CoreMega » hard disk drive http://www.coremega.com Ultimate PC Power Thu, 17 Jun 2010 13:04:38 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 Three Factors in Every Hard Drive Purchase http://www.coremega.com/three-factors-in-every-hard-drive-purchase/ http://www.coremega.com/three-factors-in-every-hard-drive-purchase/#comments Thu, 20 May 2010 23:30:20 +0000 admin http://coremega.com/?p=10 HDD stands for Hard Disk Drive and is a type of mass storage for computers.  They come in two different sizes (form factors) 2.5″, for laptops, and 3.5″, for desktop computers.  An HDD uses a read/write head that access data stored on the disk.  Three factors can affect performance of the drive and should be [...]]]> HDD stands for Hard Disk Drive and is a type of mass storage for computers.  They come in two different sizes (form factors) 2.5″, for laptops, and 3.5″, for desktop computers.  An HDD uses a read/write head that access data stored on the disk.  Three factors can affect performance of the drive and should be considered in connection with the performance required by the user.

Storage Capacity

Hard Disk Drives can be found in a variety of sizes from as little as 80GB to as much as 2TB.  As HDDs are filled with data, the drive slows down which decreases performance.  The higher the drive size, the more space for games, programs, and media files.  If you plan on using a lot of media files or installing large programs, the larger Terabyte drives are key.

Speed

A variety of levels of RPMs can be found depending upon the form factor of the HDD.  For a desktop computer the RPMs of the drive can range from 5,400 to 15,000.  The faster the RPMs the faster the performance.  An increase in the RPMs however leads to an increase in noise, though the manufacturers do their best to limit this.  Standard computing will need either the 5,400 RPM or 7,200 RPM.  Performance gaming and computing will see benefits from the 10,000RPM or 15,000 RPM.

Connector

HDDs utilize a SATA interface.  Today, they are found in two different speeds, 3.0Gb/s and 6.0Gb/s.  The newer faster connection is the 6.0Gb/s which allows for a swifter data transfer rate and speeds up performance.  This connection however must also be used on the motherboard for it to be accessible.

When building or upgrading a system, each person will have specific needs.  The above factors are important to understand when putting together a system.  Thus, through a combination of storage capacity, speed, and the type of connector used, it is possible to fine to a computer to exact specifications.

]]> http://www.coremega.com/three-factors-in-every-hard-drive-purchase/feed/ 0 HDDs versus SSDs http://www.coremega.com/hdds-versus-ssds/ http://www.coremega.com/hdds-versus-ssds/#comments Thu, 06 May 2010 23:41:37 +0000 admin http://coremega.com/?p=12 There are two primary types of Hard Drives – the computer’s mass storage device.  One is a Hard Disk Drive (HDD) and the other is a Solid State Drive (SSD).  The primary difference between the two is that the HDD has a higher capacity, while the SSD has the faster performance.

An HDD uses a spinning [...]]]> There are two primary types of Hard Drives – the computer’s mass storage device.  One is a Hard Disk Drive (HDD) and the other is a Solid State Drive (SSD).  The primary difference between the two is that the HDD has a higher capacity, while the SSD has the faster performance.

An HDD uses a spinning disk to access and store memory.  The speed of this disk is listed in RPMs which means that the higher the RPMs, the faster the drive.  The basic HDD starts at 5400 RPM and some drives go to 10,000 or even 15,000 RPM.  There will be some increase in noise with the faster drive, but many manufacturers attempt to make the faster drives as quiet as possible.  The size of HDDs can be found from 160GB to the very spacious drives of 2TB.

An SSD has no moving parts.  It uses flash memory and is more like a data stick or memory card.  These qualities give it a faster access speed and make it more fall resistant. Additionally it will be both cooler and quieter than an HDD.  The capacities of SSDs remain low unless you are willing to spend more money, though the price of SSDs has steadily decreased as demand has increased. The SSD shines particularly in boot time and starting applications.  The access speed of the SSD shaves time from the boot up process and can start applications almost instantaneously.  This has led people to use SSDs as their Operating System drive, while keeping an HDD for storage of media files.

Thus, choosing between an HDD and an SSD depends upon the needs of the computer system being built or upgraded.  HDDs continually outperform when it comes to size and price, but SSDs are faster, quieter, and cooler, even if more expensive.

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