5400 or 7200

[hombre]

I'm going to get a new hard drive and was wondering if there is a noticeable differance between hard drives that are 5400 rpm or 7200.

Thanks!

[tjaymadison]

The only time you will really notice any improvement is when you run disk-intensive programs like video editing or major database operations. The average user won't see an appreciable difference. Most 7200-RPM drives are ATA-66 or 100, so if you're considering one, make sure your motherboard supports this feature, otherwise you can get a separate controller card. One more consideration -- faster drives generate more heat. Depending on your case and cooling configuration, this could be an issue. Dedicated hard drive coolers are available.