After explaining how to choose a processor, how to choose RAM, how to choose a motherboard, and how to choose a video card, in this new article, I will explain both how to choose an internal hard drive and how to choose an external hard drive.
Index
- How to choose an internal or external hard drive
- What is a hard drive? How does it work?
- Speed
- Physical dimensions
- Capacity
- Connection interface
- Other features
- Hybrid hard drives
- Which internal or external hard drive to buy
- 3.5-inch internal hard drives
- 2.5-inch internal hard drives
- External hard drives
How to choose an internal or external hard drive
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What is a hard drive? How does it work?
The hard drive, commonly referred to as a hard disk and also known as a hard disk drive or simply hard drive, is a magnetic mass storage device that uses one or more magnetic platters so you can store all files, programs, and operating systems on a computer. But how does a hard drive work? If you want to know how a common hard drive works, you can find a short video illustrating the principle of operation at this address. However, what distinguishes one hard drive from another are, above all, speed, physical size, capacity, and connection interface. To choose an internal hard drive or choose an external hard drive, I will then try to clarify your ideas on each of these aspects.
Speed
Regarding speed, for laptop models, hard drive platters typically operate at 5,400 RPM (a term derived from the English acronym for revolutions per minute, in Italian regime). For desktop models, the platters usually spin at 5,400, 7,200, 10,000, or even 15,000 RPM. Of course, the higher the speed at which the magnetic platters spin, the faster the operating system, programs, and files will load, but at the same time, the noise level and power consumption will also increase.
A lire également : How to choose a laptop?
Physical dimensions
On the market, there are mainly two types regarding the physical dimensions of an internal or external hard drive, namely:
- three and a half inches, or 3.5 inches, commonly used in desktop computers;
- or two and a half inches, or 2.5 inches, commonly used in laptops, but recently, thanks to SSDs, even in desktop computers.
It should be noted, however, that while 3.5-inch external hard drives are generally faster and larger, at the same time, 3.5-inch external hard drives also require an external power supply; on the contrary, 2.5-inch external hard drives are generally slower products but at least powered directly by the data transfer cable and, for this very reason, are almost always the ones that can be transported more easily.
Capacity
Nowadays, on the market, you can find internal or external hard drives with an average capacity between 500 GB and 12, if not more, TB. When choosing the capacity most appropriate to your needs, remember that the indicated capacity never corresponds to reality, precisely because the units used by different manufacturers differ from those actually used on the computer. In fact, hard drive manufacturers use the decimal system, while the computer’s operating system may or may not use the binary system. This means, in summary, that a hard drive with a capacity, for example, of 1 TB is actually seen with an effective capacity of about 930 GB, which is 7.4% less. So, when you are about to choose the most appropriate capacity for your internal or external hard drive, keep this in mind and remember that capacity is the most important factor in the final price of a particular hard drive. Furthermore, if you need to use a lot of space, rather than buying a single large-capacity hard drive, you would be better off buying two or three smaller hard drives. This way, you can use a safer RAID system, and sometimes even faster, perhaps using a NAS.
Connection interface
Regarding the physical connection to the computer, an internal hard drive can generally have either a SATA interface in version 3.0, normally more used on desktop or laptop computers, or a SAS interface, normally more used in servers. External hard drives, on the other hand, can mainly be equipped with a USB interface or a Thunderbolt interface. The latter, however, is still the fastest of the two. If the computer allows it, then I recommend choosing an external hard drive equipped with the Thunderbolt interface, especially if you are using a Mac; otherwise, an external hard drive equipped with the common USB interface, perhaps in version 3.0, or even better 3.1, should already be more than sufficient, even though there are external hard drives equipped with both Thunderbolt and USB interfaces.
Other features
In addition to speed, capacity, physical size, and the interface used, when you are about to purchase a specific internal or external hard drive, you should also try to inform yourself about a number of additional secondary features. Among them, those that I personally consider the most important are:
- the cache memory (pronounced cash), sometimes simply referred to as buffer (pronounced bàffer), which has the task of temporarily storing a set of data so that it can then be quickly retrieved when needed. Therefore, the larger this cache memory is, the better it will be from a performance perspective;
- the access time, which indicates the average time required to find data at a random point on the disk. For example, the access time for a 7,200 RPM hard drive is about 9 ms, while for a 15,000 RPM hard drive, it is about 4 ms;
- the transfer rate, expressed in MB/s, indicating the amount of data provided by the hard drive in a given period;
- the noise output, which is commonly expressed in decibels, that is, in dB.
