SSD all the way. I've been using them since 2008. My current computer boots in 9 seconds. Their speed, durability, and longevity are unmatched by even enterprise grade HDDs (Hard Disk Drives). Many of the new SSDs are SATA3 (6.0Gbps) [where as the older ones are SATA2 (3.0Gbps) and the newest micro architecture from Intel (Sandy Bridge) supports it as will AMD's coming Bulldozer platform. With new data transfer systems such as Thunderbolt and USB3, the SSD is going to allow you to do more quicker. Check out Intel's 510 if you plan to buy one yourself and put it in the laptop (which is the best way to go unless you get a Macbook Pro, which comes with a nice SSD). The Intel 510 is a 6.0 Gbps SSD built off of 34nm flash memory, which has a longer service life than the newer 20-27nm flash memory (although this means very little given both will last many years). It's fast (although not the fastest), well made, and probably the most reliable SSD on the market. If you are on a budget, the 25nm Intel 310 is fine as well. Intel's SSD track record has shown them to be by far the best made and the most reliable. I would avoid the OCZ Vertex line despite them being the fastest, as they are poorly made and break. The issues of speed and size decreases on SSDs are no longer an issue, even if your computer's OS doesn't natively support TRIM, as modern SSDs already have wear leveling firmware built into the CPU. Once you get a SSD you will never go back. I run a 240 Gb SSD with a 750 GB Scorpio Black 7200 RPM External HDD for back-ups. Just once you get it, don't defragment it as it puts wear on the drive that is unnecessary given the drive has no moving parts and so physical storage location does not affect read or write speed or overall performance. I would avoid the hybrid drives outright.