Will this hard disk work with my notebook?

I've got a HP Compaq nx9600 notebook with a 100gb hard drive in it. I'm not sure of it's size or rpms. But, I think its a 4200rpm one because it runs really slow and I've got an 3.6ghz Pentium 4 processor. I'm looking to upgrade the hard drive to an 2.5" HITACHI Travelstar 7K100 60GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache ATA-6, but I'm not sure if its compatible with my notebook, like it might not fit or something.

Here's the link to the hard drive I'm looking at
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?DEPA=0&Item=N82E16822146046&refer=channel&srccode=cii_6662505&cpncode=11-4518273&CMP=OTC-channel

So, before I go out and buy one can someone tell me first if its a good move and second if the new hard drive will be compatable with my current notebook.

Thanks in advance

 

If you use battery a lot, the upgrade isn't recommended. Make sure you read this:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=59053

If you do a lot of gaming, video editing, and any other intensive programs, you will notice a big difference in speed. If, all you do is MS Office, Web Designing, wathcing an occasional DVD, and listening to music, you may not see a big difference in speed. So it's up to wether you are prepared to spend for the HDD or not.

Yes that HDD should fit. the nx9600 does use an IDE/ P-ATA drive. Some drives are system specific and are an odd shape. Check with your HP or look at your instruction manual on more information on how to upgrade your HDD. However, there is a brief video here on how to fo it:

http://reviews.cnet.com/Punch_up_your_portable_Step_3_Upgrade_your_hard_drive/4660-10163_7-6248653.html?tag=vid

 

If you're upping from a 4200rpm drive you will notice a huge difference jumping to 7200rpm. From 5400rpm to 7200rpm the difference is a small jump.

Go to your control panel > system > hardware > device manager

Click on disk drives and there should be letters & number associated with your drive. Type this in google and you'll work out what drive you have. You'll find out your drives specifics i.e. whether its 4200rpm, 5400rpm etc.

As mentioned it should work okay. Since P4 3.6ghz uses something like 50w+ I don't think 1 or 2 watts extra from a 7200rpm is not going to be noticeable. Notebook HDD only use about 2-4 watts total (except startup maybe 4-6w). It is one of the least consuming components... Newer drives has better power efficiency than older drives so it shouldn't consume much if any more power. Its also a misconception 7200rpm drives consumes more power. Drives use most power during initial startup and seeking. Since 7200rpm works faster it would return back to idle state quicker and hence save power. Manafacturer specs shows many 7200rpm drives more or less equal to the power specs of 5400rpm.

 

not everyone NEEDS a 7200rpm drive though ez2.

 

Thanks guys

I found the specs for my current hard drive:
http://www.fujitsu.com/us/services/computing/storage/hdd/mobile/mhv2120at.html

So, I guess this is a good move then. Although my notebook does run rather hot normally...CPU Temp: 57°C, HDD Temp: 41°C. But, I plan to get one of those fan things that the notebook can sit on. Off course I don't currently have one, so will these temps I'm getting work with this new HDD?

 

Yes, the temperatures should be fine. Yes, you should get a notebook chillmat

 

True but he found the HDD/system slow... So a boost to 7200rpm would make a difference.

 

Alrighthy, looks I'm going to get the HDD. Thanks Guys

 

yes, it would be a worhtwhile purchase. Be sure to shop around before rushing in to buy.

 

Just to clarify, there shouldn't be much of a difference in battery life between the 5400RPM and 7200RPM drives. They have the same power specification. The 7200RPM drive will have slightly less because the spin-up, or how long it takes to get to operational RPM when the machine is first turned on, will be longer - that part takes the most energy. I imagine the 7200RPM drive may use a bit more energy, but it won't affect your battery life to any noticable degree.