Choosing the right hard drive for your needs can be tricky with so many options on the market. The key factors to consider are storage capacity, speed, form factor, and budget. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll walk you through the process of selecting the ideal hard drive for your PC or laptop.
What capacity hard drive do I need?
Storage capacity is one of the most important factors in choosing a hard drive. Consider what you will use the drive for and how much data you need to store. Here are some typical storage capacity needs:
- General computing and office work – 250GB to 1TB
- Gaming PC – 1TB to 2TB
- Media storage for photos, music, and videos – 2TB to 5TB
- Video editing and production work – 4TB or higher
For most users, a 1TB hard drive provides a good balance of capacity versus price. However, if you work with large media files or have an extensive game library, consider 2TB or higher.
What interface does my computer support?
Internal hard drives connect to your computer via SATA or PCIe interfaces. Most modern desktop and laptop PCs support SATA III drives, which offer fast 6Gbps data transfer speeds. Some high-end gaming PCs and workstations support faster PCIe NVMe SSDs.
For external portable drives, look for USB 3.0 or USB 3.1 Gen2 support. USB 3 provides speeds up to 5Gbps. USB 3.1 Gen2 doubles that to 10Gbps. Make sure your computer has ports that support these faster USB standards.
Desktop external drives may use USB, eSATA, or Thunderbolt connections. eSATA allows speeds up 6Gbps. Thunderbolt provides blazing fast transfer rates up to 40Gbps.
HDD or SSD?
The two main drive technologies to choose from are traditional hard disk drives (HDD) or solid state drives (SSD). HDDs are mechanical drives with spinning platters. SSDs are faster, more durable solid state memory drives with no moving parts.
SSDs are significantly more expensive per gigabyte compared to HDDs. But the extra speed and performance may be worth it if your budget allows. Here is a comparison between HDD and SSD drives:
| HDD | SSD | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost per GB | Around $0.03 | Around $0.20 |
| Max speed | Up to 210 MB/s | Up to 3,500 MB/s |
| Avg seek time | 3-12 ms | 0.1 ms |
| Durability | Can fail with shock | No moving parts, more durable |
| Noise | Audible spinning | Silent |
For most computing tasks, a SATA III SSD provides excellent performance gains over a HDD. NVMe drives are even faster but only supported on newer PCs. If you need massive amounts of storage, HDDs are much cheaper per terabyte.
Form factors
Hard drives come in different physical sizes, known as form factors. The common form factors are:
- 3.5-inch – Desktop computer hard drives
- 2.5-inch – Laptop hard drives and some external portable drives
- M.2 – Compact SSDs for laptops and desktops
- U.2 – Enterprise-level SSDs
Make sure to get a drive in the appropriate form factor for where you intend to install it. Most desktop PCs take 3.5-inch drives, while laptops use 2.5-inch drives. Some smaller PCs support M.2 drives.
3.5-inch HDDs
3.5-inch hard drives are the large desktop drives designed to be installed internally in desktop PCs. They range from 120GB to 14TB capacities. Most 3.5-inch drives connect via SATA III interface. Enterprises may use SAS drives which allow faster speeds.
2.5-inch HDDs and SSDs
2.5-inch drives are designed for laptops and external enclosures. HDD capacities range from 320GB to 2TB. 2.5-inch SSDs come in 120GB to 4TB sizes. While slower than M.2 SSDs, 2.5-inch drives can provide a performance boost for laptops over HDDs.
M.2 SSDs
M.2 SSDs are compact solid state drives designed for high performance and small footprint. They are ideal for ultrabooks and small form factor PCs. M.2 drives utilize PCIe or SATA interfaces and come in capacities up to 2TB.
U.2 SSDs
U.2 SSDs are enterprise-focused drives that use the PCIe interface for extremely fast data throughput. They offer some of the fastest SSD performance available but have higher costs and power demands than consumer drives.
RPM speed for HDDs
For traditional hard disk drives, the rotation speed measured in revolutions per minute (RPM) affects performance. Faster RPMs allow quicker access to data on the drive platters.
Common HDD RPM speeds are:
- 5,400 RPM – Standard for most desktop and laptop drives
- 7,200 RPM – Faster performance for desktops and some laptops
- 10,000-15,000 RPM – Enterprise-level performance
For everyday computing, a 7,200 RPM desktop HDD provides good performance. Laptop HDDs usually max out at 5,400 RPM due to power and heat constraints.
Cache memory
The cache memory on a hard drive acts as a buffer between the rest of your computer and the physical storage platters. It stores frequently accessed data for faster access. In general, larger cache sizes boost HDD performance.
Common cache amounts are:
- 8 MB to 256 MB for consumer HDDs
- 64 MB for entry-level SSDs
- 512 MB or more for high-end SSDs
For HDDs, 64 MB cache is recommended for good performance. For SSDs, cache size has less impact than other technology factors, so even entry-level drives with 64 MB cache provide fast access.
What brands make the most reliable hard drives?
Based on extensive testing and reviews, these brands produce the most reliable hard drives with lower failure rates:
- Hitachi – Now owned by Western Digital. Known for reliable drives.
- Western Digital – Market leader in HDDs. Solid reputation for quality.
- Samsung – Top maker of SSDs. Known for fast, durable drives.
- Intel – Major SSD brand that guarantees quality.
- Seagate – HDD leader competing closely with Western Digital.
Avoid discount brands you’ve never heard of. Stick with major manufacturers with strong product warranties like Seagate, WD, Samsung, Intel, Crucial, SanDisk, and Kingston.
How much should I spend?
Here are the average price ranges for hard drives:
- HDD – $40 to $60 for 1TB
- Basic SATA III SSD – $80 to $100 for 250GB capacity
- High-performance NVMe SSD – $100 to $250 for 1TB
- External portable HDD – $50 to $100 for 1TB
- External desktop HDD – $80 to $150 for 3TB to 8TB
Determine your budget based on the type and capacity of drive you need. Watch for sales around the holidays for the best deals.
Top hard drive recommendations
Based on the criteria above, here are my top recommendations in various categories:
Budget HDD
- Seagate BarraCuda 1TB 7200RPM HDD
A low-cost yet reliable drive for basic computing.
Performance HDD
- WD Black 6TB 7200RPM HDD
Fast 7200RPM drive great for gaming PCs and workstations.
SSD for everyday use
- Samsung 870 EVO 1TB SATA III SSD
An excellent SSD with great read/write speeds at an affordable price.
M.2 SSD for snappy performance
- Samsung 980 Pro 1TB PCIe NVMe SSD
Blazing speeds up to 7000 MB/s for high-end PCs.
Rugged portable HDD
- LaCie Rugged Mini 2TB External HDD
Durable drive with added shock and drop resistance.
Network-attached storage (NAS)
- Synology DiskStation DS220+
Easy to use NAS for media storage and backups.
Conclusion
Choosing the right hard drive involves considering your interface and computer compatibility, capacity needs, form factor, speed, brand reliability, and budget. For a combination of affordability and quality, I generally recommend WD or Seagate HDDs for most desktop uses and Samsung SSDs when performance gains warrant the higher cost per gigabyte.
Carefully assess your specific needs and usage when deciding on a hard drive. The options and features can be confusing, so take time to research reviews and benchmarks. With the above guidance, you can confidently choose a great drive. Let me know if you have any other questions!