I had a revA 500Mhz ti book that came with a 30 GB drive. Last year I replaced the drive with the IBM/Hitachi 40GB GNX (not GN), which I believe was the fastest drive available until the 7k60 came out. I was astounded how much faster my computer felt in every task (from booting up, to launching programs and opening files, everything was, dare I say it, snappier) just by changing hard drives. That was running OS 10.2.x. What matters is how big is the speed difference between the stock drive and the replacement and on barefeets you can see there is a big difference which surprisingly translates in all tasks. These fluid-bearing drives IBM/Hitachi is making are so silent, they are wonderful!
As for installation, I did my own on the Tibook but I've taken a look inside my new Albook, and I don't think I'd do this one myself. Take it to CompUSA or some authorized center. My 0.02.
good luck!
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