Will a 5400 RPM Hard Drive ( 2 GB memory ) be sufficient for video capture /editing / printing back to tape on a laptop or should I get a 7200 RPM like on my desktop???
a 5400 rpm drive will be fine. I've captured via an ADVC300, edited some large projects and such with my laptop (haven't done a PTT but I can't imagine that would be any more intense than capture). It's a little slower in rendering but really most of the time I can't tell the difference - or at least let's say that most of the time I'm not worried about the difference.
Still, if you can afford the power hit on your battery for a 7200, you'll likely be happier with the faster drive.
I'm using the Seagate "Momentus" 5400rpm 100 gig drives in my laptop and I find them more than adequate for video work. I'm getting an average sequential transfer rate of 35 meg/sec, which is 10 times faster than needed for video capture. The Momentus has a higher areal density than a lower capacity drive, therefore, since the data is packed more tightly on the drive, for a given rotation rate, it can move data faster on and off the disc. Both Seagate and Hitachi have recently introduced 120 gig 5400 rpm 2.5" laptop drives. The 7200 rpm drives are typically lower capacity. For me, it's a matter of having more storage space rather than absolute raw speed.
most laptops come with 4200rpm drives and they capture with no problems ... i use DV rack with 4200rpm with no problems ..
i also have the seagate 100gig momentus that i trade out my C drive 4200rpm ( 40gig) when i need more gigs ... i see no difference in capture ... i do see some difference in editing ( multiple tracks) ..
if you look at Hard drive TEST bewteen 5400 vs 7200 laptop drives the 7200 are not that much faster, some are about the same , they take much more power to run and they put out more heat ... there are a few 10,000rpm 2 1/2inch drives which they are much faster and they cost big $$$