Questions about replacing notebook HDD

Have a total newbie question:

What are my options with the old, replaced HDD from my notebook?

I could sell it on eBay of course. Do you keep them stored as a backup? Is it possible to stick it in a case and use it as an external HDD? Recycle it?

you are best sticking in a case and using it as a back-up drive

Shock protection in MB HDD?

I am looking to upgrade my 160 GB HDD in my Macbook.

I am leaning towards a Seagate model as I have heard that Western Digital is slightly more noisy, although the quality should be high for both brands.

I have found a Seagate Momentus (Seagate Momentus 7200.3 ST9320421ASG) with shock protection.

Is there a shock protection feature in the Macbook? Is it overkill to pay for the added feature in the new HDD? Does it really work?

Your MacBook does have built in shock protection. It's built in on the motherboard and will park the heads of the hard drive in the event of a sudden bump or bang. How well it works, I don't know and don't plan on finding out - at least not on purpose.

However, there's certainly nothing wrong with buying the Seagate with built in shock protection. That particular model is also a good performer and quiet. Most 7200 RPM drives tend to be a bit louder and run slightly warmer than their 5400 RPM counterparts. So far I haven't heard anything but good reports about the Seagate Momentus 7200 RPM drives.

Regards.

Might be worth noting that the Aluminium MacBooks are fitted with hard disks that include free fall detectors. I would be unsure as to which sensor is used to cut out the disks as it would be quicker and probably automatic if done by the hard disk.

I've been looking at some of the laptop disks available and wondering about power consumption against standard fitted disks.

Take HDD out of new MB & put in 2 year old Thinkpad

xxxxx