Replace Toshiba Failed HD with what?

[Merskies]

So I have a Toshiba Satellite C655-S5512 Laptop. The hard drive it came with has failed which was a Toshiba MK3265GSX 320GB SATA/300 5400RPM 8MB 2.5" Hard Drive. What drive would be the best to replace this for the cost and performance?

Exact replacement Hard drive:
http://www.amazon.com/Toshiba-MK3265GSX-320GB-5400RPM-Drive/dp/B003ZTIANC/ref=sr_1_2?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1462424713&sr=1-2&keywords=toshiba+MK3275GSX#Ask

Or should I upgrade to a SSD with minimum 240gb? Then is it worth buying any Sata drive above 3.0gb transfer rates due to backwards compatibility? Basically any suggestions to replace this hard drive for around $50 would be gladly accepted.

My Questions:
Replace hard drive with a new hard drive?
or Replace hard drive with ssd?
if ssd which style do I need:
7mm, 9mm, Sata 2.0, 3.0???
Solution replacement around $50?

Thanks ~ Merskies

 

[Mr Kagouris]

Any 2.5" drive of the same width (laptop HDDs are slimmer than desktop ones) would work.

 

[burdenbound]

I can't recommend an SSD enough, will make your laptop faster than it has ever been. If you go with SSD, go with SATA 3, there is no reason or even financial reason to buy an older one. If looks like a full size laptop to I bet it will accept 7 or 9mm but I would play it safe and go with 7mm, most current SSDs are that size anyways.

The crucial bx200 240GB is $65 on newegg, it's the cheapest one that I would consider a good quality drive.

 

[weberdarren97]

If you want an upgrade then go with a SATA III 2.5" SSD. I recommend the Samsung SSD 850 Evo series.

However, if you just want to replace and are not looking for a noticeable performance increase then you can just get another 2.5" HDD.