Choosing Computer Harddrives.

Computer harddrives to complete your PC system.

Computer harddrives represent an extremely important part of your PC system.

As a mechanical device, the harddisk can eventually fail but you have more guaranties to avoid this if you get one of high quality.

For this purpose it is essential to consider the following specifications when buying your device:

Internal or external models?

You can have both models if you want. The internal must complete your system and install your software and various applications you intend to use. You can add a second in future when you decide to upgrade your storage capacity.

The external could be used for storing important and personal data or any other utility. Especially you can buy a portable drive if you'll need to move frequently with large amount of data or backup your files.

What king of Interfaces to use?

The various interfaces used to connect the hard device may not confuse you. As a matter of fact, you'll find different names and versions but almost all mean the same thing.

Many versions of ATA (Advanced Drive Electronics) such as IDE, EIDE, DMA, UDMA or PATA interfaces will allow you to transfer data from and to the drive.

The main difference is their speed and you better buy the latest evolution, the SATA (Serial ATA), with transfer rates of 150 MB/s.

If you look for the highest level of performance and reliability, choose your hardd disk with SCSI (Small computer system interface)- 320MB/s, USB – 480 MB/s or Firewire – 800 MB/s, a high-speed BUS interface. This last one is really expensive but can satisfy your needs to respond to high data transmission speeds.

Storage capacity

If you consider the capacity like the most important specification to buy a drive, you are wrong. Bear in mind that every GB costs money and if you won't use them you'll simply spend money for nothing.

Buy large amount of storage capacity only if you are sure to be able to use them. By example if you have to backup files, store movies or many audio files it is a good option. You can go up to 250 GB for internal or up to 500 GB for external. Otherwise a 40 or 60 GB, at a pinch 80 GB, may be enough for your mid-range system.

Revolution per minute

This is the most important specification you must consider when buying HDD to pick out the good performers. The RPM refers to the Revolution per Minute which varies from 5400 rpm, 7200, 10 000 up to 15 000 rpm drives.

So you already understand the faster the disk rotates the more data it can process.

Have finally a look on the cache memory or Buffer size where the drive store data temporarily to be used when you command it. From 2 to 8 MB take the larger, it surely will be better.

Now that you have understood these guidelines, go get your computer harddrives.