CompuServe Messages

Shane, The differences between 2.5" drives and 3.5" drives is similar to the differences between 5.25" drives and 3.5" drives. Everything about them is smaller. They are inherently faster (all else being equal) because things don't have to move as far to get from one point to another. They inherently use less power because there's not as much work to do…less mass for the motor to spin, etc. They generally have a higher recording density…that is…fit more data in the same physical area than bigger drives. And of course, they're more expensive…because they're the latest and greatest. As an example…sitting beside me is a 5.25" 150 Meg HD…one of the better ones. It probably weights about 8 pounds or so. In my NCR notebook computer, I've got a 2.5" 120 Meg drive. The whole computer…battery and all only weights about 6 pounds. The HD itself probably is probably less than a pound. The move to smaller drives is just a matter of technology moving forward, just as what used to fill a whole room, now can sit on your desktop…or your laptop for that matter. Don