Laptops can use different types of hard drives depending on the model, manufacturer, and user needs. The most common hard drive types found in laptops today are traditional hard disk drives (HDDs), solid state drives (SSDs), and hybrid drives which combine features of HDDs and SSDs.
Some key questions when looking at laptop hard drives include:
- What are the differences between HDDs, SSDs, and hybrid drives?
- What capacity hard drives are typically available for laptops?
- Which manufacturers make laptop hard drives?
- How are performance factors like speed affected by the hard drive type?
- What connectivity standards like SATA and PCIe do laptop hard drives use?
- What physical size hard drives (2.5-inch vs. M.2) are used in laptops?
- How can you determine what hard drive is in a particular laptop model?
- What are the latest technology developments for laptop hard drives?
This article provides an overview of these key questions around understanding laptop hard drives, with detailed explanations of the different drive types, capacities, performance factors, physical sizes, and more.
HDDs, SSDs, and Hybrid Drives
There are three main physical storage technologies used for the hard drives found in laptops:
- HDD – The traditional hard disk drive with spinning platters and moving read/write heads to access data. HDDs have high capacities but slower speeds.
- SSD – The solid state drive with no moving parts that uses flash memory chips to store data. SSDs have much faster speeds, lower power consumption, and higher cost per gigabyte.
- Hybrid – Combines both HDD and SSD technology in a single drive, with a small SSD cache to improve performance while retaining HDD’s high capacities.
HDD technology has been used in laptops for decades and offers the most affordable cost per gigabyte. The trade-off is slower performance, higher power draw, fragility from moving parts, and noise. As SSD prices have dropped over the years, they have become the preferred option in more premium and high-performance laptops. Their speed, silent operation, and resilience make them ideal for laptops focused on portability.
Hybrid HDDs with some SSD caching provide a balance of capacity and improved performance. They help boost HDD speeds, though usually not to the same level as full SSDs. Hybrid drives have declined in popularity as SSD prices have dropped and high-capacity SSDs become more affordable.
HDD Details
Hard disk drives rely on spinning magnetic platters up to 1TB or more in capacity along with read/write heads that move back and forth to access data. The two most common sizes of HDDs used in laptops are 2.5-inch and 1-inch drive formats. 2.5-inch HDDs can range from 320GB up to 2TB for consumer laptops currently, while 1-inch HDDs in the range of 128GB to 500GB may be used in ultraportables.
Laptop HDDs spin at 5400 RPM or 7200 RPM typically. The faster 7200 RPM drives consume more power and produce more noise but enable quicker data access. 5400 RPM 2.5-inch HDDs are more common as they balance performance and power efficiency for mobile usage.
HDDs connect to a laptop’s motherboard using the SATA III interface, which provides data transfer speeds up to 600MB/s. While SATA III is also used by SSDs, HDD speeds cap out well below this interface’s maximum bandwidth.
SSD Details
SSDs have no moving parts and instead rely on banks of NAND flash memory chips to retain data. The most common SSD form factors used in laptops are the 2.5-inch SATA drive as well as the smaller M.2 stick drive. M.2 SSD capacities typically range from 128GB to 2TB for laptop usage, while 2.5-inch SSDs range from 120GB up to 4TB.
SSDs are significantly faster than HDDs given their flash memory architecture. This leads to quick boot times and loading of programs and files. Top-tier SATA III SSDs can reach 550+ MB/s sequential read/write speeds, while M.2 PCIe NVMe SSDs in premium laptops can hit 3500+ MB/s speeds.
Compared to HDDs, SSDs consume much lower power for equivalent performance levels, produce no noise, and are more resistant to drops or vibration. These benefits make SSDs the default choice for premium consumer laptops focused on portability.
Hybrid Drive Details
Hybrid HDDs combine a traditional hard disk platter with a small SSD, usually 8-32GB in size, acting as a cache. The SSD cache stores frequently accessed OS and program files for quick access while less accessed data resides on the HDD. Some hybrid drives even migrate data automatically between the SSD and HDD.
Performance is boosted compared to HDDs but usually falls short of full SSD speeds. Hybrid drives connect via the SATA III interface like traditional HDDs. They peaked in popularity around 2014 but have become less common as SSD prices have declined.
