7200rpm laptop hard drive hotter than 5400rpm?

tvout · 19-03-2012, 10:39

Hi all,
I have just swapped out the hard drive in a friend's laptop when it failed and would you believe the one in my own laptop then failed as well!!

Anyway, I know many are 5400rpm but I was considering getting one for mine which is 7200rpm, it's a WD SATA drive, WD5000BPKT.

Thing that concerns me is if 7200rpm drives might run hotter than the 5400rpm ones. I'm thinking with that speed difference it might be a little bit quicker but worry about overheating...

Wondered what people's thoughts were? Is it worth the extra Â£5 or so for 7200 over 5400?

**Graham M** · 19-03-2012, 11:12

Definitely yes, so long as your laptop isn't getting very hot already it should be fine.

v0id · 19-03-2012, 11:18

You might find you get a bit less battery life with the 7200 drive, since the fans will have to work more

tvout · 19-03-2012, 13:15

Cheers both, I'm never sure if my laptop would be considered to be running hot or not. I did check the HD temp not too long ago and it was about 55C, I tend to have it actually on my lap when using it so probably not best for ventilation...
I run it on mains as well as the battery is pretty much dead now, I keep it in as a sort of UPS in a sense although only lasts about a minute or two.

Actually - v0id, as I noticed you're in Wolverhampton, have you had any dealings with www.dealforu.co.uk? There have been some bad reviews but the stuff on that site is really cheap and it's based in Wolves...
I was hoping to collect something from them later...

Jayster · 19-03-2012, 13:23

I would say 55C for any drive is pushing it to near its limit and the 7200 would definitely run hotter.

qasdfdsaq · 19-03-2012, 14:21

55'c is perfectly fine.

Laptop drives are specified to work fine up to 60'c ambient temperature - that's outside temperature, internal temperatures will be 5-10'c higher.

v0id · 19-03-2012, 15:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by tvout

Actually - v0id, as I noticed you're in Wolverhampton, have you had any dealings with www.dealforu.co.uk? There have been some bad reviews but the stuff on that site is really cheap and it's based in Wolves...
I was hoping to collect something from them later...

Looks like they're the same company as Ginger6 http://www.ginger6.com (same address)
My brother bought a complete system from them last year, never had any trouble

Edit: Nope, different units, same trading estate. ..*doh

So no, I or no one I know has hadany experience with this "dealforu"

tvout · 19-03-2012, 16:08

Many thanks all. The 7200rpm drive is sounding more favourable I think. I asked about the warranty and it was 1 year but 3 years mfr.
I hadn't heard of that ginger6 site but it looks really similar. Sounds like that estate is quite a mecca for computer bargains!
On that site though most of the hard drives are 'recertified', I'm a little unsure of that? Does that mean mfr reconditioned or something?

qasdfdsaq · 19-03-2012, 16:18

Yes, recertified would mean a drive that has been returned for whatever reason (faulty or otherwise) and been reconditioned by the manufacturer or retailer.

Personally I wouldn't trust them, when new drives with full warranty aren't much more anyway. In either case I would - as soon as I get the drive(s) - note the the serial number *without* opening the anti-static bag, and check the warranty coverage direct with the manufacturer. A lot of times it turns out to be a grey import with no warranty coverage at all, at which point it's straight back to the retailer for a full refund.

tvout · 19-03-2012, 16:36

Good thinking, cheers. I did consider if the retailer might advise the serial number before I bought it. If I could collect it I might even check it on my phone there in the store...

Matth · 19-03-2012, 22:22

A current generation 7200RPM might not actually use more power than an older 5400 - I'd assume they've been getting more efficient.
http://techreport.com/articles.x/15079/14 - a strange result, while the 7200 models consumed a little more power at idle, they were more efficient under seek conditions.

boroboi · 20-03-2012, 05:16

A re-certified drive will be a clean pull, either removed because of specification change or pulled from a working machine for whatever reason (other hardware faulty)

You can't recondition a hard drive per se. If a drive is faulty it's disposed of. With a clean pull, you are entitled to the remaining manufacturer warranty, and in most cases you get a year from the seller anyway.