Today we will talk about what HDD drives are, what they are, and consider their characteristics. Let's find out which of them are the best, and which HDDs you shouldn't buy.

A hard drive is an information storage device that is used in computers and laptops to install an operating system, drivers, programs on it, as well as to store all kinds of user files.

HDD is a half mechanical, half electronic device consisting of magnetic plates, read heads, a spindle (motor), and a control board. The spindle on which the magnetic plates are attached spins them up to several thousand rpm. in a minute.
It is believed that the higher the spindle torque, the higher the reading speed. Although important factors include: random access time and recording density. HDDs differ in speed, capacity, and of course reliability. This parameter is guaranteed by the manufacturer.

Which manufacturing companies are better?

Samsung drives are considered the most reliable and fastest. Hitachi also produces very good wheels, but their speed is lower. HDDs from companies are of average quality Western Digital. It turned out that this company initially began to produce its products in cheap factories that did not have high-quality equipment. The lowest quality production of devices of this type from well-known brands is the once leading American electronics company Seagate. Well, Fujitsu and Toshiba companies now cannot boast of the quality of hard drive production.

Therefore, when choosing to purchase an HDD, it is better to choose either Samsung or Hitachi. They differ in their dimensions. HDDs with a disk width of 3.5 (inches) are installed on computers, and 2.5 (inches) on laptops.
Hard drive speed system unit the speed of a computer is more than 7000 rpm, but there are HDDs on sale with a performance of no higher than 5500 rpm. Such low-speed copies are not worth buying. But laptop drives with a rotation speed of 5400 rpm. They work much quieter and don't get so hot.

The buffer on the hard drive is called cache memory, and serves to speed it up. It ranges from 32 to 128 MB. Although 32 MB. will be enough for its normal operation. Read and write speed is one of the most important parameters, which greatly affects working productivity devices.

Information exchange speed

A good indicator for a HDD is considered to be a read speed of 110 - 140 MB/s. You should not buy a HDD with a speed not exceeding 100 MB/s. Random access time is the second important indicator of hard drive performance, after reading and writing. It is believed that the smaller this parameter, the better quality devices. It mainly affects copying and reading small files. Pretty good if the HDD access time is 13 - 14 ms. This type of media comes with two types of connectors. These are SATA 2 (earlier) and SATA 3. These connectors are compatible with each other, so this does not in any way affect the operation of the drives or their speed. Hard drives haven't changed at all over the past ten years. Therefore, the price for them remained approximately at the same level.

Internal hdd what is it

Hard Disk Drive, abbreviated hdd, is one of the most important, most expensive and most complex components of a modern computer. HDD is designed for long-term storage of large amounts of information used by a PC, operating system files and programs. It is from the hard drive, or as computer scientists call it “screw,” that the operating system is loaded. If a disk fails, you have to spend a lot of money buying a new hard drive. But most importantly, all information will be lost if a backup copy has not been created in advance.

Hard drives are:
— external — External HDD;
— internal — Internal HDD.

Features of choice internal hdd.

Inside the system unit case there is an internal hdd, what is it and what to look for when purchasing. Hard drives are designed to store information and load the operating system. Hard drives that ensure reliable and efficient operation of the operating system are subject to increased requirements. The requirements for internal hdd, whose main task is to store and process information, are completely different.
The problem of choice is solved by the ability to install several hard drives in modern PCs, each of which performs its own tasks.

Internal internal hdds are available for personal computer and for a laptop. They differ in size:
— 3.55 inches for PC;
- 2.5 inches - for a laptop.

Options hard drives.

The need to purchase a new device arises in two cases: the capacity of the working hard drive is not enough for normal operation of the computer or the old drive has failed.
The hard drive is one of the most unreliable PC components, as it combines a complex mechanical part and electronic boards. In addition, mechanics cannot withstand physical impact: vibration, shaking, shock. How do you know if your hard drive is bad? If there are problems with the device, the computer may reboot at any time, freeze during operation, or turn off.
What is better to do: buy a new hard drive or repair the old one? The answer is clear: it is easier and cheaper to purchase a new internal hdd. These devices are rarely repaired.

When choosing a hard drive, you need to consider three main parameters:

1. Interface type.
Your drive must be fully compatible with motherboard. Eat different variants interfaces: SCSI, SATA, IDE and SAS. An IDE connection is only suitable on older computers. Currently, different versions of SATA are most often used. Modern interfaces for connecting drives allow you to work with files much faster.

