For some reason, it doesn't seem to be possible to custom build the latest 15" MacBook Pro with a 7200rpm drive. The top speed is 5200rpm. Only the 17" has 7200rpm as a (cheaper, ironically - subtract $100) option.
But a bit of Googling suggests previous 15" models did have a 7200rpm drive as an option. See here:
http://store.apple.com/Catalog/US/Im...son_chart.html
So what is going on? Because I would take speed over size any day. Having a smaller har drive is a better discipline for forcing one to make regular back-ups, as well. Plus massive extermal drives are so cheap these days. So within my computer, I just want speed.