Laptop i3 1.3 GHz and 7200 HDD vs i3 2.1 Hhz 5400 HDD

[pbajaj]

Hello,

I am trying to decide between two laptops. Same price, equivalent spec. Only difference is one has a faster CPU i3-2310 @ 2.1 Ghz but a 5400 rpm drive the other has slower CPU i3-2357 @ 1.3 Ghz but a 7200 rpm drive. I use my machine for general office productivity and web browsing, nothing intense. Which would be the better/faster option? TIA.

 

[jaguarskx]

For general productivity I would simply go for the i3-2310. Yes, the 5400RPM hard drive is a bit slower, but that just means it might take a few seconds more to load a large program or save a large amount of data, like a huge 100MB Excel spreadsheet.

However, the i3-2310 allows the computer to process data faster which can also help with opening programs. A 7200RPM hard drive means the program can load faster, but the CPU must process the data that's being loaded to actually launch the program for you to use.

 

[pbajaj]

Best answer selected by pbajaj.