2. Performance.
The speed of the disk is affected by the spindle rotation speed. There are standard rotation speeds: from 5400 to 7200 rpm. How to make the right choice? 5400 rpm is enough to store data; if you need to install systems and programs, you need to select a screw with parameters of -7200 rpm. "Green" drives, having 5400 rpm, are characterized by low energy consumption and quiet operation. Large quantity revolutions provides greater read and write speeds.
There are models that have speeds from 10,000 to 15,000 rpm. Used exclusively for servers and professional purposes.

The intermediate memory buffer - cache, also affects the performance of the internal hdd. Cache values ​​range from 8 to 64 MB. The larger the cache size, the faster the screw:
— 8 MB is enough for 500 – 750 GB;
— 16 MB – for 1 TB.

3. Capacity.
HDD capacity is measured by the amount of information volume that fits on the device. The first internal hdds had a capacity of only 60 MB. The smallest hard drive capacity today is 160 GB. Modern devices most often have value ranges from 200 to 500 GB. The size of some devices can reach up to 3 TB.
When choosing, focus on your needs and financial capabilities: the higher the capacity, the more information will fit, but the price also increases significantly.

The last two parameters are quite difficult to combine on one device. Therefore, disks are conventionally divided into:
- universal;
- capacious;
- fast.

When choosing an internal hdd, you need to decide on the functional tasks. If there is one on the computer HDD, then it is better to choose universal models that are manufactured with an optimal ratio of speed and capacity. A fast hard drive is used as system disk. To store large amounts of information, high-capacity disks are chosen. If the choice is made correctly, the entire system will work in a balanced manner and without failures.

Advantages and disadvantages different types internal hdd.

Universal ones have a fairly high degree of reliability and do not have serious drawbacks. Fast hard drives, in addition to being fast, are also highly reliable. Disadvantages include rapid heating and noise.
Capacitive internal hdds are considered the most unreliable, especially models with a capacity exceeding 1 TB. The advantages of such hard drives are reduced noise, low power consumption and moderate heating.

Features of choosing a hdd for a laptop.

Laptops do not need fast or capacious internal hdds. It is best to choose a universal hard drive with balanced characteristics.

The main differences between internal hdd for a laptop:
1. The devices are smaller and more compact.
2. Hard drives are installed with a spindle speed of 4200 to 5400 rpm, which ensures low power consumption.
3. HDD capacity in laptops is no more than 200 GB.

How to install an internal hard drive in a laptop

You can replace the hard drive in your laptop yourself. Usually this does not cause any difficulties. The main condition is caution. In all laptops, the internal hdd is located in a metal frame inside the case. The new hard drive is inserted into the same frame.
A prerequisite for replacement is to check the compatibility of the new internal device with the laptop motherboard. If the newly purchased hard drive has an inappropriate connector, it will not be possible to install it. Therefore, before purchasing, study the instructions, clarify the technical parameters, and determine the type of interface. Most often, SATA and IDE interfaces are used to connect hdds, which differ in the width of the cable and connector.

Currently, internal hdds, which are installed in laptops, are practically not inferior in performance and speed to hard drives in PCs. Moreover, the speed of access to information can always be increased by connecting an additional external drive.

Manufacturers.

Today there are five main brands in the lead:: Seagate, Western Digital, Toshiba, Hitachi, Samsung. There are, of course, models from other brands. But, as a rule, these are licensed “repetitions” of already well-known models.
Define best brand It’s not at all easy, just like saying which hard drive will last longer. Basically, all drives are quite reliable and have almost the same characteristics. But Seagate and Western Digital are still considered the most reliable companies.

Do right choice reviews on various forums will help. Type the drive brand into a search engine and read customer reviews. You should not trust one site or forum. Use multiple sources to avoid wasting money and losing valuable information. Choose wisely. Important to remember: purchase hard disks It is necessary only from a trusted seller, and not at the bazaar.

The hard drive, or hard drive, is the main and very important part of the computer. It stores not only the operating system that controls the computer, but also all the information of a client or several clients. It often happens that the value of information many times exceeds not only the cost of the hard drive, but also the computer as a whole. Therefore, the security of information largely depends on the quality and reliability of such a drive. A modern hard drive looks like the one shown in the picture.

What is a hard drive?

So, what exactly is a storage device, on the performance of which the well-being and good mood his owner? In fact, a hard drive is a high-tech equipment that stores digital information even when the computer is turned off.

