5400rpm vs. 7200rpm Hard Drive

[Debbie25]

I'm going to be upgrading my laptop soon.
I would like to get the Thinkpad SL410. (I like a trackpoint)
I would get the SL510 but not really wanting a widescreen.

What I use my laptop for is surfing the net.
Downloading songs
Watching videos from our camera copied onto the HD.
Simple stuff

The most gaming I do is playing Cityville and Frontierville on Facebook and they can get very slow at times.

Right now I have a Thinkpad T43 which is only 1.83ghz, 2gb ram.
My OS is on a 100gb IDE 5400rpm HD and then I have a 500gb SATA 5400rpm HD USB ext. drive.

My question is:
5400rpm or 7200rpm

I have read several pros and cons about the 7200, like it's only faster booting up and loading apps but eats battery and such.

For what I do will the 5400 be good enough?
One main thing is when we copy a video from our camera to the HD and try to watch it now it is choppy. Would it still be with the 5400?

For the cost I can get the SL410 with the 250gb 5400 for about $100 cheaper then the SL410 500gb 7200.
I can then put my 500gb 5400 HD in it if I want.


Thanks for you help,
Debbie

 

[flanker]

I'm going to be upgrading my laptop soon.
I would like to get the Thinkpad SL410. (I like a trackpoint)
I would get the SL510 but not really wanting a widescreen.

What I use my laptop for is surfing the net.
Downloading songs
Watching videos from our camera copied onto the HD.
Simple stuff

The most gaming I do is playing Cityville and Frontierville on Facebook and they can get very slow at times.

Right now I have a Thinkpad T43 which is only 1.83ghz, 2gb ram.
My OS is on a 100gb IDE 5400rpm HD and then I have a 500gb SATA 5400rpm HD USB ext. drive.

My question is:
5400rpm or 7200rpm

I have read several pros and cons about the 7200, like it's only faster booting up and loading apps but eats battery and such.

For what I do will the 5400 be good enough?
One main thing is when we copy a video from our camera to the HD and try to watch it now it is choppy. Would it still be with the 5400?

For the cost I can get the SL410 with the 250gb 5400 for about $100 cheaper then the SL410 500gb 7200.
I can then put my 500gb 5400 HD in it if I want.


Thanks for you help,
Debbie

For your needs the 5400 will work great, I have two systems one with the 5400 the other 7200 they are so close I don't see any real difference.

 

[claptonman]

You would only notice opening large files and for instance, loading maps in a game. For internet, downloading songs, and video, 5400 will do. Be sure to defragment regularly.