By: Adam Wilson
Hard drive is a storehouse of voluble information, which is retained even after your PC is turned off. In technical terms, it is a primary storage unit on the computer, comprising one or more media platters on which digital data is written and erased magnetically. A hard disk drive houses more data and can be accessed faster than floppy drives. Depending on storage demands, you can install more than one hard drive on your computer.
Hard drive is a storehouse of voluble information, which is retained even after your PC is turned off. In technical terms, it is a primary storage unit on the computer, comprising one or more media platters on which digital data is written and erased magnetically. A hard disk drive houses more data and can be accessed faster than floppy drives. Depending on storage demands, you can install more than one hard drive on your computer.
Not only should your hard drive be capable of storing volumes of data, it should also provide for quick access. Thus, the primary factors to consider when buying a hard drive are storage capacity and speed. Keep in mind the points below and you can pick a good hard drive for your PC!
- Know the Hard Drive types
First, you should decide where you wish to place the hard drive on your computer. Depending on this, the choices available to you are Internal and External. Laptop hard drives are designed for use on laptops. Irrespective of the type, all hard drive provides the same utility i.e. allowing for additional storage space.
1. Internal Hard Drive: These are drives that fit into the open bays of your computer. They are less expensive than external drives and have faster transfer rates. These days, most computer models possess an internally installed hard drive with at least one provision of an open bay to install additional hard drive into them. However, it is always a good practice to check if your computer has provisions for an additional internal drive before you proceed to buy one.
2. External Hard Drive: These drives are easier additions to the existing storage space because they do not require opening up of your computer. Such drives connect via the USB port and Firewire. All you need to do is plug them in and they immediately become functional. Thus, ease of installation gives them an edge over internal drives. Moreover, they are portable and allow flexibility in transferring data among different locations. Care should be executed when handling them as they get damaged if dropped or banged against objects accidentally.
3. Laptop Hard Drive: These drives allow you to carry loads of data around when you travel and are also available in the types of internal and external. When buying a laptop hard drive, ensure that you choose a lightweight and power saving one. It should also not produce too much of heat or noise. - Check the capacity or size of the drive
Capacity of a hard drive implies the amount of storage space available to you for saving your files. A 40 GB (gigabyte) hard drive space is sufficient to an average home user if he does not look to have too many applications or games installed on his computer. For more advanced usage like installing heavy applications and storing numerous movies, graphic or music files, an 80 GB or higher capacity becomes useful. Most of the modern computers come with at least 80 GB hard drive capacity. - Check the disk speed or spin rate
Measured in ‘Revolutions per minute’ (RPM), disk speed or spin rate throws light on the speed with which the hard drive reads and writes data. With faster data transfer, you are ensured of a more efficient performance with increase in speed. Typically, spin rate ranges between 4,200-15,000 RPMs. Most available hard drives spin at 7,200 RPM to support work with large files. If usage is limited to working with small files alone, a drive with at least 5,400 RPM speed will suffice. - Check the hard drive cache
Cache is an additional memory that acts as a buffer between Central Processing Unit (CPU) and the drive to enhance the speed of data retrieval. In other words, it reduces the computer’s ‘seek time’ by storing data frequently accessed by you. Higher the cache memory on the drive, more efficient is your computer’s performance. Usually, drives allow for 2 MB cache feature but 8 MB and 16 MB are also becoming popular these days. For working with large files like video and audio, you should have a large cache size. - Check for operating system compatibility
Usually, hard drives are compatible for use on Windows platform. Thus, it is essential to check for compatibility if your computer uses Macintosh or Linux. Sometimes on Mac or Linux systems, installing necessary software along with the drive helps the computer identify the hard drive. - Check the rate of data transfer
Often, you need to transfer volumes of data to other devices like a CD. During data transfer, operating other applications on your computer will slow down the process. Hence, there is a waiting time involved during which it is preferable to leave the computer idle. Thus, it is essential to know how fast your hard drive transfers information to external devices. Faster the data transfer, lesser is the idle time. - Know the interface
Interface determines the means by which an external drive connects on to the computer. Different interfaces available on hard drives for connection are:
I. IDE (Integrated Drive Electronics): The most common of connection techniques, it is less expensive since the hard drive controller is present on the drive itself and not the motherboard. The technology on this kind of interface helps in processing several parts of data at the same time. Various IDE standards in the sequence of most basic to fastest are ATA (Basic), ATA-2 or EIDE (Enhanced IDE), ATA-3, Ultra-ATA, ATA-66, ATA-100, ATA-133 (Fastest).
2. SATA (Serial ATA): Hard drives with this interface offers tremendously high transfer rates of 150 MB per second to 300 MB per second in SATA II. Requiring only 6 wires, it is an innovation on IDE/ATA interface that requires 40 separate wires to connect components to a serial interface.
3. SCSI (Small Computer System Interface): This interface allows for multiple devices to connect to a computer on any of Apple Macintosh, UNIX as well as other computers. Generally found on higher end PCs, they are more expensive, flexible, reliable and faster than IDE interface. Different SCSI standards are SCSI-1, SCSI-2, Wide SCSI, Fast SCSI, Fast Wide SCSI, Ultra Wide SCSI, SCSI-3, Ultra2 SCSI and Wide Ultra2 SCSI.
4. Firewire: This interface is more common to portable hard drives owing to their capability of being removed without having to restart the computer. Also known as IEEE 1394, Firewire transfers data at a very high speed. They are faster than USB connections. Invented by Apple Computer, Firewire is now used on Windows platform as well.
5. USB 1.1 & USB 2.0: Commonly known as Universal Serial Bus, USB 1.1 interface is found on most computers. It can support even 127 devices at the same time either through the port hubs or linked in a daisy chain fashion. A disadvantage with USB 1.1 is that it allows for a very slow data transfer of about 1.5 MB per second. USB 2.0 offers high-speed data transfer of up to 60 MB per second. However, a USB 1.1 system can boost up its data transfer speed by using a USB 2.0 device along with a USB 2.0 controller card.
Getprice is an Australian comparison shopping service that helps consumers find the best deals when shopping for Hard Drives. Getprice works with Australia’s leading retailers to list information such as product specifications and prices, store information and special offers from Australia’s top Hard Drive retailers in order to help consumers find the right product at the best price. Getprice also publishes buying guides for hard drives and other popular products. All pricing and product information is provided by independent third party Australian retailers. Getprice provides product and pricing comparisons for online shoppers to ‘shop smart and save’. Compare prices or just browse the hard drives category at Getprice.com.au.
Article Source: http://www.eArticlesOnline.com
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