Conclusion:
The launch of the Seagate Momentus 5400.3 series of 2.5" hard drives promised great things, and initial testing of the 160GB model confirm many of these items. The increased capacity, reduced heat, low noise, and strong performance were all easy to document. If you want to investigate the increased shock tolerance, you're on your own!
The future of perpendicular recording hard drives holds great things for data storage, and Seagate's first offering showcases many of the benefits nicely. But are the benefits worth the price associated with this 'new' technology? Many times the price of an item at its initial release can be prohibitive, but the MSRP of the 160GB Momentus 5400.3 drive is listed as $325 (US), which puts it at about $2.03 per GB.
A search of PriceGrabber currently returns zero results for this drive, but searches elsewhere find the 5400.3 available from lesser known outlets for a much higher price. As the availability becomes better, look for familiar stores to be carrying these at a price closer to the MSRP.
Checking PriceGrabber shows that the 120GB Momentus 5400.2 currently sells for anywhere from $229 to $320, or $1.91 to $2.66 per GB. So, not only does the 5400.3 offer a handful of improved features, its pricing is extremely competitive with previous generations of similar drives!
Given the strong performance, reduced heat, high capacity, and competitive pricing, I award the 160GB Seagate Momentus 5400.3 2.5" hard drive a final score of 5 out of 5 stars, and a rating of "Highly Recommended".
Final Rating (5 out of 5 stars): 
Pros:
» High capacity
» Less heat output than previous generation
» Quiet
» Strong performance
» Competitive pricing
» Seagate's 5-year warranty
Cons:
» Limited availability at this time
Special thanks to Seagate for providing the 160GB Momentus 5400.3 2.5" hard drive to Bigbruin.com for review!
Please drop by the Bigbruin.com Forum and feel free to post any comments or questions.
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