Yes, you can use an internal hard disk drive (HDD) in a laptop. Internal HDDs are commonly used in laptops to provide storage space for the operating system, programs, and personal files.
What is an internal HDD?
An internal HDD is a hard disk drive that is installed inside the laptop and connects directly to the motherboard. It uses magnetic storage to save data on spinning platters inside the drive enclosure. Internal HDDs come in various storage capacities, with common sizes being 500GB, 1TB, and 2TB for laptop drives.
Internal HDDs have traditionally been the default storage option for laptops. They offer much more storage space than solid state drives (SSDs) for a lower price point. However, SSDs have been gaining popularity in newer laptop models due to advantages in performance, power efficiency, size, and ruggedness.
Advantages of using an internal HDD in a laptop
Here are some of the benefits of using an internal HDD in a laptop:
- Large capacity – Internal HDDs provide much more storage capacity than SSDs for the price. You can get 1TB+ HDDs very affordably.
- Proven technology – HDDs have been used and refined as laptop storage for decades. The technology is mature and reliable.
- Cheap per GB – The cost per gigabyte of storage is much lower with HDDs compared to SSDs.
- Easy to upgrade or replace – Laptop internal HDDs can be easily swapped out or upgraded in most laptop designs.
- Doesn’t wear out from writes – HDDs are not damaged or worn out by data writes like SSDs are over time.
Disadvantages of using an internal HDD in a laptop
There are also some downsides to using a traditional HDD in a laptop:
- Slower than SSDs – HDDs have slower access times and data transfer speeds than SSDs due to physical moving parts.
- Larger and heavier – HDD enclosures take up more space and add more weight than SSD designs.
- More fragile – The mechanical nature of HDDs makes them much more prone to damage from drops or vibration.
- Uses more power – HDDs consume more battery power on laptops than SSD options.
- Noisier – The spinning platters and mechanical movement in HDDs generate more noise.
Factors to consider when choosing a laptop internal HDD
If you decide to use an internal HDD in your laptop upgrade or new laptop purchase, here are some factors to take into account:
- Capacity – How much storage space do you need? Laptop HDDs range from 320GB to 2TB+. Consider your needs for applications, files, media, etc.
- RPM speed – Faster RPM (rotations per minute) means faster performance. 5400 RPM is standard, while 7200 RPM is faster.
- Drive height – Thinner 7mm and 9.5mm height drives are made to fit different laptop designs.
- Drive interface – Most modern laptop HDDs use the SATA III interface, but check for compatibility.
- Cache memory – Larger caches (32MB-256MB) can boost HDD performance.
- Shock protection – Models with shock absorbers and ramp loading technology are more durable.
- Power usage – Important for battery powered laptops. Look for lower power consumption.
- Noise level – Check drive noise ratings if this is a concern.
- Brand reputation – Stick with major established HDD brands for reliability.
- Warranty – Aim for at least a 2 year manufacturer warranty.
- Price – HDD cost varies based on size, speed, features. Determine your budget needs.
How to install an internal HDD in a laptop
Installing a new internal HDD into a laptop is a straightforward process in most cases. Here are the basic steps involved:
- Back up any important data from the old drive if it will be replaced.
- Open the housing of the laptop according to the manufacturer method to access the internal drive bay.
- Disconnect and remove the old drive if one is being replaced.
- Slide the new HDD into the drive bay, securing it into place with any screws or connectors.
- Reattach any cables, brackets, covers, etc. that were removed to access the drive bay.
- Boot up the laptop and access the BIOS settings menu to verify the new drive is detected.
- Initialize the new drive and create partitions if needed through Disk Management in Windows or Disk Utility in macOS.
- Install the operating system on the new drive if needed.
- Install device drivers for the HDD if prompted.
- Transfer data over to the new HDD from backups.