Laptop Hard Drive Capacities
The maximum capacities for the hard drives found in laptops have increased over time. Some current typical ranges include:
- 2.5-inch 5400RPM HDD – Up to 2TB
- 2.5-inch 7200RPM HDD – Up to 2TB
- 1-inch 5400 RPM HDD – Up to 500GB
- 2.5-inch SATA III SSD – Up to 4TB
- M.2 PCIe SSD – Up to 2TB
- Hybrid HDD – 500GB to 1TB HDD with 8-32GB SSD
However, average capacities installed by manufacturers are lower than these maximums. Mainstream consumer laptops often include:
- 256GB – 512GB SSD
- 500GB – 1TB HDD
- 128GB – 256GB M.2 SSD in ultrabooks
Gaming laptops and high-end models may go up to 1TB or 2TB SSDs. Photographers and power users sometimes upgrade to 4TB 2.5″ SSDs. Overall SSD sizes are rapidly increasing while HDD capacities remain more modest due to technology limitations.
Laptop Hard Drive Manufacturers
The companies manufacturing laptop hard disk drives and SSDs include major computing component makers like:
- Seagate – Market leading HDD manufacturer also producing hybrid drives.
- Western Digital – Another top HDD and hybrid drive maker.
- Toshiba – Produces smaller form factor 1-inch HDDs for ultrabooks.
- Samsung – Leading SSD manufacturer and inventor of the M.2 stick SSD.
- Intel – Major producer of SSDs including consumer models.
- Micron – SSD designer focused more on enterprise but also consumer market.
- SK Hynix – Korean memory maker that produces SSDs and PC components.
- Kingston – Major RAM and storage brand that offers consumer SSDs.
These companies help drive advances in storage technology, capacity, and speed that find their way into the latest laptop models.
Laptop Hard Drive Performance Factors
Some key metrics determine the speed and overall performance of laptop hard drives:
- Sequential read/write speed – The MB/s rate when accessing large contiguous blocks of data on disk.
- Random read/write speed – The IOPS rate when accessing randomized small chunks of data.
- Latency – The response time for individual read/write operations.
- Cache – Onboard memory acting as a buffer to reduce latency.
- Interface – SATA III maxes at 600MB/s while PCIe x4 NVMe enables faster SSD speeds.
Based on these metrics, SSDs substantially outperform HDDs with their flash memory architecture enabling faster access across the board. Some examples comparing HDD and SSD speeds in laptops:
| Hard Drive Type | Sequential Read | Sequential Write | Random Read IOPS | Random Write IOPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5400 RPM 2.5″ HDD | 100 MB/s | 80 MB/s | 1000 | 1000 |
| 7200 RPM 2.5″ HDD | 150 MB/s | 150 MB/s | 1200 | 1200 |
| SATA III SSD | 550 MB/s | 520 MB/s | 100K | 80K |
| PCIe NVMe SSD | 3500 MB/s | 3000 MB/s | 500K | 400K |
While HDDs may have higher sequential speeds compared to years past, SSDs continue to far surpass them on bandwidth, latency, and IOPS for handling multiple requests in parallel.
Laptop Hard Drive Connectivity
Laptop internal hard drives use either the SATA or PCI Express interface to connect to the motherboard and CPU:
- SATA – Serial ATA with a maximum bandwidth of 600MB/s and common in both HDDs and 2.5-inch SSDs.
- PCIe – PCI Express directly attached to M.2 SSDs for maximum performance, often x4 lanes at 4GB/s.
SATA has long been the standard for laptop drive connectivity. But for top-tier ultrabooks and gaming laptops focused on speed, PCIe M.2 SSDs are taking over as the default option.
External storage devices usually connect via USB or Thunderbolt over the USB-C connector. For example, a USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 port provides up to 20Gbps bandwidth for fast external SSDs.
Laptop Hard Drive Physical Sizes
Laptop manufacturers use set dimensions for integrating hard drives of different types. The physical sizes include:
- 2.5-inch – The traditional HDD size, also now used for SSDs, up to 9.5mm thickness.
- 1-inch – Ultra small HDDs for ultraportables, 5mm to 7mm thick.
