Originally posted by: Gepost
Just get a Hitachi 60gb, 7200rpm drive. You will not be disappointed, especially if you are going to keep your notebook for several years. It is the best drive out there right now.
There are two versions of the Hitachi 7200 RPM drive; the choice needed would be greatly dependent upon the desired usage (such as, in a RAID array, although that doesn't seem to be probable as the machine mentioned in an older Dell).
The first is the much more popular of the Travelstar series, model 7K60 of course. Overview summary of the drive can be found
here, with drive general specifications found
here. One will notice the specifications list the ambient operating temperature of the drive up to 55°C, though I do not believe that temperature to be a maxium threshhold - merely the normal operating ambient temperature. The drive with specifications that appear better suited to the desktop replacement application (especially when employing any disc array) would be model E7K60. Overview summary of the drive can be found
here, with drive general specifications found
here. Consulting the differences, one will notice the upper value of the ambient operating range a full 15°C lower - that is to say, the E7K60 drive runs far cooler than its 7K60 counterpart.
Was curious as to these specification differences, and contacted Hitachi concerning such. After speaking with a number of technical representatives, the consensus gave the edge to the E7K60, as it has greater temperature tolerance, both on the upper and lower extremes. Was informed the drives are primarily implemented in automobile applications or the like, and server enviornments, both where the drive can be subject to adverse heat/cold and long periods of operation (one should also notice the "?Always on? for 24x7 access" feature listed in the E7K60 drive overview section). It seemed a far better choice for a desktop replacement with thermal concerns, at least in my opinion.
Regardless, good luck with your purchasing decision.