Internal Hard Disk Drives

You are extremely happy when you buy your PC or laptop. But the moment you start installing those applications, the space in your hard drive starts getting eaten up. And suddenly you find that you have not enough space in your computer and it has become lethargically slow! Then you will come to know that you need extra hard drive space for improvement in performance of your computer. Thankfully, there are enough options in internal hard disk drives for you to make your purchase. What should you look for? Here’s what you should look for…

Choosing your Internal Hard Disk Drive

How much space do you need?

First and foremost, predict the amount of space you will require. Remember that if you are in the habit of downloading media, you will require a lot of space in your hard drive. Games also eat up a lot of space and before you know, the space you have seems inadequate. Since you don’t want to shop for internal hard disk drives every other month, it is best to buy a hard drive with a lot of space. These days you find hard drives with TBs of space and it makes sense to purchase these large drives. Don’t worry – the prices don’t go up proportionate to the amount of extra space and you get to save a lot when you opt for the larger drives.

Four points in internal hard disk drives for better performance

You should look at the most high performing internal hard disk drives if you want the best returns on your investment. There are four elements that you need to consider in performance – 1. Interface, 2. Rate of data transfer, 3. Cache size and 4. Spindle speed.

Interface

All the internal hard disk drives have SATA interface standards that dictate how fast they can connect to a server or a computer. SATA interfaces have had a few versions over the years, each version being better performing than the previous version. Hence, you should look at the latest SATA interface.

Rate of data transfer

The data transfer rate of internal hard disk drives is measured in Mbps or Gbps. SATA I could transfer data at the rate of 1.5Gbps; the performance improved in SATA II where the speed was 3Gbps and now you have SATA III with a data transfer speed of 6Gbps. SATA III is incredibly fast and can transfer 700Mb of data in a second.

Cache size

Cache is there in all the internal hard disk drives. The cache is the buffer memory for information that you use frequently. With a larger cache size, the buffer memory is that much more and this means better performance of your hard drive.

Spindle speed

Spindle speed in internal hard disk drives indicates the RPM or rotations per minute that these drives make. 7,200 RPM is the most common spindle speed. However, if your objective is to store data in your internal hard disk drive, then you may opt for a hard drive with slower spindle speed, say 5,400 RPM.

More secure internal hard disk drives

Even the best internal hard disk drives have issues with damage. This could be due to heat or physical impact or even vibration. The issue is more prominent in laptops than desktops and this is one point you should keep in mind when making your purchase. Internal hard disk drives with extra layers of protection make a lot of sense. And of course, you should back up your data every now and then so that all is not lost if and when your computer hard drive crashes.

The form factor

The most common internal hard disk drives have a form of factor of 3.5 although many of the newer models have 2.5 form factor. Before you make your purchase, you should find out which form factor is right for your computer because you will otherwise face installation issues.

Try RAID for more options

If your computer has multiple internal hard disk drives, then connecting them using RAID will improve their performance and you will get more security. Many of the modern computer motherboards have integrated RAID controllers – this is something for you to check.

Which internal hard disk drives for which use?

SATA III interface is the best in internal hard disk drives that you get these days. The top models include Western Digital WD RED 3TB IntelliPower 64MB SATA 6Gb/s, Seagate Desktop HDD 4TB 5900RPM 64MB SATA 6Gb/s and Hitachi 2"½ Travelstar 7K1000 1TB 7200RPM 32MB SATA 6Gb/s.

7,200 RPM internal hard disk drives have the highest data transfer speed and the models to consider are Western Digital WD RED 6TB IntelliPower 64MB SATA 6Gb/s, Seagate Archive HDD 8TB 5900 RPM 3.5" 128MB and Hitachi 2"½ Travelstar 7K1000 1TB 7200RPM 32MB SATA 6Gb/s.

 Most people who purchase internal hard disk drives look for space that is calculated in TB. The top models include Seagate Laptop SSHD 1TB 64MB SATA 6Gb/s, Western Digital WD Black 4TB 7200RPM 64MB SATA 6Gb/s, Samsung Spinpoint M9T 2TB 5400RPM SATA 6Gb/s and Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 2TB 7200RPM 64MB SATA 6Gb/s.