| |
| |
|
Hardware Information |
|
|
|
Hard Drive Selection
Perhaps the biggest mistake people make when building their computer(s) is to underestimate the importance of the hard disk drive (HDD). In our modern society, bigger is synonymous with better, so when you go to buy a hard drive you look at how "big" it is, its data capacity. But is that all you should be considering when buying your hard drive? Like every other component of your computer, the HDD is far too complex a system to describe in any sort of detail here, but hopefully by the end of this article you will know what to look for when you go to buy your new hard drive. There are 4 primary aspects to look at in a hard drive (in order of importance): Rotational frequency has become a large selling point (5400/7200/10000/15000RPM) recently, so you shouldn't have too much difficulty finding out what the rotational frequency of your HDD is when you go to buy it. Now of course the faster it spins, the faster it can read from the disk (there are other advantages also), but be aware that the faster it spins, the more wear is put on the drive, and the more likely it is to encounter errors and malfunctions later in life. Hard drives are pretty much the only systems within your computer that have moving parts (CD-ROM, floppy disk drives, and fans also have moving parts, but they're all cheap and if they break you won't lose all the data you've accumulated over the course of owning your computer, be sure to back up your data regularly!). If you know anything about physics or engineering, then you know that moving parts produce friction and wear, and a faster spinning platter (the part that holds the data and spins) means more friction, and therefore more wear on your drive. Of course the faster it spins the faster it can read data from the platter. So what can you do? well again you backup your data as much as possible and you get the fastest spinning drive money can buy (which is 7200RPM for ATA devices (the sort you are buying) and 15000RPM for SCSI and some Serial ATA devices (you might get Serial ATA, that depends on your motherboard)). So look for a "7200RPM" label on the drive you're thinking of getting, it's important! The "buffer" I'm referring to is the transfer buffer that temporarily stores data to read from or write to the hard drive. The reason for this is that the bus (data channel between the hard drive and the motherboard) can only handle so much information at a time, and it takes a long time for the data to be found and retrieved from a platter (random seek time), so it takes a big chunk of the requested data and stores it in a very fast data buffer to be sent at the bus's convenience. So with a larger buffer you can queue more data for transfer over the bus without having to keep sending requests to slowly find more data from the platters. Some newer drives come with as much as 8MB of buffer capacity, but it is more common to see 2 or 4MB. Usually a drive with a large amount will use that as a selling point and print it on the box/website, otherwise you can assume it has a 2/4MB buffer. My advice is to find one with as much as you can afford. Now for the transfer rates you're going to need to do some searching, the best way to find these numbers is to go to the manufacturer's website and look at specification sheet for the model you're looking to buy (actually this is the best way to get all the information I've talked about so far). One thing to look out for is that you may read something that says 133MB/s or ATA/133 or SATA150 or 150MB/s, and these are not the numbers you are looking for, those numbers describe the bus connecting the hard drive to the motherboard, and are theoretical peak numbers, which tell us virtually nothing. Also, if you are buying a Maxtor, don't bother looking up actual transfer rates, as Maxtor is apparently afraid to release such information. Not to say Maxtor's are bad drives, actually Maxtor has risen to the top in terms of technical support and they are much more willing to replace broken drives than some other companies, which is important since some ridiculously large amount (something like 10 or 15%) of hard drives are either dead on arrival or die within the first few weeks of use. As with the last two points, when looking at transfer speeds (if you can find them) always try to pick the one with the highest numbers you can afford. Notice that the first three of the 4 major aspects were all speed related? That was done intentionally to give you a sense of the importance of speed in the hard drive, because they are very very slow creatures, and for your gaming experience you don't need an enormous hard drive so much as a fast one. To increase speed substantially more you can set up a RAID, which is a network of hard drives which (in RAID0 mode) share portions of the same data, such that accessing data takes 1/n time (n = number of hard drives attached) compared to 1 hard drive. To do this you really need a hardware RAID chipset, which are commonly included on higher-end mainboards. Finally, capacity is an unnecessary nicety. The smallest hard drives you can buy today that are still within those higher speed classes are all about 30GB, which is more than enough for your games. But since games are not everything, and if you happen to be an iTunes member or like to download anime then you will really want some extra space. So I would recommend getting something between 60 and 120GB, any more and you're going to be paying through your teeth, any less and you might be looking to buy a supplementary hard drive in a couple years. And, oh yeah, 300GB hard drives from Maxtor are out, but they are comparatively slow, so I wouldn't recommend getting one for gaming, I like to stick to single platter drives (40-100GB usually), as they produce less heat and are less likely to break down on me. That is really all you need to know in order to make a good choice when upgrading your hard drive or buying one for a new computer. Of course there are many other resources on the web if you would like more detail on the inner working of hard drives. About The Author J A Carpunky http://www.computer-gaming-system.com - visit our website for further information.
