Computers Hard Drives

8 Tips For a Computer Hard Drive

Published at 03/19/2012 23:32:07

Introduction

Buying the correct type of computer hard drive, might be the single most important task you will ever have to undertake for the betterment of your laptop.

Computer hard drives, are the beating soul and heart of a computer, all your information, processes and OSs (operating systems) are stored on your computer hard drive.

So, what is the best type of computer hard drive for you? We'll give you the top eight tips to help you find the perfect computer hard drive.

 

Step 1

The first tip, is to determine what kind of computer hard drive you need, there are two types, internal and external. Internal hard drives reside inside your laptop, this is where you store all your files, this is where your operating system boots from, and this is where all the extra space on your laptop comes from.

Internal computer hard drives have 21 to 22 pins, and require either an expert or well versed person to install them.

 

 

Step 2

The second type. is an external computer hard drive. external computer hard drives do the same thing that internal hard drives do, except they require a special type of formatting and booting to run an OS (operating system).

Most people simply use their external computer hard drives to back up files, and media (movies, music, games, software, pictures etc.,) and usually keep it in case somehow files get erased on the internal computer hard drive.

 

Step 3

The third tip to consider, is connectivity. In internal computer hard drives, this is determined by the size, you can either choose between a 3.5 inch hard drive or a 2.5 inch one.

On external hard drives though, you have four basic connectivity options, each faster than the one before it.

The first option is USB 2.0 (USB 1.0 is now obsolete), as this is the most commonly available connectivity socket on laptops.

The second option is USB 3.0, which is twice as  fast as its older sibling, USB 2.0. You can transfer 1 GB file in about 15 seconds on USB 3.0

The third option is Firewire, as the name suggest, it is blazing fast. But not all laptops have a Firewire port, so confirm whether or not your laptop has this port before purchasing a Firewire external computer hard drive.

The final option is called Thunder Bolt, a very new technology that has no supporting external computer hard drives on the market yet, though the first ones should start coming out in April. So far the Thunder Bolt port is only available on Apple's latest line of Macbooks Pros and Air.

Step 4

The next tip is size, determine how much memory you'll need, The basic rule of thumb is, the more the better. As you can't really predict how much memory you'll need when your friend decides to share his gigantic collection of Power Ranger episodes.

Sizes range from 80 GB, unto 1 TB (TB equals 1,000 GBs)

Step 5

The next tip is about durability, you can choose to  buy a rugged hard drive or a normal one. Obviously a rugged on is better,  but slightly more expensive.

Step 6

The sixth tip about automatic back up, some hard drives come with this feature and others do not. But one factor is common, all of them work on Windows only. If you have a Mac or run Linux then skip this option.

Step 7

The seventh tip, is to insure that you always buy a computer hard drive that comes with a warranty, no matter how cheap it is, if there is no warranty, it's not worth buying.

Step 8

The final tip is speed, most hard drives have a speed of 5,200 RPM, but if you can afford one with 7,200 RPM, buy it. The higher the RPM's (rotations per minute) the better.

Comments

Always treat your computer hard drive gently.

 

Sources and Citations

www.wikipedia.com

 

Comments

Most Recent Articles

  • How To Get a Laptop For a Pro
    Professionals will need laptops for professionals, in other words, they'll need a pro laptop, it's as simple as that. Not every laptop out there will work for every professional, and compute...
  • Best Brand To Update a Disk Hard Drive
    The best brands to update a hard drive disk are probably Hitachi, Western Digital and Toshiba. Though in reality it hardly matters. When looking to replace a hard drive disk you need to dete...
  • How To Get 2.5 Hard Drive
    The beating heart of your laptop is it's 2.5 inch hard drive, and as time goes by, it will fail. This an inevitable consequence of owning a laptop or desktop with a 2.5 hard drive.  It ...
  • Get the Best Deals For Laptops Pink
    Pink is the impeccable color of fun, love and cuteness. And it's even more flawless on a laptop. So if you're looking for the finest deal on the best pink laptops, you're in the right place....
  • How To Get External 1Tb Hard Drive
    So, you have run out of space to store your monumental collection of films, dramas, songs, files, pictures and programs? Found your 500 GB (gigabyte), 640 GB and even your 750 GB hard drives...
  • How To Get a New Windows Disk
    As time goes by, you will eventually need a new Microsoft disk, either to re-install the OS (operating system), or install it on a new computer, or simply for the sake of having a back up. I...
  • How To Get Sd Cards Memory
    Micro SD memory cards are the bread and butter of all modern devices that use digital memory as a form of storage. If you own a digital camera, tablet (not an iPad though), phone, smart phon...
  • How To Buy a "16"" Laptop"
    Laptops come in various sizes and configurations, originally laptops were meant to be mobile computers, and were intentionally underpowered, sort of like how tablets are made these days. Ove...
  • About Hosting a Web Site
    If you plan on developing a website, or opening one for a friend or client, you should know about hosting a website. How it works, what it costs, what are the pros and cons, how to do it for...
  • 8 Tips For a Microsoft Windows Upgrade
    Upgrading is improving the performance of a computer by installing better components or parts. Microsoft is progressing in providing new upgrades for windows. In this article, I will discuss...
  • Great Advice For Homes Tucson
    Tucson is a county city in the Arizona state of the United States of America and is popularly nicknamed the ‘optics city’ because of the number of companies in the area that are ...
  • How To Get Cheap Loans
    Loans are the financial aid given by financial institutions to help make ends meet. This is because sometimes the money we need to accomplish something; be it a project, build a house, buy a...
  • What Brands Offer the Best 17 Inch Monitor?
    17 inch laptops are the king of the industry, as they hold the most power, the fastest performance, are made from the best materials, have the brightest screens and the strongest graphical p...
  • Cheap Family Vacations In Israel
     Without taking into consideration the weather that’s out there, Eilat is the ultimate destination for your next vacation. With a huge range of hotels, hostels and cheap youth ...
  • Top 5 Cheap Hosting Companies
    Hosting companies host websites for their customers. Web hosting services provides organizations and people with a way to make their sites visible and accessible through the Internet. Web ho...