Here, we will discuss all the parameters that affects HDD performance. HDD Cache and RPM have a great impact on the HDD performance.
What factors mainly affects HDD Read/Write speed?
HDD Cache
- Cache helps to speed up data-writing processes by virtually fooling the rest of the computer. Cache is also referred as “Disk Buffer” or “Cache Buffer”. It is the temporary data storage embedded in the drive. It stores data on transit to and from the hard disk. HDD have a “microcontroller” embedded, whose purpose is to create, keep and transfer data that is cached in the buffer. The analogy of considering hard disk cache to be the RAM for the hard drive fits very well.
- A hard drive will take data into its cache and begin writing it. Instead of waiting to write all the data onto the platters, the HDD signals the computer that it did.
- The PC or Mac either continues sending more data, or it moves on to other tasks, believing that the process is complete. Either way, this allows the computer as a whole to continue to the next event.
- There is a downside, though. While the hard drive is trying to make good on its promise to write the data, it can lose it. If the computer losses the power suddenly, all of the data stored in the cache will disappear. Cache, like RAM, is volatile storage.
Modern Disk Cache ranges from 8MB to 256MB.
Some of the best SSDs have cache of 4GB while the older hard drives had disk buffers of between 2MB and 4MB.
The purpose of the buffer is to keep some data and to move it to and from the drive. Due to buffer, the effect of higher disk speed & increased efficiency of data transfer between the drive and the computer can be reached. Wear & tear has also been reduced because there is less read/write movement by the disk head across the hard disk. Data is not cached every time and this feature is beneficial on a few process.
HDD RPM
If you’re planning to build a new device, Network-attached Storage (NAS), or upgrade the hard drive (HDD) on your system, it’s important to understand the difference between 7200 RPM and 5400 RPM hard drives.
The performance of a hard drive is measured in the speed that data can be transferred from the platters storing the bits to the computer (known as data throughput), and typically the higher the density of the platters and revolutions per minute translate in higher performance. However, it doesn’t mean that drives spinning a lower RPM should be completely ignored.
What’s the difference between 5400 and 7200 RPM hard drives?
If you’re trying to decide between a 5400 RPM and a 7200 RPM hard drive. In this description, we’ll see the difference between the two and which one is best suited for your requirements.
If you’re planning to build a new device, Network-attached Storage (NAS), or upgrade the hard drive (HDD) on your system, it’s important to understand the differences between 5400 and 7200 RPM hard drives.
The performance of a hard drive is measured in the speed that data can be transferred from the platters storing the bits to the computer (known as data throughput), and typically the higher the density of the platters and revolutions per minute translate in higher performance. However, it doesn’t mean that drives spinning a lower RPM should be completely ignored..
5400 RPM vs. 7200 RPM, which is best?
Nowadays, you can easily find hard drives spinning up to 15000 RPM, the most popular drives for desktops & laptops are between 5400 RPM and 7200 RPM.
Traditional rotating platters hard drives that operate at 7200 RPM offer fast reads and writes speeds, and they’re more suited to run an operating system, execution of programs quicker, and transfer files.
They are costly, generate more heat, they can be noisy, and their lifespan can turn out to be shorter than drives that spin at lower revolutions. But companies are researching a lot on these HDD to make them quiet & they are also doing a lot on reducing the generated heat & they succeeded, Seagate Is one of them.
Check the comparison of Seagate Barracuda 2TB HDD 5400 RPM vs 7200 RPM.
The hard drives that spins at 5400 RPM and as expected, they offers slower file transfer speed and uses less power, so they produce less heat and are silent too. The main benefit of it is that they aren’t expensive. While most people will ignore these drives, but they are a good choice for storing large files.
HDD with 7200 RPM are faster than 5400 RPM drives, 5400 RPM drives offer an average of 190 MB/s read and writes speeds while 7200 RPM drives deliver an average of 210 MB/s read and writes speeds. If you’re trying to decide, consider that both drives are virtually identical with the difference that a 7200 RPM drive is around 15-20 percent faster than a 5400 RPM drive.
If you’re really looking for performance, then you should consider the 7200 RPM hard drives. However, if you’re simply looking to store files, then you should consider the 5400 RPM drives.
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