- M.2 – Compact SSD stick format, typically 22mm wide and 30/42/60/80mm long.
2.5-inch drives allow fitting 1TB or 2TB HDDs and up to 4TB SSDs into the standard laptop hard drive bay. M.2 is a newer form factor that maximizes space while only supporting SSDs. It’s optimal for thin and light systems or doubling storage via a second M.2 slot.
2.5-inch HDDs and SSDs
The 2.5-inch size with a 9.5mm or 7mm vertical height allows manufacturers to use a standardized hard drive bay across laptop models. Any 2.5-inch drive can be installed as long as the height and SATA connector match. 2.5-inch drives slide into place and are secured with a single screw.
While 2.5-inch remains popular, the demand for ultra thin and light laptop designs is driving greater adoption of M.2 SSDs in new models. However, 2.5-inch drives still offer the highest capacities for SSDs currently.
1-inch Hard Disk Drives
For ultraportable laptops like the MacBook Air that emphasize light weight, companies have produced compact 1-inch HDDs. At just 5mm to 7mm thick and about 24mm wide, these enable slim unibody aluminum laptop designs under 0.7 inches thick.
The 1-inch HDD capacities top out at 500GB currently. Some models even omit the internal drive bay entirely and rely solely on external storage. While Apple has used these 1-inch drives, other ultrabook makers tend to prefer M.2 SSDs now for performance and robustness.
M.2 SSD Format
The M.2 SSD form factor dispenses with the larger drive enclosure andExposure of Type-II
constitutes just the flash memory package in a compact stick form. Typical sizes are 22mm wide and 30mm, 42mm, 60mm, or 80mm long. The small circuit board plugs directly into an M.2 slot on the laptop motherboard.
Advantages of M.2 SSDs include their small size that improves portability and ability to access PCIe speeds not possible over SATA. High-end laptops generally include one or even two M.2 slots for SSDs up to 2TB in capacity.
Determining the Hard Drive in a Laptop
For shoppers and owners, how can you identify the specific hard drive model and technology inside a particular laptop? There are a few simple ways to determine which hard drive comes with or is installed in a laptop model:
- Check manufacturer tech specs – View product descriptions and technical specifications which often list HDD or SSD capacity and details.
- Consult configuration options – Some laptops let you select HDD, SSD, or hybrid drive at purchase.
- Open the housing – Open up the case or underside and check the physical drive label for brand, model, specs.
- Use system tools – Storage management utilities in Windows, macOS, etc provide drive details.
- Run disk benchmark – Tools like CrystalDiskMark check drive performance signatures.
In some cases OEMs use slight variations of standard HDDs and SSDs or custom firmware optimizations. But the physical drive can be identified in most laptops to determine the actual technology in use.
Latest Laptop Hard Drive Developments
Manufacturers continue innovating laptop storage technology to offer new capacities, smaller form factors, improved reliability and power efficiency, and faster interface speeds. Some trends in the laptop hard drive market include:
- SSDs reaching multi-TB capacities – M.2 SSDs up to 8TB are coming allowing massive internal storage.
- Adoption of new interconnects – PCIe 4.0 and upcoming PCIe 5.0 boost transfer rates for speedy SSDs.
- Shift to Max ULP (ultra low power) SSDs – Further reducing energy use for longer laptop battery life.
- New form factors like M.3 may replace M.2 – Enabling greater management flexibility.
- Improved hybrid integration – Tighter HDD and SSD integration via algorithms and controllers.
SSDs have become the standard for laptops striving for speed, responsiveness, and mobility. Inexpensive HDDs still work for budget systems focused on maximum capacity. Hybrid drives retain some niche appeal. Overall the trajectory continues toward SSDs taking over the majority of the market.
Conclusion
There are three main hard drive technologies still found in laptops – HDDs, SSDs, and hybrid drives – each with their own strengths and drawbacks. Key factors for consumers to consider include drive capacities, speed metrics like MB/s and IOPS, form factors like 2.5-inch or M.2, and connectors such as SATA or PCIe. Manufacturers like Seagate, Western Digital, Samsung, and Intel drive advances allowing SSDs in particular to displace HDDs in most new premium laptops thanks to their performance advantages.