To be more precise, a hard drive consists of several magnetic disks onto which information is applied and read using a magnetic head. These heads, together with magnetic disks, are in a vacuum, which allows the drive to operate without the influence of the external environment on the process of writing and reading information.

What types of hard drives are there?

So, we found out that a hard drive is an information storage device for a computer. Now let's figure out what types of HDD there are. First of all, it should be noted that hard drives can be divided into two categories:

• External drives that can be connected to any computer via a USB interface. In some ways they resemble a flash drive, only larger in size. Special software such hard drives do not need it.
• Internal HDD drives are installed inside computers and have specific connectors for both power and information transfer.

Internal HDDs are also divided into several categories. There are several criteria by which a hard drive can be classified. This physical size Winchester. There are three standard sizes:

• 5.5 inches. Typically, hard drives of this size are used in desktop computers, Where free space enough.
• 3.5 inches are used mainly in laptops where space is limited and large amounts of memory are needed.
• 2.5 inches are used in ultrabooks where space is very limited.

Another feature by which drives are classified is the data exchange protocol between the hard drive and the computer. What protocols can the hard drive use? They are as follows:

• IDE- old version protocol, which was used mainly on computers and laptops before 2000.
• SCSI is a contemporary of IDE, more high speed version drive management, which was used mainly in server machines. It required special drivers to use such hard drives.
• SATA- modern version protocol, which has several options and has high speed recording and reading information. Used in almost all modern computer systems.

Hard drive problems

One of the most frightening messages that can be seen on the screen says that the computer does not see the hard drive. Why is this so scary for computer users? With such a malfunction, the device does not load the operating system, and accordingly, practically no actions provided for by this system can be performed.

What could cause this problem? The simplest problem leading to this result is a violation of the integrity of the power cables or the system interface. Often, dust or dirt getting inside such a connector leads to this malfunction. And most experienced users are not particularly scared when such a message appears, but simply reconnect the power and interface connectors. This inscription may look something like the one shown in the photo above.

Hard drive not visible for BIOS

When such a malfunction occurs, the first thing to determine is whether this problem physical or software. How to find out? After a message appears that the computer does not see the hard drive, you need to reboot the machine and enter the BIOS. What is BIOS? This is a program that is written into the ROM of the computer's motherboard. It loads even before the operating system and determines the peripheral devices with which it will work motherboard. For BIOS boot you need to press the appropriate key on the keyboard, usually the DEL or F2 button. After entering the BIOS, you can see the following picture.

This photo shows that the BIOS did not detect any hard drives on the computer. In this case, the problem described above could occur, and the computer, being disconnected from the power cable or interface, is invisible to the BIOS. On the other hand, any malfunction in the hard drive control board will lead to such a problem. Moreover, if it is possible to solve this problem, then only in the appropriate service center. It is almost impossible to eliminate it on your own at home.

Windows 7 does not see the hard drive

But there are times when the hard drive is visible to the BIOS, but the operating system does not boot or Windows is constantly rebooting. In what cases does this happen? Then, when working with operating system One of the system files has been deleted or an error occurred during overwriting and the file is not read correctly. Physical damage to the hard drive, scratching or chipping of the disk surface may also occur. If one of the system files was located in this location, then the operating system will not be able to read it and will issue, as system administrators say, blue screen death, which prompts you to reboot the system. If the error repeats, it is better to contact system administrator. Sometimes such software errors can be easily fixed without reinstalling the operating system. But it happens that they are fatal, and they can only be fixed with a complete reinstallation of the system. To solve this kind of problem they usually use system utilities, who are engaged in the recovery of software errors. What are these programs?

Hard drive software errors

There are quite a lot of programs for recovering software errors, which can be divided into two categories. The first includes utilities that are located inside the system and can be used after the operating system is fully loaded. These are sets of programs for servicing hard drives.

For example, how to maintain a Windows 7 hard drive? You can maintain your drive directly from the program. To do this, just go to “My Computer” and select the disk that we want to service. Click on the "Properties" tab and see the following picture, shown in the photo above.

Hard drive maintenance programs

As you can see in the picture, the user is offered three utilities:

• Check for errors.
• Disk archiving.

Only the first program corrects errors, and the others will simply service this disk. But there are programs that work without an operating system. The advantage of such utilities is that they can maintain the disk even when the operating system does not boot. For example, one of these programs is called FDISK and was developed by Microsoft as a disk maintenance utility before installing the operating system. It is used by experienced users computer equipment Norton Disk Doctor, and there are actually quite a lot of such programs, so the choice largely depends on the preferences of a particular person. Before installing Windows from a hard drive, it is advisable to service it with a similar program and correct possible errors.

