If a computer had long-term memory, the hard drive would be it. To most people, the hard drive is easy to understand, it has a fixed amount of size and if you run out you had better get another hard drive or start deleting things.
Hard drives come in a variety of types but we will focus on the two most common, PATA and SATA. Currently, there is a small revolution towards solid state drives, aka flash memory, but they are far more expensive than standard hard drives, and so for the average consumer they can be ignored (for now ...).
When deciding how much to spend for a hard drive, it is important to understand that the hard drive is typically the slowest component of a computer. Without going into to much detail there is a physical component required when the hard drive is accessing data that makes it significantly slower than RAM. Because of this, if you want your computer to load faster and applications to open quicker you should get the fastest hard drive you can find. However, once the computer is loaded or the application is opened the hard drive no longer is a factor as the application is now being run in memory.
Note : One caveat to the above paragraph is virtual memory. If a computer does not have enough RAM it will begin to store an application on the hard drive. This is a very slow process, and having a fast hard drive can help but the best solution is to add RAM to the system. You can tell if this is happening if while using a program your hard drive beings to make a lot of noise (thrashing).
Type
Space
Speed (RPM and Bandwidth)
Manufacturer
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Type
The type of your hard drive is dependent on your motherboard and expansion slots of your case. Your motherboard and case can hold only so many hard drives so you need to make sure there is room. All motherboards in the past 3 - 5 years support SATA, motherboards older than that generally only support PATA.Space
SATA comes in two varieties 1.5Gb and 3.0Gb (aka SATA II), the only difference is speed.
Bottom Line - You're going to have to choose a hard drive that fits in your computer and is compatible with your motherboard. If you have the option, upgrade to a SATA drive. Take the fastest drive you can find for your price range.
Measured in gigabytes (terabytes soon?), an installation will fill up roughly 10 gigabytes of space. Depending on how much space you need for your videos, pictures and games will determine the size and quantity of hard drives.Speed (RPM and Bandwidth)
Bottom line - Space is cheap, but be reasonable.
The speed of a hard drive is measured by its RPM (rotations per minute) and its bandwidth, or how much data it can process. The bandwidth differences between the SATA 1.5Gb and SATA 3.0Gb are not as important as improvements to other details from the standard upgrade can be.Manufacturer
RPM for most hard drives is 7200 rpm with a handful of performance drives that are as fast as 10,000 rpm. When purchasing an older laptop you might find drives with 5400 rpm, and those are best avoided.
Bottom Line - SATA 3.0Gb is the best solution unless you are limited by your case or motherboard. If you really want a fast computer consider getting a western digital raptor hard drive. At 10000 rpm they are great to be used as your primary hard drive but will cost you a premium.
Fortunately selecting a manufacturer for a hard drive has gotten easier over the years due to expectations of reliability. Out of all the brands, the one you'll want to buy comes down to finding the one with the best warranty and customer service. You should always look for drives that come with 5 to 10 year manufacturer guarantees. When purchasing a new computer always ask if the hard drive comes with it's own manufacturer warranty.
Name Brands - Seagate, Western Digital, Samsung, Maxtor, Hitachi, Fujitsu
Bottom Line - Get the best warranty, pick a brand familiar to you.
Who am I to be telling you what to buy with your hard earned money? Check out the about page to decide for yourself.
Bottom Line - Check it out. I even talk about my own computer buying experience!
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