Elgato Turbo.264 HD DVD Encoding Time Tests

One of my favorite tasks to perform in terms of benchmarking systems is video encoding and DVD ripping.

Video encoding is one of those tasks that is very CPU intensive, and when you perform these tasks, you are also utilizing other components on your system. RAM, FSB etc.

Continuing to test my new MacBook Pro, I performed some DVD ripping tests.

For these tests, I used a non-comercial DVD that is 12:44 in length. It was encoded into an Apple TV compatible H.264 mp4.

The first set of tests were directly from the optical drive. Let’s begin..

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Can a laptop benefit from a 7200 RPM drive?

There are several factors to be considered when talking about what makes hard drives fast, including, the drives speed or RPM’s, buffer among others.

One thing is for sure, and that’s if you want to see an improvement in your notebooks performance, you need to consider upgrading your hard drive from a 4800 or 5400 RPM to a 7200 RPM drive. That is, provided your laptop can support it.

I’ve recently had discussions with people about this very subject, and most don’t think they would benefit from the upgrade. See, when dealing with laptops, 7200 RPM drives have only recently become widely available and supported. Most, who come from a desktop computer, simply just assume the drives spin at the same speeds. Or that’s its not important. When the reality is, drive RPM speed is VERY important.
The truth is that the faster the drive can spin, the quicker the actuator arm can move over the platters and the faster the read write heads can do there jobs.

Below are two screen shots from HDD benchmarks I ran on my MacBook Pro with the stock 5400 RPM drive from Apple, and my 7200 RPM drive. The results are VERY impressive.

This screen shot was taken with the stock Fujitsu 5400 RPM from Apple.

This screen shot was taken with a 7200 RPM Seagate drive.

As they say, peeps! The proof is in the pudding. All of the benchmark scores are significantly faster with the 7200 RPM Seagate. But lets take this one step further. Real world application.

Back when I wrote this post, The Elgato Turbo264 HD cut my encoding times in half from 12:30 to 05:59. Re-encoding the same file a trailer from God of War 3 from E3 2009. Can upgrading the hard drive speed up video encoding times? YOU BETCHA! 5:59 to 4:07.

So there you have it, peeps! Proof that upgrading from a 5400 to a 7200 RPM drive is a GREAT way to speed up your notebook. MacBook