Hard drive recovery

Often, many users are faced with the problem of recovering data from a problematic hard drive. As mentioned above, often the information stored on it is valued much more than the hard drive itself. Therefore, the work of recovering lost data is not only valuable, but also highly paid. Much depends on how the information disappeared. It is important to remember how Windows deletes information from your hard drive.

The operating system does not erase information that the user wants to remove. It simply deletes the hard drive's table of contents, which allows you to find this information. This table of contents is called a FAT table. And if after that the body is hard Windows disk 10 other information was not recorded, it is quite easy to restore it. There are many programs that can do this job. According to many users, one of the best is Acronis Recovery Expert.

Hard Drive Backup

Be that as it may, no user wants to be constantly under the threat that valuable information is in danger. Therefore, efforts are made to minimize risks. What can be done? Backup useful information the hard drive as a whole or a hard disk sector helps solve this problem.

What backup methods are there?

• IN manual mode. The user independently chooses what information and when the program will save. Some companies prefer to produce in their own offices backup data at the end of the work shift. But there is a danger of losing information that has accumulated during the day.
• Backup to automatic mode. At the same time, the program includes how often and what should be copied and saved.
• Creating a mirrored RAID array that stores all the information from the main hard drive in parallel on another hard drive. If the latter fails, you can easily use a mirror.

Selecting a hard drive

While paying great attention to the safety of information, you should not forget about the choice of the hard drive manufacturer, as well as the technical parameters that characterize the quality of this hard drive. If we talk about the brand of the drive manufacturer, then it is worth choosing a more well-known company, although such a hard drive will cost a little more. Some users prefer Seagate.

If we talk about technical parameters, then, all things being equal, it is worth paying attention to the speed of reading and writing information. Sometimes this data will help you make a choice in favor of one or another hard drive.

Summarize

So, a hard drive is a very valuable and important information in computer. Therefore, you need to put a lot of effort into choosing a high-quality hard drive. You should also take care to regularly maintain your device. In addition, it is important to pay attention to the security of information, if any, on your computer. If you make all these efforts, then your hard drive will serve you for a long time, and the information on it will be completely safe. The operation of your device is entirely in your hands, so take all measures to ensure its normal functioning.

Today we will talk about what HDD drives are, what they are, and consider their characteristics. Let's find out which of them are the best, and which HDDs you shouldn't buy.

A hard drive is an information storage device that is used in computers and laptops to install an operating system, drivers, programs on it, as well as to store all kinds of user files.

Hard drive design

HDD is a half mechanical, half electronic device consisting of magnetic plates, read heads, a spindle (motor), and a control board. The spindle on which the magnetic plates are attached spins them up to several thousand rpm. in a minute. It is believed that the higher the spindle torque, the higher the reading speed. Although important factors include: random access time and recording density. HDDs differ in speed, capacity, and of course reliability. This parameter is guaranteed by the manufacturer.

Which manufacturing companies are better?

Samsung drives are considered the most reliable and fastest. Hitachi also produces very good disks, but their speed is lower. HDDs from Western Digital are of average quality. It turned out that this company initially began to produce its products in cheap factories that did not have high-quality equipment. The lowest quality production of devices of this type from well-known brands is the once leading American electronics company Seagate. Well, Fujitsu and Toshiba companies now cannot boast of the quality of hard drive production.

Therefore, when choosing to purchase an HDD, it is better to choose either Samsung or Hitachi. They differ in their dimensions. HDDs with a disk width of 3.5 (inches) are installed on computers, and 2.5 (inches) on laptops.
The speed of the hard drive of the computer system unit is more than 7000 rpm, but there are HDDs on sale with a performance of no higher than 5500 rpm. Such low-speed copies are not worth buying. But laptop drives with a rotation speed of 5400 rpm. They work much quieter and don't get so hot.

The buffer on the hard drive is called cache memory, and serves to speed it up. It ranges from 32 to 128 MB. Although 32 MB. will be enough for its normal operation. Read and write speed is one of the most important parameters, which greatly affects the operating performance of the device.

