I've been looking at the Seagate Momentus 7200.4 drive for a couple weeks now. I think there is another 7200 500gb that Hitachi came out with, but it's going to be around $30 more and probably won't come out as an OEM model for a few weeks. I couldn't find out whether it was 9mm or 12mm. I think they already have a 12mm one so I would think it's the normal size.
That's about all I know for the 7200 500gb's. Otherwise there are the WD Scorpios, 500gb 5400 and 320gb 7200 models (there are other models out there too, but these seem to be the most popular atm). They do have 1TB models, but they are the 12mm ones that won't fit in most laptops. From what I've seen they are generally more reliable than the Seagates, but then again the Momentus 7200.4 drive hasn't been out for that long either. The Scorpio 5400's are nearly as fast as the Momentus 7200 in some tests, so if you're looking for performance and reliability then get one of those. Otherwise if you just want the raw speed and size, get the Momentus (I'm sort of regurgitating what I've read from reviews online).
Some people say the Momentus is noisier and vibrates more, which has to be true to some extent, but I think it's mainly people not securing their installation or just being overly picky with a faster drive. It also will be hotter and will use more battery life, but so far I haven't found anything that says it's horrible or too noticable. The trade off of being able to do projects faster may compensate for the added heat and less battery life I would imagine.
The Seagate drives runs about $120 at newegg.com, and the WD drives much cheaper in price per GB.
I think I'm ready to spend money I don't have for the drive I truly don't need but want to use for my fresh SL install.
