I don't know much about Toshiba but the specs on that machine seem pretty damn good. Should be solid for a while. How much money are they charging for that?

i would recommend getting an HDD with 7200 rpms.

"i would recommend getting an HDD with 7200 rpms."

I have seen a lot of people doing that. Whats the benefit really?

i first learned about this when i was building my computer for a home recording studio. I heard from several different sources that audio doesn't like to record at anything slower than 7200 rpms since it is a very labor intensive process and requires the faster spin rate to record with out hi-coughs. I ran this bit past my IT person at work and she concurred that programs that are fairly labor intensive, especially 3D modeling programs, will simply work smoother on an HDD that spins at a higher rate because basically spends less time finding free disk space. one thing you can do to help counter act a slower drive however is to get a video card with plenty of memory, but it looks like the above specs have that covered. but i would still recommend getting the 7200 rpm drive because a lot of times you'll be running CAD, Studio max, photoshop, etc. at the same time. all of our computers at work are supplied with 7200 rpm HDDs.

Yes, from what I understand, when your hard disk spins faster, it spends less time retrieving information for you, so yes, less hiccups and annoying pauses, etc. If you're spending the cash on a new laptop, it's probably worth the extra few bucks.

well, other than the fact that you can record audio just fine on just about any speed HD produced in the last 10 years, I agree, 7200 rpm generally feels faster.

graphics card is kinda weak

Jumping in with a question...
if one's only [Mac] options are:

160GB Serial ATA Drive @ 7200 rpm
250GB Serial ATA Drive @ 4200 rpm

Which is better? Faster spins, or higher capacity? And whwwwyyyahyayhawhy can't they make 250@7200 ?

the faster speed means it takes less time to retrieve information not that it has to do it less times. Slight shift there.

Hi...ty for the replies...

"i would recommend getting an HDD with 7200 rpms."

I ll appreciate if you tell me the brand & the model of this laptop so that I ll check that directly..bec I am not really good on computers.

Surfaces - definitely the smaller, faster HDD. If you ever need more space than 160GB, external HDD (for backing up data) are cheap nowadays. That leaves more space on the HDD on your computer, and thus, again, the computer spends less time retrieving data.

toshiba rocks!

the toshibas are good. Get a backup hD I've heard a few horror stories

7200 rpm has its downsides, too. Some of the cheaper ones tend to spin too fast and crack on laptops. I've had two go down like that. They're the way to go for desktops, but it depends how careful you are with your current laptop.

I'm sure the market is catching up and they've resolved this issue. I just have a bone to pick with Dell and Western Digital.