed of the 7200 is worth the extra $50. I've also heard that 7200s use more battery (not really important for me because I'll have it plugged in 99% of the time). I've also heard they generate a little more heat.

I was also wondering if anyone knew specifically what models of HDD ship with these systems, since my understanding is that a nice brand of 5400 could theoretically outperform a crappy 7200.

The part # of the 7200 is 75Y0245, but I can't find any information on it. I'm not sure what the part # of the 5400 is, but it's part of the 0578-A99 system.

[quote=....................I'm wondering if the extra speed of the 7200 is worth the extra $50. ......[/quote]

Bri* ....in short , I would save the $50 and use the EXISTING HARD DRIVE - as even in the i5 version of TP Edge - you wont have HD as the "Limiting factor" in slowing your machine or anything like that ,,,,
this is often seen even Windows Experiance Index(as red'mory as that is) ,,,, IMHO , its often not worth the extra$$ If you really like to see that TP ZING - buy a SSD !!

Heat & Battery life is Generally Affected by 7200 HD drive but it depends on which 'brand and or model'.......

However , if you still want to get a 7200RPM drive you can always order these ,,,,(my suggestions) and its easily the best around

1) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6822136835

2) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6822145429


I personally have used 100s of the HITACHI Travelstar brands and never have had ONE FAILURE YET,,,,, and this model they recently released is the "" Lowest power consumption & Highest operating shock ": ,,,,and thats a big BONUS for me as I often travel on long (10-13hr) flights - so I be testing them sooooon

Hope this helps
Cheers

@brigand, I deleted your duplicate thread on the same topic. Please read the forum rules. We do not allow duplicate (cross) posting.

brigand wrote:I'm thinking about buying a Thinkpad Edge 14" from Lenovo with the following setup:
- Intel Core i5-480M
- 4GB DDR3
- 500GB @ 7200rpm

I was also wondering if anyone knew specifically what models of HDD ship with these systems, since my understanding is that a nice brand of 5400 could theoretically outperform a crappy 7200.

The part # of the 7200 is 75Y0245, but I can't find any information on it. I'm not sure what the part # of the 5400 is, but it's part of the 0578-A99 system.

Our Edge 14" (i5 460@2.53GHz) purchased from Lenovo Australia in January has a 500GB@7200. It is a ST9500420AS which is a Seagate Momentus 7200.4 SATA. It's fast and works like a dream: http://www.harddrivebenchmark.net/hdd_l ... T9500420AS

Lenovo uses multiple hard drive suppliers. I've seen Hitachi, Seagate, Toshiba, etc. It's never a good idea to have one supplier. You can probably buy a 500GB SATA drive for $50, then sell the other drive or throw it in a case for backups. According to Lenovo's web site 0578-A99 uses a 5400RPM drive.

I doubt you'll see a big difference, so save the money.

I have used the original 5400rpm 320GB Western Digital "Blue" drive, a 7200rpm Western Digital "Black" drive, and finally an Intel 320 series SSD (120GB) in my Edge 13 with Intel CPU. I could easily tell the difference between 5400 and 7200 even in a lowly Edge (SU7300 Core2Duo). I was happy for a while with the $40 I spent for the faster drive, mainly because I had an empty external enclosure that I could put the original drive in to use as a backup drive.

HOWEVER, I wasn't at all ready for the amazing difference in overall speed offered by an upgrade to the Intel SSD. This experience proved to me that the real bottleneck in a laptop is the DRIVE, not the CPU or RAM or the front-side bus. So, if you want fast, get an SSD. Of course, I paid $200 for a 120GB drive. I also paid $70 for a 64GB Kingston drive which, although much faster than a hard drive, is not even close to the Intel SSD drive in overall response. I won't explain all the technical reasons why, but the bigger an SSD is, the faster it can be (i.e., under 80GB drives are not as fast as bigger drives even with the same NAND chips in both).

