Which is Faster: SATA 5400rpm or USB2 7200rpm for Notebook Storage Expansion?

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SUMMARY

The discussion compares the performance of a 1 TB internal 5400 RPM SATA drive against a 2 TB external 7200 RPM USB 2 drive for notebook storage expansion. SATA 1 supports speeds up to 1500 Mbit/s, while USB 2 has a maximum of 480 Mbit/s. Despite the higher RPM of the external drive, modern 5400 RPM drives can achieve speeds around 500 Mbit/s, making the performance difference negligible due to USB 2's bandwidth limitations. The 5400 RPM drive offers advantages in power consumption, noise levels, and longevity.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of SATA and USB interface specifications
  • Knowledge of hard drive RPM and its impact on performance
  • Familiarity with data transfer rates and bottlenecks
  • Ability to evaluate hard drive specifications and reviews
NEXT STEPS
  • Research SATA 2 specifications and compatibility with your notebook
  • Investigate the performance benchmarks of specific 5400 RPM and 7200 RPM hard drives
  • Learn about power consumption differences between 5400 RPM and 7200 RPM drives
  • Explore options for upgrading to USB 3.0 for improved external drive performance
USEFUL FOR

This discussion is beneficial for notebook users considering storage expansion, IT professionals evaluating storage solutions, and anyone interested in understanding the performance implications of different hard drive technologies.

csopi
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Hi,

I need to expand my storage capacity on my notebook. I'm considering 2 options:

1 TB internal 5400 rpm with sata (or sata2 if my notebook is capable of)

or

2 TB external 7200 rpm with usb 2 (the hdd can do usb 3, but I don't have usb 3 port in my computer)

Can you give me some points regarding speed?
 
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USB2 can do 480 Mbit/s, while SATA1 can do 1500 Mbit/s (SATA2 being double). As for the speed of the 7200 rpm vs 5400 rpm, this will depend on the drive. I recommend you search for the model number and find some reviews for actual numbers. A quick check seems to show modern 5400 rpm drives doing about 500 Mbit/s while 7200 rpm drives can do about 1000 Mbit/s. With the USB2 bottle neck that would make the two drives pretty close.

5400 rpm have the advantage of using less power, being quieter, and often lasting longer. If you are using this drive for extra mass storage (movies, music, etc) then you may not notice any difference in speed very much. It will only matter when you transfer data to or from the drive.
 
Thank you for the quick reply.
 

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