Laptop Hard Drive: this thing is too slow! Upgrades...

[ski]

About 8 months ago I got an Inspiron 9300 notebook. 256MB video card, 1.25GB RAM, 1.6 Pentium M processor, the works. But they wanted to charge $125 more to upgrade from a 60GB slow speed (4200 or 4500) to a 60GB 7200 RPM. I couldn't justify it, so I told myself I'd just buy a new one if I needed it.

Well I need it!

Problem is, Dell charges about $260 for a 60GB 7200RPM drive now

Found one on Newegg for $153 here, and I'm assuming it would work universally with most notebooks, but I would like to try to spend less.

Is there any reliable source that you've had experience with or know of to buy hard drives for laptops? I'm about to look at eBay, but that place scares me for bigger electronic purchases

Anyone know what the differences are between the 3 models? All have similar specs.

[Jeffbx]

That's a good price - those things can be hard to find at times. I usually find that Newegg has the best prices on HDs, unless you happen to catch a 20% off sale at Dell.

And yes, they are pretty universal - you'll just have to swap the little tray that slides out with the HD in your laptop.

[ski]

Hitachi Travelstar 7K100 - $131
IBM Hitachi Travelstar 7K60 - $146

I'm confused why the seemingly better one (has model number 100 instead of 60, and they 100 says it's the second generation of 7200rpm drives) costs less. There are TONS of reviews for the 7K60 though.

I just don't want to end up with something that doesn't work because I didn't catch something obvious. Is there any reason to be wary of getting the first one to work with my Inspiron 9300?

[_=DeltaForce=_]

I got my Hitach 7.2k rpm notebook hd for $95... IT was 3 months used but it works great..

[Jeffbx]

Is there any reason to be wary of getting the first one to work with my Inspiron 9300?

Nope. It'll work fine.

One thing to be aware of, however - expect to see a drop in the uptime of your battery between charges. These 7200RPM drives take more power than the slower ones.

[johnnymk]

You could sell your existing 60 GB here at G/A

[Merlin]

And yes, they are pretty universal - you'll just have to swap the little tray that slides out with the HD in your laptop.

I beg to differ. Laptop hard drives come in a couple of different sizes measured in drive height. Double check the specs to make sure you don't get one that is too thick/thin for your laptop.

[Jeffbx]

Dell uses the larger (tiny bit taller) drives, so should be no problem to use that or a smaller one, so any one he gets should fit.

Different story for something like a Thinkpad that crams in the smallest drive they can find, but should be no problem for the Dell.