I just got a Western Digital 80GB 5400 RPM drive

[mdavej]

I just got a Western Digital 80GB 5400 RPM drive to replace the original drive in my TC1100. I'm very pleased, especially since it was only $59 at newegg (less than a buck per gig is usually a pretty good deal). I came across this great (older) review that compares many 4200, 5400 and 7200 RPM drives: http://techreport.com/reviews/2006q2/mobile-ata/index.x?pg=1. It answers a lot of question asked in this forum in the past regarding power use, speed, etc. (Keep in mind the SATA drive in the review isn't compatible with the TC1100 AFAIK). The Western Digital is in the middle of the pack on most of the tests, but considering price, low power consumption and better performance than the OEM drive, it's a nice upgrade.

[robdam]

For $26 more you could have gotten a 7200RPM 80GB Hitachi Travelstar. That's what I have in my TC1100.


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822146047

[out3rheaven]

how long does your battery last with the new hard drive? (7200 and 5400) i get about 2.5 to 3hrs with the oem 4200rpm hard drive.

[mdavej]

Although the 7200 would be sweet, I'm cheap and couldn't justify the 50% premium. Instead, I spent the difference on a bluetooth mouse. As for battery life, I see no difference with the 5400.