Laptop Hard Drive GuideGet The Performance You DeserveDon't mistake your laptop hard drive or solid state drive for simply being the storage device that holds your data, your program and operating system. It is also a very important component in your laptop because it help determines how fast your system operates A storage drive that operates at a low speed can slow down your computer whilst a fast storage drive can make even an underpowered computer system more zippy. Traditional Hard Drives vs Solid State DrivesMost laptops on the market come with traditional hard drives - the ones that spin. However, nowadays, there are an increasing number of laptops that come with solid state drives (SSDs).Traditional mechanical hard drives have moving parts that spin a metallic head over a magnetic surface. SSDs have no moving parts and store data on non-volatile NAND flash memory chips. The anatomy of the SSD allows it to be faster, more energy efficient and more durable than conventional laptop hard drives. However solid state drives typically hit consumers with a double whammy. They cost a lot more and tend to store less data than than conventional hard drives. It can cost hundred of dollars to upgrade from say a hard drive with a higher storage capacity to a SSD with lower storage capacity. But upgrading to a SSD (as opposed to say - spending money on a more powerful processor) may actually be worth it because of the improved performance it will bring. Daily tasks such as booting up, copying files and opening applications and documents happen faster with a SSD.
How Much Storage Space Do You Need?Of course, it depends on your usage but for casual use, we recommend at least 160GB 7200rpm hard drive (more about rpm later).Though we wouldn't recommend it, you could actually get by on as little as 120GB 5400rpm of storage space if you don't plan on storing lots of HD video and/or play many games on your laptop. To calculate how much storage space you'll need, assume that a laptop hard drive can actually only store about 90% of what the manufacturer specifies. This assumption is made because disk formatting information will take up around 10%. You can also assume that you'll need somewhere between 25-30GB for your virtual memory files and operating system (OS). And as long as games are not included, 5-10GB should be enough storage space for most applications such as Microsoft Office Professional suite and Photoshop.
* 17 minutes of full high definition (1080p) * 60 minutes of standard definition digital video * 30 minutes of a DVD film * 16.6 hours of digital music * 160,000 page .doc format Word documents. Docx format is even smaller .doc Premium games such orld of Warcraft and Crysis may take between 10-15GB of storage space. But simulation games such as The Sims 3 use approximately 5-7GB of storage space. With a 120GB SSD (a common size for SSDs), you will be able to fit in the following with space to spare: * Operating System (dependent on your operating system, virtual memory, etc.) - 20-30GB * A big game - 15GB * 3200 pics - 10GB * 5000 4 minutes songs - 20GB * Microsoft Office, Adobe Photoshop, etc. - 10GB * Total memory used - 105GB So you see, unless you are heavy in to gaming, graphics and video, you should actually be able to make due with average storage space. Considering that the smallest laptop hard drive sold nowadays is 160GB and that even cheap laptop computers each come with a 250 or 320GB of storage space, you should not have to worry too much if you are a casual user.
How To Pick Your SSDDespite their popularity, all SSDs are not created equal. In fact, some are very slow. What separates the fast ones from the slow ones is the interface the SSD connects with and the controllers within the drives.For maximum speed, go with a SSD that is connected via Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA) port. Those SSDs connected via Parallel Advanced Technology Advancement (PATA) interface (such as those found in netbooks and some ultraportables) are slower - even slower than traditional hard drives. It is imperative that prior to upgrading your laptop hard drive to SSD, you read laptop reviews which should give vital info on storage devices etc. Reading reviews from objective sources is particularly helpful when your intended notebook comes with a "baked-in SSD" for which the make and model are unknown to you. Also, aim to find a model with a quality controller chip. Luckily, the majority of laptop vendors use good quality SSDs that possess speedy controllers from Intel, Samsung, or Toshiba .
How To Pick Your Laptop Hard DriveIf you’re acquiring a laptop that possesses a standard hard drive, the speed at which it spins is vital. If it comes down to a choice between a hard drive that spins at 5,400 rpm and 7,200 rpm, go for the latter.A notebook hard drive spinning at 5400rpm will do those these tasks slower than one with a 7200 rpm: start up-up, wake up from sleep, launch application, shut down, etc. You get the idea. However, a faster spinning hard drive will mean increased heat and poorer battery life. That said, contemporary 7,200 rpm hard drives have excellent power-saving features, which means they won’t impact your laptop's battery life as greatly as they did in the past. Even if you don’t need all the storage space, we recommend you get a hard drive that provides at least 320GB of space at 7,200 rpm. Bare minimum, you could get 120GB hard drive spinning at 5400 rpm. If money is no problem, and you want the speediest storage available, then consider buying a notebook with either a SSD or a hybrid drive such as the Seagate Momentus XT. These drives will start up Windows 7 Operating System in a fraction of the time it tales a notebook with 5400rpm hard drive. SSDs are also less noisy, vibrate less and are more durable and resistant to shocks than traditional hard drives. So if you are a bit rough with your notebook, a SSD will provide better protection for your data. Upgrading Your Laptop Hard DriveWith the increasing number of data storage our lives seemingly demand these days, it is prudent to invest in an external hard drive.For less than a $100, you can add around a terabyte of storage capacity notebook. This capacity is sufficient for holding over 750,000 MP3s or photographs or more than over 230 DVD-sized films. A Seagate Expansion 320GB USB 2.0 portable external hard drive only cost around $65. For quite a bit more, you could purchase an external SSD. One good example is Apricorn Aegis Padlock Pro SSD (256GB) for notebooks. But this device is gonna set you back a whopping $739. We therefore suggest that you buy an internal SSD rather than an external one. For one thing, it will be cheaper. Secondly, unless you are specifically looking for SSD's shock-resistant qualities, the drive will be wasted if you connect it to your notebook via USB 2.0 interface rather than, say, eSATA or USB 3.0. The reason for this is that the transfer rate of the SSD connected via USB 2.0 is slower than that connected by eSATA or USB 3.0. If your notebook was made over the last 3 years and uses a standard 2.5 inch or 1.8-inch SATA hard drive, then you should be able to upgrade to an internal SSD. You can exchange your SATA hard drive for a SSD with help of a few simple items such as a Phillips screwdriver, an adapter for copying data and some free software. The whole process should take approximately 2 hours, 30 minutes of which is used to copy files from your old laptop hard drive to the new one. The Best Prices On Laptop Hard Drives |
Didn't Find It?
Google+