Notebook hard drives square off at 7,200 RPM

In the world of 2.5" storage devices, solid-state drives deserve all the attention they're getting. SSDs represent a fundamental shift in storage technology, and new paradigms don't come along that often. They don't always come with this big of a step up in performance, either. Thanks to near-instantaneous access times, solid-state drives have quickly become the preferred home for a desktop PC's OS and applications. True to the roots of their 2.5" form factor, SSDs are arguably even more attractive for notebooks, which are a perfect fit for their excellent shock tolerance and snappy responsiveness.

Even though prices have fallen dramatically over the last several years, solid-state storage remains a costly proposition, at least on a cost-per-gigabyte basis. That's easy enough to work around on a desktop, where one has the luxury of installing additional hard drives. Secondary drive bays are rare in notebooks, however; you're not likely to find one outside portly gaming systems you wouldn't want on your lap.