Information exchange speed

A good indicator for a HDD is considered to be a read speed of 110 - 140 MB/s. You should not buy a HDD with a speed not exceeding 100 MB/s. Random access time is the second important indicator of hard drive performance, after reading and writing. It is believed that the smaller this parameter, the better the quality of the device. It mainly affects copying and reading small files. Pretty good if the HDD access time is 13 - 14 ms. This type of media comes with two types of connectors. These are SATA 2 (earlier) and SATA 3. These connectors are compatible with each other, so this does not in any way affect the operation of the drives or their speed. Hard drives haven't changed at all over the past ten years. Therefore, the price for them remained approximately at the same level.

WindowsTune.ru

What is HDD in a computer?

IN various programs Monitoring the operation of a computer, you can come across such a designation as HDD. On most computer cases there is a periodically flashing light with the same signature. What does this abbreviation mean?

HDD

HDD, also known as Hard Disk Drive, is nothing more than a hard drive. The blinking light, by the way, blinks for a reason - you can always determine from it whether the hard drive is working at all, or whether the system is not accessing it (then it just hangs, but there can be many reasons for this, and so you know more deep symptoms are if the light does not light up at all). If the light is constantly on, this indicates an excessive load on the computer - you will notice this by its greatly reduced performance. In such a situation, we advise you to simply close some programs - then the number of accesses to the hard drive will decrease, and the performance of running programs will increase.

AskPoint.org

hdd what is it?

HDD, hard drive, hard drive... All these words mean the same component of a modern personal computer, without which it is impossible to imagine it.

Previously, all information on computers, which at that time were called computers, was stored on devices called punched tapes. What is punched paper tape? Essentially, it is a piece of cardboard paper with special holes made in it. But this is the “stone age” of computers. The next stage in the development of personal computers was a technology called magnetic recording. It is this principle that underlies the operating technologies of modern hard drives. The main difference between hard drives of the past and modern models for ordinary users, this is the amount of information that can be recorded on one medium. If earlier this volume was measured only in kilobytes, today we are dealing with terabytes. Increasing the volume of stored information is one of the main achievements of current HDDs.

Why and what is HDD needed for?

Why do you need a hard disk (HDD) and how is it used directly by the computer operating system itself? As a rule, any computer stores some kind of information, and a hard drive is the very device on which the information is stored. Today this is a very important function for any computer (storing information on digital media), since without a hard drive we, users of personal computers, would have to have constant access to the Internet or local network, and computers without such capabilities would lose a significant share of their functionality.

In more “scientific” terms, a hard drive is a storage component of any PC. The main task of this component is to store information for a long time. Hard drive, as opposed to computer RAM ( random access memory), is not memory, called volatile. What does it mean? Let's imagine that you were working on a computer with some document, saved it, and then, of course, turned off the computer. If HDD memory were volatile, then all the information you saved would be irretrievably lost. Why? The thing is that for normal operation of volatile memory, a constantly switched-on power supply is required. It is on this principle that computer RAM works, but memory on hard drives does not, since it is not volatile. For the same reason, this type of memory is the best for storing any information, be it documents, photographs, videos, etc. By the way, the operating system, as a rule, is installed on the hard drive in a partition specially designed for this. Of course, all of the above does not mean at all that information is stored on this type of device for decades; on the contrary, it needs to be periodically “cleaned,” that is, unnecessary and redundant information must be removed.

What do the terms HDD, hard drive and hard drive mean?

What does HDD mean? The answer is: HDD is a hard disk drive that uses a magnetic operating principle. Abbreviation with in English(hard disk drive) is translated as hard drive. You can also add the word magnetic to this abbreviation, which means magnetic.

By the way, why exactly hard? What is a computer hard drive? Why not soft? There are no secrets here either. The thing is that inside this type of device there are special plates. The plates are hard, in fact, this is the explanation of this name. Perhaps we can say a few words about floppy disks, which appeared at about the same time as hard drives. So these floppy disks, namely their magnetic disks, were soft. So everything is logical and natural.

As for the word hard drive, everything is somewhat more complicated. The reason for the appearance of this name, oddly enough, is intertwined with the designation of the real rifle itself. In 1973, the world saw the HDD 3340 model, which had the engineering designation 30-30 (Two modules of 30 MB each). This designation echoed the name of the 30-30 Winchester cartridges. It's simple.

What do these devices look like inside a personal computer?

Now the most popular HDD models have sizes of 2.5 or 3.5 inches. The latter are used in regular PCs, and the 2.5-inch form factor is intended for laptops and portable versions of devices.