Regarding manufacturers of internal or external hard drives, the most famous are Western Digital, Seagate, Samsung (owned by Seagate), Hitachi (owned by Seagate), Toshiba, and Buffalo.
Hybrid hard drives
In addition to classic magnetic hard drives of 2.5 or 3.5 inches, nowadays, you can find hybrid hard drives on the market, commonly known as SSHD (from the English acronym for solid- state hybriddrive) or H-HDD (from the English acronym forhybridhard d iskd rive), called this way because inside they have solid-state memory directly in the part of the traditional hard drive. This, in other words, allows for greater speed, typical of SSDs, as well as high levels of capacity and reliability, typical of common hard drives. The firmware of the hybrid hard drive in question operates automatically and completely transparently, without the need to use a specific driver or software.
Which internal or external hard drive to buy
So, you would have finally understood how to choose an internal hard drive and how to choose an external hard drive. If, however, I still have to be indecisive about which model to buy, here is a list of products on the market that I personally consider the most interesting:
3.5-inch internal hard drives
Seagate ST1000DM010
The Seagate ST1000DM010 is a 3.5-inch internal hard drive ideal for desktop computers, all-in-one solutions, home servers, and DAS devices. The hard drive in question belongs to the Seagate BarraCuda series where versatility, speed, and reliability are the most important factors. In particular, this hard drive has a capacity of 1 TB, a speed of 7,200 RPM, and a cache memory of 64 MB. The connection interface is SATA 3.0.
Technical specifications (for more details on this product, click here):
- format: 3.5″;
- Capacity: 1 TB;
- speed: 7,200 RPM;
- cache: 64 MB;
- Interface: SATA 3.0
Seagate ST1000DM010 SATA III 3.5″ 1 TB, 64 MB, Gray 
Price: €35.80
(5066 Customer Reviews) See the offer on Amazon
Western Digital WD10EZEX
The WD10EZEX is a 3.5-inch internal hard drive belonging to the Western Digital Blue series dedicated to everyday storage for basic personal computing needs. It has a capacity of 1 TB, a speed of 7,200 RPM, and a cache memory of 64 MB. The connection interface is SATA 3.0.
Technical specifications (for more details on this product, click here):
- format: 3.5″;
- Capacity: 1 TB;
- speed: 7,200 RPM;
- cache: 64 MB;
- Interface: SATA 3.0
WD WD10EZEX Blue Desktop Hard Drive 1 TB, 7200 RPM, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64 MB Cache, 3… 
Price: €32.27 Savings: €0.43 (1%) (27226 customer reviews) See the offer on Amazon
Western Digital WD2003FZEX
The WD2003FZEX is part of Western Digital’s Black series designed for desktop PCs and demanding users who require superior performance. It has a capacity of 2 TB, a speed of 7,200 RPM, and a cache memory of 64 MB. The connection interface is SATA 3.0. Note also the presence of a limited 5-year warranty.
Technical specifications (for more details on this product, click here):
- format: 3.5″;
- Capacity: 2 TB;
- speed: 7,200 RPM;
- cache: 64 MB;
- Interface: SATA 3.0
Western Digital WD Black Internal Hard Drive, 2000 GB, SATA III, 6000 Mbit/s, 7200 RPM,… 
Price: €122.61 (7487 Customer Reviews) See the offer on Amazon
Western Digital WD40EFRX
The WD40EFRX is a 3.5-inch hard drive belonging to the Western Digital Red series designed for personal NAS systems used in households and small businesses that use up to 8 drive bays. The hard drive in question has a capacity of 4 TB, a speed of 5,400 RPM, and a cache memory of 64 MB. The connection interface is SATA 3.0. Note also the presence of a limited 3-year warranty.