MORE RESOURCES:
Hardware - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
How To Save Big Bucks On A Laptop Computer If you're a bargain shopper looking to get the most bang for your buck, you'll find no shortage of deals on the Internet.And that's particularly true in the fast-changing world of laptop computers, where you'll find three bargain sources right at your fingertips:1. Inkjet Jargon Explained With all the technical terms out there, it is becoming increasingly difficult to keep up with inkjet jargon. Unfortunately, understanding the differences between the various terminologies is a must in todays advanced technological age. Cheap Ink Cartridge A cheap ink cartridge is sometimes the only way that people can afford to keep all of their printers ready for use. Internet email addresses are constantly loaded with a number of offers from various online merchants, but one such email that a consumer might not want to ignore is any one that offers a great deal on ink cartridges. Testing Flyback Transformer - How to Test and When to Replace It Nowadays, more and more monitor comes in with flyback transformers problems. Testing flyback transformers arenot difficult if you carefully follow the instruction. Ink Cartridges & Printing - Poor Print Quality Solutions Why are there faint areas or gaps in my print out?* Unlikely, but your paper may need changing due to its deterioration due to its age.* Check that the type of paper you are using in your printer matches ('Media Type') the setting in the printer software 'Main Menu' or 'Print' dialog box. Ergonomic Products 101 Human beings are scaling new heights day by day. Markets are becoming more and more complex and competitive. Thumb Drives - Great New Technology! The ability to easily move data from PC to PC with minimal inconvenience is just another benefit computers have brought to the current business world.Over the past few years, the different options to save and move data have multiplied dramatically. Selecting an Ink Jet printer-With Low Operating Cost Printer technology has made tremendous advances in the past five years. Speeds are up and print quality is great. Expansion Cards Part 3: PCI Express In the first two installments of this series of Tech Tips, we took a look at PCI and AGP, undoubtedly the most common expansion slots in a computer today. With a few key improvements over both of these, PCI Express is destined to replace both and offer a whole new level of computer performance. The Importance Of Current Sense Resistor In Switch Mode Power Supply Current sense resistor is usually located in the switch mode power supply section. Newer version of monitor-the b+ (boost) circuit also have this current sense resistor. Understanding Transistor Data and Replacement If, for some reason, you can't get an exact replacement for the transistor that you want to replace, you can refer to one of the transistor substitution guides or book, and try to identify a "near replacement". Beware, however. DVD Media DVD is an optical disc storage media format that can be used for storing data, including movies with high video and sound quality. DVDs resemble compact discs: their physical dimensions are the same-12cm or the mini 8cm-but they are encoded in a different format and at a much higher density. Motherboard Basics A recent Tech Tip covered the basics of selecting a computer case and made mention of the various sizes that correspond to motherboards of different form factors. A few people wrote in expressing interest in understanding more about the basics of motherboards, and that's exactly what this Tech Tip intends to address. Coping with a Serious Data Loss from your Computer Hard Drive Data loss is an expensive reality. It's a hard fact that it happens more often then users like to admit. Intel Celeron vs Pentium The Celeron and Pentium Processors are two of Intel's best selling CPUs. They are found in a majority of home computer systems. How to Add or Remove an IDE ROM drive CD ROMS - If you're adding or removing an internal cd-rom, dvd-rom, or just about any internal ROM that has an opening CD door, read on. Almost all IDE devices such as CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, etc. What You Should Know Before You Buy Computer Equipment You will have many factors to consider when deciding on which computer equipment to buy. The bewildering amount of choices can seem overwhelming. You Can Prevent Computer Slowdowns & Issues Most people understand preventive maintenance like changing the oil in your car will help your car run better and last longer. The same principle holds true for your PC. Ten Ways (plus 1) to Save on Printer Ink and Toner Cartridges Are you getting tired of the high cost of printing? You're not alone. Many consumers are up in arms. The Printer Cartridge Review Years ago computers were huge and their accompanying printers were huge as well. Instead of ink cartridges like those used now, they had toner reservoirs and later toner cartridges.
|
| home | index |site map |
| © 2006 |
