Hard Drive Buying Guide

Hard drives are one of the most important components of your computer since they are what allow it to store data.

There are several different types of hard drives available on the market today and each functions slightly differently.

In today’s article, you will learn about the different types of data storage drives available to you. Then you will learn about the total space and speed of a hard drive as well as how much you need in your hard drive.

Types of Hard Drives

Nowadays, there are three main types of hard drives available on the market, hard disk drives (HDD), solid-state drives (SSD), and hybrid hard drives (SSHD).

Hard Disk Drive

Hard disk drives have been around since the 1950s and function by using electromagnetism to store data. It is attached to your motherboard using a SATA cable. They are still a very popular storage option today, despite being older and not having as many features as the other hard drive options.

Solid-State Drive

A solid-state drive has no moving parts and instead uses an electronic circuit board. This allows them to be less fragile, faster, and more reliable than a traditional HDD. How you install your SSD will depend on the model that you purchase. Some require a SATA cable while others are simply plugged into a slot in the motherboard.

Hybrid Hard Drive

The last option available on the market is the hybrid hard drive. This hard drive is a combination of the older HDD and the newer SSD. They make use of both the magnetic components of an HDD and the electronic circuit board of an SSD.

An SSHD is installed in the same way as an HDD, with a SATA cable that plugs into the motherboard.

Out of all three options, the hybrid hard drive is typically considered the best. This is because it offers the benefits of both the HDD and the SSD. However, since it includes both technologies, it will come at a higher price.

Total Space

After you’ve decided which type of hard drive you’d like to purchase, you’ll want to consider the total space that it includes.

Hard drive storage capacity ranges from 120 GB to 2 TB which is a pretty large range.

To figure out how much space you’ll need, you need to consider what you’re going to be using your hard drive for. For example, if you’re a photographer and plan on saving your photos locally on your computer, you’ll likely want to pick a hard drive with 1 to 2 TB.

However, if you plan on saving almost everything on an external storage device such as a flash drive, you don’t need to invest in as big of a hard drive and could likely use one that’s as small as 250 GB.

The average person will need a hard drive that has anywhere from 250 to 500 GB of data. This should be enough that you don’t run out of data too quickly, keeping your hard drive smaller will also keep your costs down as memory devices can be one of the more expensive computer components.

Speed

After you’ve figured out how much space you need and further narrowed down which hard drive you’re going to purchase, you’ll want to think about speed.

Generally speaking SSD hard drives and hybrid hard drives will be the fastest available to you. This is because since they don’t completely rely on physical components, they can write data much more quickly. Since an HDD uses a spinning disk to write data, it is simply not able to write data as quickly.

However, just like with storage space, the speed of your hard drive will come at a price. Faster SSD hard drives are significantly pricier than traditional hard drives.

As long as you are not working in video editing and or other things that require high download speeds, a hard disk drive should still be fast enough for all the data storage that you’ll make.

Key Takeaways

Hard drives are one of the most important components of a computer. They are what allow the computer to store long-term data such as photos, videos, and other documents.

Before buying a hard drive there are several things that you’ll want to think about. Make sure you look into the different types of hard drives to decide which will be right for you and your PC.

Once you have decided which type to purchase, you’ll also want to think about the total space and speed that your hard drive will need. The majority of hard drives have a minimum data storage capacity and speed that will be enough for the average person. However, it’s still important to keep your needs in mind so you don’t end up with a hard drive that needs to be replaced after a year.