Technical specifications (for more details on this product, click here):
- format: 3.5″;
- Capacity: 4 TB;
- speed: 5,400 RPM;
- cache: 64 MB;
- Interface: SATA 3.0
Western Digital WD RED Internal Hard Drive 4000 GB, SATA III, 6000 Mbit/s, 5400 RPM, 64… Price: €124.53 (19754 Customer Reviews) See the offer on Amazon
Seagate ST2000DX002
The Seagate ST2000DX002 is a 3.5-inch hybrid hard drive capable of integrating the latest SSD technology with that of a common hard drive for a compact solution and a combination of capacity and speed up to 5 times faster than traditional hard drives, all with a 5-year warranty. The hard drive in question has a capacity of 2 TB for the mechanical part and a capacity of 8 GB for the flash memory, a speed of 7,200 RPM, and a cache memory of 64 MB. The connection interface is SATA 3.0.
Technical specifications (for more details on this product, click here):
- format: 3.5″;
- Capacity: 2 TB 8 GB;
- speed: 7,200 RPM;
- cache: 64 MB;
- Interface: SATA 3.0
Seagate ST2000DX002 FireCuda Internal Hybrid Hard Drive 2 TB, 3.5 inches, 64 m… 
Price: €112.00 (2337 customer reviews) See the offer on Amazon
Western Digital WD30EZRZ
The WD30EZRZ is a 3.5-inch internal hard drive belonging to the Western Digital Blue series dedicated to everyday storage for basic personal computing needs. This model has a capacity of 3 TB, a speed of 5,400 RPM, and a cache memory of 64 MB. The connection interface is SATA 3.0.
For those who need more space, the WD40EZRZ is also available with the same technical specifications as the model above, but with a capacity of 4 TB.
Technical specifications (for more details on this product, click here):
- format: 3.5″;
- Capacity: 3 TB;
- speed: 5,400 RPM;
- cache: 64 MB;
- Interface: SATA 3.0
Western Digital WD Caviar Blue 3TB 64MB Cache 64MB Cache, 5400RPM, WD30EZRZ (64M… 
Price: €83.90 Savings: €34.27 (29%) (16817 customer reviews) See the offer on Amazon
Western Digital WD10PURZ
****15Designed for high-definition security systems, active 24/7, with up to 8 hard drive bays and 32 HD cameras, Western Digital’s Purple models are the most suitable hard drives for any type of video surveillance system. In particular, this 3.5-inch hard drive has a capacity of 1 TB, a speed of 5,400 RPM, and a cache memory of 64 MB. The connection interface is SATA 3.0. Note also the presence of a limited 3-year warranty.
For those who need more space, the WD20PURZ is also available with the same technical specifications as the model above but with a capacity of 2 TB.
Technical specifications (for more details on this product, click here):
- format: 3.5″;
- Capacity: 1 TB;
- speed: 5,400 RPM;
- cache: 64 MB;
- Interface: SATA 3.0
Western Digital WD10PURZ Internal Hard Drive 1 TB, Size: 3.5″, Connectivity… 
Price: €44.80 Savings: €1.10 (2%) (2009 customer reviews) See the offer on Amazon
2.5-inch internal hard drives
Toshiba MQ01ABF050
The Toshiba MQ01ABF050 is a 2.5-inch hard drive capable of delivering good performance and excellent quietness that meets all the needs of the most demanding mobile users. In particular, this model has a capacity of 500 GB, a speed of 5,400 RPM, and a cache memory of 8 MB. The connection interface is SATA 3.0.
At more or less the same price, the Western Digital WD5000LPCX is also available with the same technical specifications as the Toshiba but with a cache memory of 16 MB.
Technical specifications (for more details on this product, click here):
- format: 2.5″;
- Capacity: 500 GB;
- speed: 5,400 RPM;
- cache: 8 MB;
- Interface: SATA 3.0
Toshiba MQ01ABF050 2.5″ 500GB HDD, Black Flat Screen 
Price: €44.49 Savings: €2.40 (5%) (738 customer reviews) See the offer on Amazon
Seagate ST1000LM048
The Seagate ST1000LM048 is a 2.5-inch internal hard drive ideal for laptops, consoles, portable storage devices, external storage systems, all-in-one desktop PCs, and ultra-thin computers. The hard drive in question belongs to the Seagate BarraCuda series where versatility, speed, and reliability are the most important factors. In particular, this hard drive has a capacity of 1 TB, a speed of 5,400 RPM, and a cache memory of 128 MB. The connection interface is SATA 3.0 while the warranty offered is 2 years.
For those who need more space, the Seagate ST2000LM015 is also available with the same technical specifications as the model above but with a capacity of 2 TB.