The first thing worth saying is that in the world of computer technology everything is improving, and quite quickly, and the situation with our type of device is no exception. What does a hard drive look like on a computer today? Now the most popular HDD models have sizes of 2.5 or 3.5 inches. The latter are used in regular PCs, and the 2.5-inch form factor is intended for laptops and portable versions of devices. In older PCs you can also find disks with other sizes, but they are outdated and are not usually used in modern computers. Which sizes are already outdated? By and large - everything except the above. Previously, HDDs had a format of 8 and 5.25 inches.

Memory capacity of modern hard drives.

For most users, memory size seems to be a key indicator in choosing the most suitable model for use. Speaking about computers in Russian, we can say frankly - no one cares about anything specifications(noise, speed) except for one. As you may have guessed, this is exactly the amount of information that can fit on a disk. It doesn’t matter that a hard drive can be noisy and slow, the main thing is how much it can fit. This is what worries the vast majority of users. Moreover, many other characteristics do not look so significant in the eyes of ordinary people, but the amount of free space is the main indicator. Of course, there are users who pay attention to noise, power consumption and other secondary characteristics of any hard drive, but they are in the minority.

In general, when choosing memory for your computer, it is worth remembering one trick from manufacturers. When indicating the amount of memory of a device, they round up all values, so the actual amount of memory will be slightly less than indicated on the package. The thing is that manufacturers round the figures in such a way that one kilobyte ends up being 1000 bytes, not 1024. Hence the “error”. Is it possible to somehow fight this? By and large, no, but it can be used, and we tell you how to do it in Russian: try to use this fact (rounding in favor of the manufacturer) to your advantage: bargain with the seller, pointing out the smaller amount of real hard drive memory instead of the declared one. What if you can save money? Buy yourself a cookie)

Hard drives are among the key components of a PC or laptop. largely depends on the characteristics of these devices. What types of hard drives are available on the market today? How to choose the optimal device from the point of view of solving typical user tasks?

What is a hard drive?

A hard drive is the main file storage device on a PC or laptop. Structurally, it is a rotating magnetic plate with a reading and writing element - a head. In the slang of computer enthusiasts it is called “hard drive”, “screw”, “hard”. The specificity of the functioning of hard drives is that the reading and writing head at the same time does not contact the magnetic plate. Thanks to this, as well as a number of other design features, the device functions for a long time and can be considered one of the most reliable means for storing information.

Hard drive is a resource on which, as a rule, system files, that is, those that are present in the structure of the OS, various applications, games. Installing software almost always involves using hard drive resources.

Most modern computer models support connecting multiple hard drives. Laptops most often have only one hard drive due to the small dimensions of the corresponding devices. Moreover, if we are talking about types (we will look at their specifics a little later), then their maximum number is most often limited by the availability of the corresponding slots on the PC, as well as the performance characteristics of the computer.

So, the hard drive is the most important hardware component computer. Our task is to determine the criteria optimal choice corresponding device for PC. To solve this problem, it will be useful to first examine the classification of “hard drives”.

Classification of hard drives

Let us therefore consider the types of modern hard drives available on the computer market.

Among the most popular types of devices is a computer hard drive, which corresponds to a 3.5-inch form factor. Such discs have a rotation speed of 5400 or 7200 rpm. Communication between hard drives and PCs is carried out using various interfaces. The most common are IDE and SATA.

There are hard drives adapted for servers. Their size, as a rule, is the same as in a PC, but the rotation speed of such devices is much higher - about 15,000 rotations per minute. “Hard drives” for servers are connected to the main hardware components most often via a SCSI interface, but support for serial SATA or SAS standards is possible. A server hard drive is an extremely reliable device, which is not surprising: the computers on which such drives are installed are designed to serve key areas of the digital infrastructure of companies, government organizations, and Internet providers.

These types of “hard drives” must be installed inside the system unit of a PC or server. But there are also external hard drives. They connect to one of the external ports of the computer - most often USB or FireWire. Their functionality is generally similar to that of internal type devices. The capacity of a hard drive classified as external is usually quite large - about 500-1000 GB. The fact is that this type of device is often used to move large amounts of data from one computer to another.

There are hard drives adapted for laptops. Their size is smaller than that of hard drives designed for installation in desktop computers - 2.5 inches. The speed of a laptop hard drive is most often 4200 or 5400 rpm. Such hard drives usually operate when the SATA interface is used. They are characterized by high resistance to changes in position, which is quite logical given the specific nature of using laptops.

Among the most technologically advanced types of hard drives are solid-state drives. In principle, they can be considered a separate class of devices, since there are no moving plates in their structure. Data of this type hard drives are written to flash memory. Devices of this type have both advantages and disadvantages.

