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Hi, I like many here have an original MacBook Air (A1237) in which the hard drive has tanked. I have opened the computer and found that the hard drive inside is a Samsung HS082HB/A; 4.2k, PATA, ZIF. Looked on this site and many have replaced it with a 120GB version; Samsung HS12YHA. When I look online the 80GB drive is getting hard to find new. The only issue I have having is that it seems the HS12YHA is a 3.6k RPM drive. Seek and Latency seems about the same, just a tad slower. My question is has anyone felt there was a difference in speed? iFixit sells what appears to be a 4200 RPM used 120GB HD; also wondering if this is truly 4.2k? Thanks, Jhan
The iFixit one is truly a 4.2K RPM. The difference between the 3.6 & 4.2 is about 15%, slightly above the negligible range. The only real time you will see a real difference in performance is if you are using a lot of virtual memory - having lots of programs open etc… If you are a power user or use programs that require a lot of memory the 4.2 is the one to have - to keep you from drumming your fingers as much. The 3.6 is fine for normal users.