Technical specifications (for more details on this product, click here):
- format: 2.5″;
- Capacity: 1 TB;
- speed: 5,400 RPM;
- cache: 128 MB;
- Interface: SATA 3.0
Seagate 1 TB Serial ATA III 2.5 inches 5400 RPM ST1000LM048 1 TB 
Price: €42.98 (3647 customer reviews) See the offer on Amazon
Seagate ST2000LMZ15
The Seagate ST2000LMZ15 is a 2.5-inch internal hard drive ideal for laptops, consoles, portable storage devices, external storage systems, all-in-one computers, and ultra-thin desktops. The hard drive in question belongs to the Seagate BarraCuda series where versatility, speed, and reliability are the most important factors. In particular, this hard drive has a capacity of 2 TB, a speed of 5,400 RPM, and a cache memory of 128 MB. The connection interface is SATA 3.0 while the warranty offered is 2 years.
For those who need even more space, this 2.5-inch model from Seagate is also available in 3 TB, 4 TB, and 5 TB with the same technical specifications as the model above (except for 15.5 mm height instead of 7.2 mm).
Technical specifications (for more details on this product, click here):
- format: 2.5″;
- Capacity: 2 TB;
- speed: 5,400 RPM;
- cache: 128 MB;
- Interface: SATA 3.0
Seagate BarraCuda, Internal Disk Drive 2 TB, 6 Gb/s, SATA 2.5 in,… 
Price: €79.97 (904 customer reviews) See the offer on Amazon
External hard drives
Western Digital WDBUZG0010BBK-WESN
The WDBUZG0010BBK-WESN belongs to the Western Digital Elements Portable series suitable for those looking for high capacity, maximum data transfer speed, and ease of use. Regarding technical specifications, this 2.5-inch external hard drive has a capacity of 1 TB, a USB 3.0 connection interface, backward compatible with the previous USB 2.0 standard, as well as extremely small size and weight.
For those who need more space, the Western Digital WDBU6Y0020BBK-WESN is also available with a capacity of 2 TB and the Western Digital WDBU6Y0040BBK-WESN with a capacity of 4 TB.
Technical specifications (for more details on this product, click here):
- format: 2.5″;
- Capacity: 1 TB;
- Interface: USB 3.0, backward compatible with USB 2.0
WD Elements Portable External Hard Drive 1 TB USB 3.0 
Price: €47.99 Savings: €28.80 (37%) (85566 customer reviews) See the offer on Amazon
Toshiba HDTB410EK3AA
****29The HDTB410EK3AA is part of Toshiba’s Canvio Basics series capable of transferring files at high speed using USB 3.0 technology, backward compatible with the previous USB 2.0 technology. In this case, the hard drive has a 2.5-inch format and has a capacity of 1 TB.
For those who need even more space, the Toshiba HDTB420EK3AA with a capacity of 2 TB and the Toshiba HDTB440EK3CA with a capacity of 4 TB are also available.
Technical specifications (for more details on this product, click here):
- format: 2.5″;
- Capacity: 1 TB;
- Interface: USB 3.0, backward compatible with USB 2.0
TOSHIBA HDTB410EK3AA, Canvio Basics, Portable External Hard Drive, USB 3.0 Ne… 
Price: €41.80 (23668 customer reviews) See the offer on Amazon
Maxtor STSHX-M101TCBM
The Maxtor STSHX-M101TCBM is a 2.5-inch external hard drive with a capacity of 1 TB, a USB 3.0 connection interface, backward compatible with the previous USB 2.0 standard, and a limited 3-year warranty. It also features special software, such as AutoBackup, which allows you to perform automatic backups, and SecretZone, which allows you to set a password to protect your data.
For those who need even more space, the Maxtor HX-M201TCB/GM with a capacity of 2 TB and the Maxtor STSHX-M401TCBM with a capacity of 4 TB are also available.
Technical specifications (for more details on this product, click here):
- format: 2.5″;
- Capacity: 1 TB;
- Interface: USB 3.0, backward compatible with USB 2.0
Maxtor STSHX-M101TCBM External HDD, USB 3.0, 1 TB, Black 
Price: €57.00 (11477 customer reviews) See the offer on Amazon
PS: if you were going to buy an internal hard drive, you should also consider buying a faster, quieter SSD.
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