Many of the world's leading PC manufacturers are adapting their factory lines to produce devices equipped with solid state drives. This type Hard drives are more expensive than those with rotating elements. However, in comparison with them, they are characterized by reduced power consumption, almost complete absence of noise during operation, and in many cases, lighter weight. Regarding speed, it can be noted that the typical figure for solid-state hard drives is 300-400 MB/sec, which is very decent compared to the leading communication standards supported by modern computers.

Interfaces

The successful installation of a hard drive in a PC largely depends on the presence of the necessary interfaces in it. Let's consider the specifics of the most common communication standards in the modern computer market. This will be useful for correlating the user’s tasks and the type of “hard drive” that is optimal for solving them.

Among the most common interfaces for connecting external hard drives is USB. Moreover, this communication standard can be presented in different versions- 1, 2 and 3. The speed of the hard drive directly depends on its compatibility with the relevant technology. Regarding the 1st version of the interface, we can say that when using it, data transfer at 12 Mbit/s is possible, the 2nd guarantees file exchange at speeds of up to 480 Mbit/s, the 3rd generation of USB interfaces provides a figure of 5 Gbit/s. If you intend to use the device not only for storing files, but also, for example, for installing games or programs, then it is best if it supports the most modern USB interfaces - in version 2, and even better in version 3.

An external computer hard drive can also be connected using the FireWire interface. It is characterized by a high data transfer speed of about 400 Mbit/s. Extremely effective when working with video files.

Let's look at the standards used when installing internal drives in PCs. Considered relatively outdated, but still popular, the interface is IDE.

It can transfer data at a speed of about 133 Mbps. Common in desktop PCs, largely due to the rather large size of the connector, which is not optimal for the structural structure of a laptop.

The SATA interface is the result of improvements to the IDE standard. Allows you to transfer data at speeds of up to 300 Mb/sec. Characterized by increased immunity to interference. It is actively used in laptops - due to the relatively small size of the connector, as well as good data transfer speed.

The SCSI interface, as we noted above, is installed mainly on servers. It is also characterized by high data transfer speeds - about 320 Mb/sec. There is a modernized modification of the interface in question - SAS. Hard drives operating when it is activated can provide data exchange at a speed of about 12 Gbit/sec.

Hard drive selection criteria

The characteristics of the interfaces we discussed above can be considered significant criteria when choosing a hard drive. We also announced a number of other important parameters, such as the rotation speed of the device elements and form factor. But probably the most significant characteristic in terms of choosing the optimal device model is hard drive memory. In many ways, this parameter is subjective - many users will prefer a faster hard drive than one that can accommodate a large number of files. However, it is still the first thing that many users pay attention to.

The most important aspect of choosing a hard drive is that some of its nominal characteristics (for example, compatibility with certain interfaces) must be compatible with the communication capabilities of the PC. It happens that the computer hard drive is incredibly technologically advanced, but the support for the corresponding standards on the PC motherboard is insufficient. Let's look at the key nuances of compatibility between hard drives and some hardware components of modern computers.

Size compatibility is important

We noted above that hard drives vary in size. It may seem that this parameter is of secondary importance. But often it turns out to be almost decisive. The fact is that installing a hard drive in a PC or in the corresponding area of ​​a laptop will be extremely difficult if the size of the drive is too small, and therefore suboptimal in terms of using the space available in the structure of the device. It will be practically impossible if the dimensions turn out to be too large - the hard drive simply will not fit into the computer.

Of course, this pattern is typical mainly for laptops, since problems with placing a hard drive in “desktop” PCs usually do not arise (largely due to the availability of various additional devices). Therefore, when planning to purchase new laptop hard drives, you need to know what the exact size of the current ones is. We noted above that “hard drives” with a 2.5-inch form factor are common in the corresponding types of computers. But you need to keep in mind that some laptop models have 1.8-inch hard drives.

Communication standards compatibility

The communication interfaces of the hard drive and the PC motherboard must also be compatible. The main nuance here is the differences in versions of data exchange standards. So, there are three varieties. It is important that the corresponding communication standard supported by the drive is also compatible with the motherboard. It may happen that the user buys an expensive hard drive that provides data exchange according to the modern SATA 3 standard (the price of such models can be about 10 thousand rubles), but the computer will not be able to fully support it. The PC owner can thus significantly overpay.

