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What You Need to Know About Desktop Hard Disk Drives
Introduction
Though SSDs are becoming increasingly more popular, hard disk drives (HDD) are still essential internal data storage solutions for users that prioritize storage capacity over speed. Compared to hard disk drives, SSDs cost more per gigabyte and have smaller storage capacities. A commonly used configuration is to have a solid state drive as the primary drive and a desktop hard disk drive as the secondary drive. Below, NeweggBusiness answers several common questions about desktop hard disk drives.
What does interface type mean?
A hard disk drive must be connected to a motherboard via data cable in order to function as a system drive. The type of data cable that a hard drive supports can affect both system compatibility and data transfer speeds. This is often referred to as connection or interface type, and it is an important factor when shopping for a HDD.
For desktop hard disk drives, one of the most commonly used interface types is SATA. There have been several revisions for the SATA standard and the two most recent are SATA 3 Gbps and SATA 6 Gbps. They are often stylized as SATA II and SATA III respectively.
What is seek time?
In order for data to be retrieved or written onto the hard disk, a read/write head must move to the correct position on the disk. This is not an instantaneous process and the time required for the head to move into position is referred to as seek time, which is rated in milliseconds.
Is it possible to use a desktop hard disk drive as an external HDD?
Adapting a desktop hard disk drive for external use is possible, though additional hard drive accessories are usually required. Three commonly used methods include, using an SATA to External SATA (eSATA™) cable, hard drive enclosure, or a hard disk drive dock.
What is the purpose of a hard disk drive’s S.M.A.R.T. feature?
Short for Self-mentoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology, S.M.A.R.T. is a feature that allows hard disk drives to monitor and report on reliability indicators. This is done so that potential problems can be anticipated. To view the S.M.A.R.T. status of a hard disk drive, you will need to use a reporting tool.