An Easy Guide To Choosing A Computer Hard drive
If it’s your first time buying a hard drive or upgrading your old one, it can be a bit stressful – there are a few things you should keep in mind before you make the big purchase!
Storage space is extremely important, regardless if you are using the computer for fun or for professional use, having low storage space is annoying and not practical.
Instead of buying the first thing that seems the cheapest and more convenient, it’s better to look at your options and find something that will actually fulfill your needs. Here’s an easy guide to choosing a perfect hard drive for your computer!
Have a budget in mind
Before you jump into looking at hard drives for your computer, it’s important to have a budget. This goes hand in hand with other aspects such as size and type of the drive itself, so you need to set your priorities straight!
If you are on a tight budget, see what matters the most for you – is it the storage size, the fast data processing or if you are just looking for something cheap.
But, you don’t have to buy a new hard drive at all, you can get your hands on a refurbished one that is just as good as the new one! A new hard drive will usually run you between 50 to a 100 dollars, depending on the size of the storage and other features!
Types of storages
There are several different types of storage – a computer usually consists of internal and external storage space, and the most common types are HDD or hard disk drive and SSD or solid-state drive, there is also a hybrid version of the two called HSSD.
There is a big difference between these three, so for first-time buyers, it can be a bit confusing.
SSDs are usually smaller and take less energy from your computer, which is a plus if you have a laptop, on the other hand, an HDD is cheaper especially per gigabyte – so if the price is the dealbreaker, go with a hard disk drive instead!
Size
HDDs have moving components such as metal discs that hold data, this automatically makes them bulkier and bigger. An HDD is usually around 3.5 inches to 2,5 inches, depending on the storage size – the bigger the storage the more moving parts an HDD has. On the other hand, an SSD doesn’t have any moving parts, allowing it to be much smaller in size, a regular M.2 SSDs is basically a pocket-size storage drive!
Most SSDs come in a 2.5 inch format or even smaller! With a little help from an adapter, you shouldn’t worry about the size of the driver, but more so about the storage space and other features that can complement your computer.
Specs and performance
There are multiple specs and performance information you need to know before making the final decision, this is probably the most important thing when considering what kind of hard drive to buy!
The first thing that people look for is the amount of storage that a hard drive can hold. For instance, HDDs come in so many different size variants – from a few gigabytes to a whopping 18 terabytes which is the storage size limit.
On the other hand, when it comes to SSDs, the storage size is not as big as it is with HDDs, a regular one can hold around 5 terabytes.
Another important factor is the speed of the hard drive itself, and the amount of data it can transfer. Look for revolutions per minute or RPM for short, this will determine how fast the drive actually is. The higher the RPM the faster it is!
Depending on your needs
But at the end of the day, your main concern should be choosing the right hard drive for your needs. If you are a digital artist who works in various programs and has to store various formats, it’s important to have enough storage space – but you don’t have to have anything too extreme.
On the other hand, the gaming industry came a long way, with insane graphics and different kinds of video games, your computer needs to keep up with those kinds of improvements as well.
A video game usually takes up a lot of storage space, and if you want to have a few different games on your computer you’ll need the best hard drive that you can get!
Compare prices
You can always compare prices on various different websites and even find them on sale. This is the charm of buying online, as you can look for an exact type of hard drive, but buy it at a lower price!
You can compare the prices of refurbished hard discs and new ones and see if you want to pay more for a new one, or settle for a second-hand one.
Also, buying on black friday or cyber mondays is also a great idea if you want to buy a couple of hard drives and save money.
You never know when you’ll need the extra storage space, consider buying two smaller ones or one with more storage, depending on your needs!
Read the reviews
If all else fails, you can always look at reviews and decide on the eBay hard drive for yourself. If you are torn between two different types, try finding comparison and see what other people recommend!
Also, you can seek the exact hard drive that other digital artists are using, or what other gamers are using, and so on and so forth.
This shouldn’t be a deal-breaker, but it’s nice to see if the majority of people are satisfied with your chosen hard drive, so you’ll know what to expect!
Regardless of whether you are just starting your computer adventures, or someone who’s been using one for a long time – technology is always changing and advancing so it’s hard to keep up.
The same goes when choosing a hard drive, it’s best to see what’s on the newest thing on the market and if it’s worth a try!
