Quitest and fastest hard disk for X30

[vorsicht]

Hi all,

I got a great deal on this virtually brand new Thinkpad X30 (2672-42U) that is not used and sit on a big corporation's cabinet as a back-up, with the superdocking station that has DVD drive in it. I paid $550 US with 512MB RAM and it has warranty left until April 2006. The battery lasts 5:30 hours if left idle. A great catch and made xmas come early

I think though I would like to replace the hard disk since it is a bit on the loud side. I called IBM and they will be sending me a replacement but being it the 2MB Cache 4200 RPM drive I expect it to be a slow performer, so I want to upgrade.

I noticed the X30 generates a bit of heat as well.

My question is what is the fastest and quitest harddisk without comprimizing the battery life?

Any North American on-line stores for best pricing for the model of your choice would be great as well.

Many thanks in advance.

[asiafish]

I'd go for a 7200RPM drive, the battery life hit is minimal and the speed boost is terrific. They really aren't that much hotter than 5400 RPM drives in my experience.

[vorsicht]

Hey thanks.
Which 7200 rpm one do you recommend?
How is the noise issue? Are they whisper quiet?

[pphilipko]

Hey thanks.
Which 7200 rpm one do you recommend?
How is the noise issue? Are they whisper quiet?

I would recommend the Hitachi 7K100. The noise is most certainly bearable, and interestingly, my 4200rpm drive is much louder than other drive I've used...

[djb25]

FWIW, I replaced the original 40gig 4200 RPM drive with a 60gig 5400 RPM drive (it's an IBM-branded Hitachi, I believe), and have been very happy with the improvement.

It's very quiet, and substantially faster than the 4200rpm drive. Everything moves more quickly, even though I'm still stuck with 256 MB of RAM (apparently all 512mb SODIMMS are crap, or at least have been for me - anyone have some RAM for sale?).

Good luck!

By the way - sounds like you got a great deal. I paid $500 for my x30 about a month ago, and it didn't include the ultrabase, any optical drive, or the extra RAM.