Hitachi Travelstar 5K750 HDD Review | Broadly Appealing

The Hitachi Travelstar 5K750 is not an SSD. It's an old-school hard drive. A traditional spinning one. Specifically, a 5400 RPM, 2.5-inch laptop HDD it's a bit vintage. But that doesn't mean it's useless. In a world of super-fast SSDs and NVMe drives, there's still a spot. For something simple, silent, and steady.

You won't boot Windows 11 in three seconds with this. But if you need space for an old laptop. Or your huge media collection. Backups, maybe even as a spare drive for a PlayStation or an external case. The 5K750 still works, just delivers. It's like that underdog, the one that never gives up. No drama. No fuss. Just pure storage.

·         It is a 2.5-inch internal hard drive

·         It has a SATA II Interface (3 Gb/s)

·         Available capacity is up to 750GB

·         5400 RPM Speed

·         8MB Cache

·         70–80 MB/s average sequential speeds

·         18–20 MS Access Time

·         400G on, 1000G off shock resistance

·         0.6W idle, 2.4W active

·         Extremely quiet – 0.2 Sone idle

·         0 to 60°C operating temperature

·         2.5-inch, 9.5mm height form factor

·         Encryption support is available in select models

·         24/7 Operation (EA version)

·         100g weight

·         Advanced Format (512e)

The Travelstar 5K750 is a standard size. It's 9.5mm thick, which means it fits most laptops. No problem. No weird shapes. No annoying compatibility issues. Just plug it in. Format it. And you're ready.

It's pretty light, too. Around 100 grams, and even though it's an older drive, it's not fragile. It's quite tough. This thing can handle some bumps versions even run 24/7. That's more than some newer, cheaper drives can claim.

The 5K750 is not fast, let’s not pretend otherwise. It runs at 5400 RPM and uses a SATA II interface (that’s 3 Gb/s—not to be confused with modern SATA III’s 6 Gb/s). The onboard cache is a tiny 8MB. In short, you’re not getting SSD-like speed. Not even close.

On average, it pushes out around 70–80 MB/s for sequential read and write. Sometimes it can hit 100 MB/s on a good day, but don’t count on that consistently. What hurts, though, is the random performance. Access times float around 18–20ms, and small 4K reads/writes are sluggish. Multitasking or launching apps from this drive and painfully slow. It's more like watching a turtle with a limp.

If you’re using it for media storage, documents, or backups, speed doesn’t matter that much. You’ll be surprised how “good enough” it feels for light use.

Here’s where this drive shines, as it is quiet. While a lot of 7200 RPM drives hum, buzz, or even click, the 5K750 stays almost silent. Idle noise is barely a whisper. Under load, but nothing that’ll bother you. Perfect for ultra-quiet laptop builds or media centers.

Heat is not an issue. It sips power, only around 0.6W when idle and up to 2.4W during intense file transfers. That keeps temperatures low, even when running long backups or media scans. You won’t find it getting uncomfortably warm, even in cramped laptop cases.

Despite being a budget-friendly drive, the Travelstar 5K750 is surprisingly robust. It’s rated to handle shocks up to 400G while running and 1000G when powered off. That’s pretty solid for an old hard disk. So, if you are throwing it in a backpack, shipping it across town, or using it in a kid’s laptop, it can handle the bumps.

Some models even support enhanced features like Bulk Data Encryption (BDE) and Enhanced Availability (EA). EA models are rated for continuous 24/7 use, ideal if you’re sticking it in a DVR, NAS, or an always-on laptop.

Pros

·         It is a very quiet drive, which is ideal for silent builds

·         It gives very low power usage, great for battery life

·         It is durable and shock-resistant

·         This drive is an affordable and still easy-to-find used

·         It has multiple capacity options (500GB, 640GB, 750GB)

·         This drive is an optional encryption and 24/7-rated variant

·         It runs cool even under load

Cons

·         This drive has sluggish random read/write performance

·         It has only SATA II and is slower than newer interfaces

·         It is not great for multitasking or OS installations

·         It has a small 8MB cache limit for performance

·         It feels dated in 2025 (because it is)

If you’re chasing speed skip this one. The SSDs have taken over for a reason. But if you want a cheap, quiet, and reliable hard drive for storage-only use, then this one still does the job. It's not exciting and not flashy. But it works.

For backup drives, media libraries, or older laptops. It’s the kind of drive that fades into the background and just quietly handles your files. Sometimes, that’s exactly what we need.