The physical installation is quite simple. The additional steps of initializing, partitioning and installing the OS will depend on your specific needs. Refer to the laptop manufacturer guide for details on disassembly and hardware specifics. Watch video tutorials for help on software configuration steps. Consider professional installation if you are not comfortable with opening up and working inside laptop hardware.
Cloning your old laptop HDD to a new one
When replacing your laptop’s hard drive, you have the option of cloning the old drive instead of doing a completely fresh OS installation. Cloning copies over the data, programs, and OS files from the old drive to the new one.
Benefits of cloning:
- Much faster and easier than fresh OS setup and data migration.
- Maintains your current programs, files and system configuration.
- Avoids hassle of reinstalling apps, drivers, personalization, etc.
To clone your laptop’s HDD:
- Backup important data as a precaution.
- Connect both the old and new drive in the laptop (or use external enclosures).
- Boot into the OS from the old drive.
- Use disk cloning software to copy the old drive partition(s) to the new drive.
- Swap the new drive to the old drive’s bay when complete.
- Verify the clone was successful by booting from the new drive.
Free disk cloning utilities include Macrium Reflect, MiniTool Partition Wizard, and Clonezilla. Commercial options like Acronis True Image also work very well for easy drive cloning.
Using an HDD and SSD together in a laptop
Some laptops support using both a hard disk drive (HDD) and solid state drive (SSD) together by having multiple drive bays or M.2 slots. This allows you to use each drive for different purposes:
- Install the OS and apps on the SSD for faster boot and load times.
- Store your files, media, and backups on the higher capacity HDD.
Benefits of using both HDD and SSD:
- Speed up system boot and application launches with the SSD.
- Get more storage capacity for files with the HDD.
- Improved laptop performance without sacrificing storage space.
- Divide tasks between the drives to reduce wear on the SSD.
If your laptop supports multiple drives, you can easily add an SSD for improved speed while retaining the HDD for data storage. Check your laptop manual for instructions on adding drives. You’ll then need to install the OS and boot from the SSD.
Recovering data from a damaged laptop HDD
If your laptop HDD fails or gets damaged, important data stored on it may still be recoverable using data recovery methods:
- Data recovery software – Programs like Recuva, EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard, Stellar Data Recovery can restore deleted and lost files from HDDs with logical damage or corruption.
- Professional data recovery service – For drives with physical damage or mechanical failure, a pro data recovery lab can disassemble the drive and extract the platters to recover data.
- DIY HDD repair methods – People have success repairing some failed HDDs using clean room techniques to swap platters and parts between donor drives.
To maximize the chances of recovering data, avoid any further writes to the damaged drive. A computer repair shop may be able to clone the drive before attempting recovery methods. Data recovery can be expensive, so this is mainly for very important unrecoverable data.
Laptop HDD speed test software
To test the real world performance of your laptop’s HDD or SSD, disk speed test utilities can give you a quantitative measurement. Some good free benchmarking programs for Windows and Mac include:
| Software | Platform |
|---|---|
| CrystalDiskMark | Windows |
| ATTO Disk Benchmark | Windows/Mac |
| Anvil’s Storage Utilities | Windows |
| Blackmagic Disk Speed Test | Mac |
These tools measure metrics like:
- Sequential read and write speeds
- Random read and write speeds
- Access time
- IOPS (Input/Output Operations Per Second)
Comparing benchmark results for multiple drives allows you to see real speed differences in operations like file transfers and launching programs. This can confirm when an upgrade to SSD provides a worthwhile speed boost.
Conclusion
Using an internal hard disk drive is still a viable and affordable storage option for laptops today. HDDs offer much larger capacities than SSDs at lower costs. They are easy to install and replace in most laptops with some basic DIY skills. Consider pairing a speedy SSD boot drive with a high capacity HDD data drive if your laptop supports multiple storage devices. With advances in SSD technology, internal HDDs have been losing favor in newer thin and light laptops. But HDDs continue to have an advantage for bulk photo, video and file storage needs where maximum capacity is key.
