I have had 5 laptops, and replaced drives about 10 times - never a failure - just upgrades in size. Today I rate Toshiba as #1 in performance and reliability (the one with the 8 MB buffer, 5400 RPM). #2 is currently, IMHO, Hitachi, also with 8 MB buffer, and 5400 or 7200 RPM. The latter gives you a lot of heat, however.