Mixing RPM Hard Drives?

[Innis]

I am building a new computer and will be putting a new 320GB 7200RPM hard drive to the system at first. However, my current system has two newer hard drives equalling 200GB at run at 5400RPM that I could also add to my new system. My question is does mixing the RPMs on the system make a difference unless you intend to RAID or something? I can only see that it makes a difference on how one attempts to access files on one of the drives which would be slower or faster than the other.

I've read that mixing the drives would bring the 7200RPM down to 5400RPM but I only see this making sense when doing RAID.

Would mixing the drives make a difference any other way?

[zerocool24]

The only difference it will make is that the 2 older ones will be slower. AFAIK there is no throttling of the faster drive down to the slower drives speeds. It may be done in a raid setup but i am not too sure.

[woof]

Drive speed is irrelevant other than for file access which you are already aware of. In a non-Raid environment drives operating at different speeds do not affect each other.

"I've read that mixing the drives would bring the 7200RPM down to 5400RPM" is a completely false statement.

[blainehamilton]

If you plan on running raid 0/1/5 you should always use IDENTICAL drives, same model and specification. I tried using a simular maxtor 2mb cache drive as a replacement for a 8mb cache model in a raid 0 array, noticed a slowdown as a result.

If the drives are running independently, it won't make a difference.

[willy]

I've read that mixing the drives would bring the 7200RPM down to 5400RPM but I only see this making sense when doing RAID.
I really want to see how one can 'underclock' a 7200rpm HD down to 5400rpm. Why ? Coz I want to do just that for my external HD :cheesygri

[itsmypostoffice]

always create an OS partition on your fastest HDD. this speeds up loading time and you access files faster. when operating multiple drives remember to defrag regularly; in your case, your 2x 5400rpm HDDs won't impact your rig's overall performance (but if you're running raid, take heed of blainehamilton's warning. it's good advice). furthermore, utilizing your old drives for backup, storing multimedia files, or downloading/BT creates a buffer preventing a complete meltdown if your main HDD fails. enjoy your new rig, cheers!

[Innis]

always create an OS partition on your fastest HDD. this speeds up loading time and you access files faster

How does one do this from OS installation? ie with Windows XP?

[itsmypostoffice]

How does one do this from OS installation? ie with Windows XP?
when performing a fresh OS install, XP allows you to partition your primary drive. although slipstreaming is popular, i suggest sticking with a regular install to ensure your build is stable and trouble-free. don't forget to utilize BootVis & other tweaks to bring out the best features in your new rig. Tuneup utilities & DrTCP allows you to alter your RWIN and improve your bandwidth allocation. but first things first:

[don't install your 2x 5400RPM HDD just yet, install your primary 320GB unit and pre-plan how many partitions you want on this drive]

1) power up your new mobo and enter your BIOS, ensure your boot sequence starts at CD.

2) insert your XP disc and exit your BIOS, when it reboots your XP disc will auto-load.

3) after pressing F8, a screen will appear asking you where you want to install your OS. you can set aside 20GB OS partition, you can partition the remainder or leave it for later -- selecting NTFS is best for large HDs

3) confirm your 20GB OS partition and XP will format this new partition / then reboot and install all the files.

4) update windows (security/drivers/etc) and tweak your settings. defrag & run BootVis --> create a Restore Point before you install any programs

this is just a shortcut, everyone has their own proven XP installation method. make sure you read up on their differences and select one that suits your requirements. when you're confident about your OS installation you can install your apps or install your 2x 5400RPM drives and format. if you have any other Qs just post it here.

[Cafe_333]

i agree with the others here. I have a file server with some old 5400rpm drives mixed with 7200rpm's and they operate independantly of each other. I do notice significant speed differences in doing bulk file transfers too so I know they do operate at their rated speeds independantly.

[Alvito]

if you cut and paste a file from the 7200 HD to the 5400 HD, technically speaking the 7200 will slow down to 5400. Thus successfully underclocking it.

[DaLurker]

if you cut and paste a file from the 7200 HD to the 5400 HD, technically speaking the 7200 will slow down to 5400. Thus successfully underclocking it.


That's not true. All hard drives always operate at their rated speeds and do not speed up or slow down. The only reason it seems the 7200 HD slows down isn't so much the platter rotation speed is slowing down, but the fact that there is a bottleneck writing to the 5400. So as more data is read off the 7200, the data must wait in a queue because the 5400 can't write it as fast.

Also to answer your question, you can put different speed hard drives in your system without any problems (A lot of ppl run Raptor drives as OS and 7200RPM drives as storate). As for setting up a RAID it depends on what kind. If you're setting up a mirror or stripe then your drives should be identical. If you're setting up a RAID 5, then it doesn't really matter.