What is the maximum memory possible to in a MacBook Pro (15", early 2008)?

I'm in agreement with Ogelthorpe, even better would be the Seagate Momentus XT 750G hybrid drive (but more money is needed for that 😟)

One last thing to consider about a 7200 rpm drive is that they may be slightly less reliable in a laptop. (Though this is not universally held, for sure.) Faster spin, when bumped could cause issues, greater energy draw and heat dissipation could be a slight issue.

Discussion link: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/253771-32-5400-7200

Dan__.jpg wrote:

One last thing to consider about a 7200 rpm drive is that they may be slightly less reliable in a laptop. (Though this is not universally held, for sure.) Faster spin, when bumped could cause issues, greater energy draw and heat dissipation could be a slight issue.

Discussion link: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/253771-32-5400-7200

300 to 500G is the range of forces accepted by the drive manufacturers as being 'surviveable' rotational speed is not a factor. There may be marginally higher power consumption, equally it may be lower, drive design has more effect than rotational speed.