External HDD 7200rpm

[Aivanov]

Why are these so rare? There are few 500GB, but nothing more. Can I buy an external case and put my 7200 rpm drive in it? Are there any power problems?

 

[Onus]

External cases like that are commonly available. They rely on AC adapters for power. Typically, only laptop HDDs can run on the power available from a USB port.
...which touches on why there are not a lot of 7200RPM external drives. Typically, the bottleneck is the interface, most often including USB2.0. Unless you are using USB3.0 or eSATA, you will not see a measurable speed improvement for a higher-RPM drive.

 

[Aivanov]

Thanks. So I have the 7200rpm i my laptop and I want to exchange it with and SSD, but use the old one externally. I have both usb 3.0 and eSATA. Can I use a case that doesnt need AC?

 

[Onus]

If it is a 2.5" laptop drive, quite possibly.

 

[Aivanov]

If it is a 2.5" laptop drive, quite possibly.

Any suggestion on USB 3.0 vs eSATA?
As I understand, it doesn't really matter as the limit is HDD's speed?

 

[Onus]

eSATA uses a thicker, bulkier, more specialized cable. Also, your laptop's eSATA port may not provide power. A USB3.0 port will have power, and a smaller, lighter cable.