Laptop Hard Disks...

fatsheepfatsheep
edited September 2009 in Hardware
How do I tell what type of hard drive will work in my laptop? I am experienced with desktops and their hard disks but I don't know how to tell what format drive will work in my laptop. I already have purchased an acceptable replacement hard drive but I'd like to know for the future so I can make a more informed buy.

By format I mean SATA 3 Gb/s, SATA 1.5 Gb/s, IDE, ...

Comments

  • jaredjared College Station, TX Icrontian
    edited September 2009
    What notebook do you have?
  • fatsheepfatsheep
    edited September 2009
    jared wrote:
    What notebook do you have?

    It's a Gateway C-142XL. As far as I can tell, all laptop hard drives are 2.5" form factor? My previous hard drive was a 1.5 Gb/s SATA but I don't know if my motherboard supports 3.0 Gb/s SATA or not... Gateway's website just says that the mobo supports SATA I/F.

    My "acceptable" replacement hard disk actually turned out to be a noisy vibrating machine so I think I'll be ordering one of these: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136280. It's a 3.0 Gb/s SATA but I believe that is backwards compatible with 1.5 Gb/s anyway from what I've read...
  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited September 2009
    backwards compatible with 1.5 Gb/s anyway from what I've read...
    Yes, correct. If your budget allows you choice, you should also consider HDD rotational speed. 7200RPM is much superior to 5400, which heads a tails better than 4200.
  • gcpsoundlightgcpsoundlight Melbourne, Australia
    edited September 2009
    If you are willing to splash, you could go for a SSHD (Solid-State Hard Drive). Whilst they are expensive, and limited in size, the speed benefits are amazing.
  • miragemirage
    edited September 2009
    Here are your specs. You can buy any 2.5" SATA harddisk that fits your budget.
  • fatsheepfatsheep
    edited September 2009
    I think I'll stick with the 7200 rpm WD drive. Thanks for the help everyone.
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