The same applies to the correlation between the USB standards supported by the hard drive and the PC. If the hard drive is designed to be connected via USB 3.0, but the motherboard does not support it, then technological capabilities the corresponding standard will also not be fully implemented. Regarding the FireWire interface, we can say that when buying a hard drive that supports it (the price of the device can also be decent - about 8-10 thousand rubles), you need to make sure that the PC is, in principle, compatible with it. This communication standard is typical for laptops, but is absent on many desktop PCs. Of course, hard drives that support FireWire are usually also compatible with USB interfaces, and it is extremely unlikely that the device will be non-functional due to the lack of a FireWire port on the PC. But if the user, for example, expected to take advantage of FireWire's most obvious competitive advantage - effective work with video data, it may not get the desired results from the hard drive.

Optimal volume

As we noted above, volume as the main characteristic of a device such as a hard drive is a very subjective parameter. For many users, a few gigabytes of disk space, relatively speaking, is enough - for example, if they work mainly with documents. For some, a terabyte hard drive will not seem spacious enough due to the frequent placement of large volumes of multimedia content on it - videos, photos, music.

It is quite difficult to recommend the optimal storage capacity. But the concept of “more is better” is not always the best option, again from an economic point of view. You can spend money on an expensive, spacious hard drive - 1TB. A whole terabyte will thus be available - but in practice it can be used barely half. At the same time, when purchasing a less capacious but cheaper drive, the freed financial resources can be used to improve the performance of a PC or laptop (for example, buy additional module RAM or more powerful CPU cooler).

According to a number of IT specialists, a 500 GB hard drive is optimal solution for most user tasks. So, on a hard drive of the appropriate capacity, you can place about 100-150 thousand photographs in good quality, and install about 100-150 modern games. If the PC owner is not a collector of photo masterpieces or a gamer, then it is unlikely that he will use at least half of the corresponding resource. But if he, in turn, is interested in photography and games, then the opportunities that a 500 GB hard drive will give him may indeed not be enough. At the same time, this hard drive volume is considered one of the optimal ones from the point of view of typical tasks that modern users solve.

RPM speed

Another important parameter, which characterizes a hard drive, is the rotation speed of the platters. Regarding it, we can say that it is important from the point of view of the actual data transfer speed, as well as the dynamics of the operating system processing of various files. If the hard drive is used as the main one, that is, the OS is installed on it, programs and games are installed on it, then it is better if the characteristic in question is expressed in as large quantities as possible. If a user buys a second hard drive, intended primarily for storing files, then in this sense, the rotation speed of the platters is not the most important indicator.

The higher the value of the indicator in question, the more expensive the drive. In this sense, overpaying for higher revolutions, despite the fact that their presence is not required, may, again, turn out to be undesirable. A hard drive with a high disk rotation speed produces significantly more noise than one with a more modest rotation speed, and is also characterized by high power consumption. The optimal indicator for modern hard drives, at which most user tasks can be effectively solved, is 7200 rpm.

Cache memory

Among the significant performance indicators of a drive is cache memory. By using this resource, a hard drive can significantly speed up the procedures for performing many operations with files. The cache memory records the most frequent algorithms for requests to certain computer resources. If some data is present in the cache, then the hard drive does not need to look for it in the RAM space or among files. The larger the cache size, the better. But the optimal value of the corresponding indicator recommended by many experts is 64 MB.

Does brand matter?

Does it make sense to choose a hard drive, all other things being equal, based on the brand? The opinions of IT experts and users on this matter are very different. This applies to both the recommendation to focus on the brand and points of view on the quality of drives produced by a particular manufacturer. Some users will characterize their Samsung-manufactured hard drive exclusively positively; reviews from other owners of a device from the Korean brand may be less enthusiastic. Some IT experts praise the Hitachi and Toshiba brands, while others do not consider them any better than their competitors. At the same time, these companies are market leaders. In any case, this fact should be considered significant. Becoming a leader in the highly competitive computer components market does not come easy. This probably contributes to high quality manufactured goods.

So, if we need a hard drive for a PC or laptop, then we can focus on the following set of criteria:

Size (mainly relevant for laptops - it is undesirable for the corresponding indicator to be smaller than the slots provided for placing hard drives; it is unacceptable for it to be larger);

Supported standards (it is important that the technological interfaces on the hard drive are fully compatible with PC resources);

Volume (subjective, but 500 GB is the optimal indicator for most user tasks);

Plate rotation speed (optimally 7200 rpm);

Cache memory (optimally 64 MB).

It is also desirable that the hard drive be produced by a manufacturer that is a leader in the world market in the corresponding device segment.