Choosing a Hard Drive for Your Desktop
A hard drive is an essential part of your computer. Without it, your machine will be running without an operating system. Every couple of years you may be faced with the need to purchase a new HDD. It can be replacing your old internal hard drive or simply purchasing an additional external one.
There are a number of HDD makers on the market like Dell, Seagate, and Toshiba. You, however, need to know what you are looking for to make an informed choice. There are a number of factors that you need to consider before settling on a HDD you want to buy. Let's look at some of them.
What transfer speed is suitable for my hard drive?
While there are many determinants of your hard drive's performance, the revolutions per minute (RPM) remain an important factor. The SATA speed is usually indicated on your HDD's feature description.
For instance, a hard drive could be indicated as 3 GB/s and 7.2k or 7200PRM. The first is the SATA speed, which you do not need to consider as much as the RPM value. A 7200 RPM HDD will always work faster than one of 5400 revolutions per minute.
Should I go for a SAS or SATA hard drive?
There are two interface types of technology that are used for transferring data to and from a hard drive. These are:
- SAS - It is a serial interface type that stands for a serial attached small computer system, interface (SCSI). It is also pronounced as 'scuzzy' or SCSI hard drive.
- SATA - It is also a serial interface that stands for serial advanced technology attachment.
Whether for internal or external purposes, both SATA and SCSI drives serve the same purpose although they are entirely different in how they function. Let's take a look at their differences.
- Capacity - SAS hard disks have much lower capacity when compared to SATA drives. You can easily find an 8 TB capacity available in a format measuring 3.5 inches.
- Speed and resilience - Where these are a vital consideration, a hard drive that comes with a SAS interface will be a better choice for your desktop.
- Rotating speed - SAS come in two types, being 10k and 15k. K, in this case, refers to the speed that the data interfaces rotate. SATA drives, on the other hand, are 7.2k.
- Performance - SAS or SCSI drives work a lot faster than SATA drives.
- Functionality - SATA drives work nicely with desktops or for roles like back up and data storage that do not demand much. SCSI drives are used mostly as external hard drives. This is because laptops tend to handle more demanding tasks.
- Reliability - Between the two, SATA drives are not as reliable as SCSI, what with the functions they play.
What storage capacity should I use for my internal hard drive?
Your hard drive's size and interface matters depending on the machine you use. Traditional types of HDDs have their data stored on spinning metal disks. With that, it's important to note that data comes in two forms:
- 2.5-inch drive - Most laptop HDD's measure 2.4 inches and have 12 TB general maximum capacity
- 3.5-inch drive - Desktop HDD's are 3.5 inches and have 4 TB general maximum capacity