CoreMega » mass storage

Three Factors in Every Hard Drive Purchase

admin — Thu, 20 May 2010 23:30:20 +0000

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.

What You Should Know about SSDs

admin — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 18:27:37 +0000

A Solid State Drive (SSD) has no moving parts, utilizing flash memory to store and access data. This is similar to a data stick. This gives the SSD some advantages over a mechanical Hard Disk Drive (HDD).

The primary advantage is speed. Without moving parts, the drive is able to access the date faster. This allows for faster boot times, which is one of the main reasons that SSDs are becoming favorites as Operating System Drives. Depending upon the model and the computer system running the drive, upwards of ten seconds can be saved from boot up time. The Windows 7 promise of an eleven second boot up (not including the bios startup time) was demonstrated using a SSD. Applications themselves, such as Word will load almost instantaneously.

Another advantage appreciated by computer enthusiasts is the low emission of heat. Without moving parts, namely a spinning disk, the heat generated by the drive is minimal. This allows for a cooler computer, which is very important in higher end gaming machines or for computer users who like to overclock their CPU.

The lack of moving parts also means that the drive is almost completely silent, which is something that can be appreciated by everyone. An HDD using spinning disks can get very loud, especially the higher RPM drives used in performance machines. An SSD is thus able to outperform even the higher RPM drives without any noise.

The high performance of SSDs and the added benefits of no noise and very low heat combine to make a versatile means of mass storage. As time progresses, it is beginning to see more and more use in mainstream consumer devices. It is only limited by the relatively small size and the price to size ratio. However, SSDs continue to be very useful for laptops and netbooks and as Operating System Drives on Desktops, and the consensus is that once storage capacity is upgraded on SSDs they will replace HDDs.