It seems everything on a laptop is getting quicker. It is so easy to find a laptop now that has the same stats as your typical desktop computer. With faster processors, memory, and faster dedicated graphics cards there seems to be one thing missing, the hard drive. With all that performance packed into the rest of the system, it surprises me that most laptop hard drives are still running at 4200rpm. Even with the 5400rpm drives the technology is still behind that of the desktop systems. If there is one thing I know about technology though, is that it is always changing.
Seagate recently has proved this point. Seagate has just released their brand new 7200rpm 2.5†hard drives. Yes you read that correctly, 7200rpm. Finally, we have desktop level performance available for all components of your laptop. So let’s take a closer look at the Seagate ST910021A.
Seagate Momentus 7200.1 100GB #ST910021A
The drive supplied to us for review is an OEM ST910021A. OEM drives are the same drives you would find in a retail store, just without any manuals or cables. You basically get just the bare drive, in an antistatic bag. This is perfect for someone looking to upgrade their notebook, as you don’t really need the manuals, and OEM drives are usually cheaper.
Performance is the main focus of this drive, that’s what you are paying the extra $140 for after all. So how does it do? Is amazing, excellent, jaw dropping enough for you? The Seagate ST910021A will blast the covers off of the hard drive currently located in your laptop. Laptop drives are known for their speed, or lack their off, but no longer. As shown in the tests, the Seagate drive came very close to desktop drive performance, which is a huge hurdle. This drive will now allow you to have a full desktop replacement laptop.
Performance does come with a price though, and that price with the ST910021A is two fold. First is the actual price; you will pay an extra $140 to get the 7200rpm drive as compared to the 5400rpm drive. The second is that battery life will diminish with the added speed. The ST910021A uses .6 watts more power than the ST9100824A (Seagate’s 5400rpm drive). So don’t expect to have an endless battery with this drive installed.
Pros: Speed, storage capacity, 5 year warranty
Cons: Price, power requirements
Overall: The ST910021A is an incredibly fast notebook hard drive. If you are building a Desktop Replacement notebook where performance is critical this drive will be amazing, but if you are on the go, or on a budget, a slower drive may fit your needs better.