Sata HD

[facecard]

I have two questions regarding SATA internal HDs.

1. Is there a big difference between 5400 and 7200rpm? I am sure 7200 has faster loading time than 5400. I am sure it depends on the computer as well. I am planning to buy a WD 2.5 sata HD and put it in a Mac Mini as a second HD. I get that SSDs are a lot faster than SATA.

2. Is there a 3 year manufacturer warranty on hard drives? I understand you can replace the HD, 3 years from the date code but I am sure it depends on the issue with the drive. I am sure that every manfacturer has different return policy.

Thanks.

[rogfanther]

Yes, and yes.

For 1., the 7200 generally are faster, SSDs are even faster. Having said that, if it will be a second disk just for storage, the difference in price can get you a bigger 7200 disk.
For 2. the warranty will change with country and the store you purchase it.While warranty is useful, it doesn´t cover the data, so many times getting the disk replaced is not the biggest worry. Recovering the data from a failed disk is.