There are two main factors you want to look at when you compare notebook hard drives. First you want to look at the notebook storage capacity of the hard drive. The information and data held by a hard drive is measured in gigabytes(GB). For basic computing functions like browsing the internet, checking and sending email, and downloading or storing a reasonable amount of files, notebook hard drives with 60 or 80 GB will be sufficient. Most computer manufacturers offer notebook hard drives with storage capacity ranging from 80 GB to 250 GB, with some offering up to 320 GB. There are multimedia notebooks available that have dual hard drives installed with a total notebook storage capacity of 400-1000 GB. Those computers are often called "extreme" notebooks.
The other factor to consider when you compare notebook hard drives is the speed of the drives. The faster a drive spins the faster information and data is read and written. The three speeds notebook hard drives usually come in are 4200 RPM, 5400 RPM, and 7200 RPM. The