As a direct answer to your question, I would say this: "No, $50 spent on a 7200 drive is not worth the cost. When you want fast, save up (or wait a while for prices to drop) for an SSD." Also, I'd ask you what do you plan to do with the old 5400 drive? The cost of a complete external drive is so low now ($60 for a 750GB drive at Costco lately) that it makes little sense to buy an internal drive and an external enclosure (total cost about $80) just for a bit more speed. When I say "a bit more" I mean there is a noticeable difference....a second or two faster....with a 7200 drive, not a blazing difference like an SSD. I am so much happier with my Edge with the SSD. I only paid $328 for the top-of-the-line Edge when they were closed out in March, so the extra for the SSD was justifiable. I also have a fast T400 which I tried with the SSDs. Faster, yes, but not as impressive as the increase in response with a slower, more power efficient Edge. I now get about 5 hours of battery run with a 4-cell battery (not the bigger 6-cell). I used to get about 3 hours with the original HDD. So, the SSD was also a power saver for me.

Hope this helps.

wallybear wrote:I have used the original 5400rpm 320GB Western Digital "Blue" drive, a 7200rpm Western Digital "Black" drive, and finally an Intel 320 series SSD (120GB) in my Edge 13 with Intel CPU. I could easily tell the difference between 5400 and 7200 even in a lowly Edge (SU7300 Core2Duo). I was happy for a while with the $40 I spent for the faster drive, mainly because I had an empty external enclosure that I could put the original drive in to use as a backup drive.

HOWEVER, I wasn't at all ready for the amazing difference in overall speed offered by an upgrade to the Intel SSD. This experience proved to me that the real bottleneck in a laptop is the DRIVE, not the CPU or RAM or the front-side bus. So, if you want fast, get an SSD. Of course, I paid $200 for a 120GB drive. I also paid $70 for a 64GB Kingston drive which, although much faster than a hard drive, is not even close to the Intel SSD drive in overall response. I won't explain all the technical reasons why, but the bigger an SSD is, the faster it can be (i.e., under 80GB drives are not as fast as bigger drives even with the same NAND chips in both).

As a direct answer to your question, I would say this: "No, $50 spent on a 7200 drive is not worth the cost. When you want fast, save up (or wait a while for prices to drop) for an SSD." Also, I'd ask you what do you plan to do with the old 5400 drive? The cost of a complete external drive is so low now ($60 for a 750GB drive at Costco lately) that it makes little sense to buy an internal drive and an external enclosure (total cost about $80) just for a bit more speed. When I say "a bit more" I mean there is a noticeable difference....a second or two faster....with a 7200 drive, not a blazing difference like an SSD. I am so much happier with my Edge with the SSD. I only paid $328 for the top-of-the-line Edge when they were closed out in March, so the extra for the SSD was justifiable. I also have a fast T400 which I tried with the SSDs. Faster, yes, but not as impressive as the increase in response with a slower, more power efficient Edge. I now get about 5 hours of battery run with a 4-cell battery (not the bigger 6-cell). I used to get about 3 hours with the original HDD. So, the SSD was also a power saver for me.

Hope this helps.

...................................:: huuuuummmmmmm ..instesting comments >>> and all laptops showwn in your sig = Core@Duo......


Ah well ... 7200rpm Vs 5400RPM depate leads on ! LOL

There isn't any debate, just buy a 5400rpm and do some bench test, and then a 7200rpm of the same brand and do the same. You'll see scientific proof of increased transfer rate and also seek times. Of course, the spec should list the power consumption of the HDD, if not by the reseller then at the manu website. As for heat, I don't generally find it a problem, unless your hdd starts going above 60*C.

Now as to whether it greatly reduce boot time and noticeable difference on practical usage is a different story. I will always prefer the higher rpm, but an SSD is going to greatly improve performance that is noticeable. But between 5400rpm and 7200rpm, I rather just make sure to tune my OS to make it boot faster and have less junk background programs running. When it comes to running a server is when you'll really look at the details.

As for which brand is preferred, let put it this way, there are two type of computer users. Ones that had their HDD failed on them and the others waiting for it to happen. Its a very subjective thing, one person might have horrible experience with one brand and another have great experience with the same. Every Hitachi drive I ever had failed on me, while no Western Digital drives ever failed on me. But of course I only buy the more quality WD drives. Just pick a quality one, read user reviews on it, always have a backup drive, then cross your fingers.

I like my Scorpio Black drive.
They're supposed to be the fastest out there in general.

I generally don't see my drive going above 42C, except for my 320GB Scorpio Black; that one likes to hit the fifties. The current 500GB is way better, and the newer 750GB more so.

SSDs have the high price tag, and lower capacity, plus bizarre failure modes that are difficult or nearly impossible to recover from.