A hard disk drive (HDD) is a data storage device that uses magnetic storage to store and retrieve digital data using one or more rigid disks coated with magnetic material. HDDs use a spindle motor to spin the magnetic disks while read/write heads float above the disk on an air bearing to access data. The write speed of an HDD refers to how fast data can be written from the host device to the HDD, typically measured in megabytes per second (MB/s).
HDD write speed is an important specification because it directly affects how quickly data can be stored on the drive. Faster write speeds allow data to be written to the disks more rapidly. Some key uses that benefit from faster write speeds include installing software, transferring files, loading game assets, and recording/editing video footage. Thus, write performance is a key factor for many HDD use cases, especially in workstations and gaming PCs.
In recent years, HDD technology has continued to improve, with modern drives reaching sequential write speeds over 200 MB/s. However, many factors impact real-world write performance, and maximum speeds are not always achieved. Later sections will explore current HDD write speeds and the factors that affect them.
Brief History of HDD Write Speeds
Hard disk drives have been around since the 1950s, starting with IBM’s RAMAC 350 system which had a write speed of about 5 MB per second. In the early days, HDDs were very large in physical size but had small storage capacities and slow write speeds compared to today.
According to Wikipedia, HDD capacities grew rapidly in the 1980s, from 10 MB to over 1 GB. By the early 1990s, HDDs reached speeds of about 10-20 MB/s.
Write speeds continued increasing in the 1990s and 2000s. By the mid 2000s, high performance HDDs reached speeds of over 100 MB/s. According to Tom’s Hardware, newer HDD models in 2006 had write speeds around 85 MB/s, a 121x improvement over early HDDs.
Today, high performance HDDs can reach sequential write speeds of over 200 MB/s. However, improvements in HDD write speeds have slowed in recent years as solid state drives (SSDs) have become more prevalent.
Factors That Determine Write Speed
There are several key factors that affect the maximum write speed of a hard disk drive (HDD):
RPM Speed
The rotation speed of the platter inside the HDD, measured in revolutions per minute (RPM), is a major determinant of write speed. Higher RPM generally allows for faster write speeds, as the read/write head can access data on a rapidly spinning platter more quickly. Most consumer HDDs today have rotation speeds between 5400 and 7200 RPM. Top-end enterprise HDDs may have speeds up to 15,000 RPM or more [1].
Caching
The cache on the HDD controller board stores data for faster writing. Larger caches allow data to be written more rapidly, as the cache can hold more data before it needs to be written to the physical platters. Typical cache sizes range from 8-256 MB on consumer drives. Enterprise and server HDDs may have caches up to several GB in size.
Interface Type
The type of interface the HDD uses also plays a role. Newer interfaces like SATA III and SAS allow much faster maximum data transfer rates than older interfaces like PATA. For example, SATA III theoretically permits write speeds up to 600 MB/s, while PATA maxes out below 150 MB/s [2].
Current Maximum HDD Write Speeds
The maximum write speeds of hard disk drives depend on several factors like the rotation speed (RPM), interface, and form factor. Here are some of the top speeds for common HDD types:
5400 RPM HDDs – These generally max out around 100-150MB/s write speeds. For example, the Seagate BarraCuda 5400 RPM 2.5-Inch SATA 6Gb/s 128MB Cache 2TB HDD has a maximum sustained transfer rate of 140MB/s.
7200 RPM HDDs – Write speeds typically range from 120-210MB/s for these. The Seagate BarraCuda 7200 RPM 3.5-Inch SATA 6Gb/s 256MB Cache 2TB HDD has a max speed of 210MB/s for instance.
10,000 RPM HDDs – Designed for performance, these can reach 220-260MB/s writes. For example, the Seagate Savvio 15K.3 2.5-Inch 15000 RPM 64 MB Cache SAS 6Gb/s 450GB HDD delivers 254MB/s sustained transfers.
15,000 RPM HDDs – The fastest spinning drives, these top out around 260-300MB/s. The Seagate Cheetah 15K.7 3.5-Inch 15000 RPM SAS 6Gb/s 128 MB Cache 600GB HDD has a maximum sustained transfer rate of 283MB/s for example.
In general, higher RPM drives, SSD-based hybrid drives, and newer technologies like SMR allow HDDs to achieve faster maximum write speeds than older or laptop-focused models. But high-performance SSDs still outpace even the fastest HDDs by a large margin.
Advantages of Faster Write Speeds
Faster write speeds for hard disk drives offer some key advantages, including:
Faster transfer of files – With higher write speeds, hard drives can write data to the disk platter much more quickly. This results in faster transfer times when saving files, like photos, videos, documents, etc. For large files in particular, a high write speed HDD can make a big difference in how long it takes to fully write the data.
According to the article “The 5 Benefits of SSDs over Hard Drives” on the Kingston website, SSDs with their fast flash memory can write files up to 100x faster than traditional hard drives. This massive difference highlights the benefits of maximizing write speeds for HDDs as much as possible.
Quicker boot times – When starting up a computer, the hard drive needs to access Windows files and write logs. A faster writing HDD will help reduce boot up time. Per the PureStorage article comparing SSDs and HDDs, SSDs can boot systems in just seconds rather than the minutes required for HDDs. So faster write speeds directly impact boot performance.
Improved application performance – Programs need to regularly write data to the hard drive, like saving settings or writing logs. The faster the write speed, the smoother programs will perform. With a high speed HDD, applications experience less lag when writing data.
Disadvantages of Faster Write Speeds
One of the downsides of faster HDD write speeds is increased power consumption. HDDs with higher RPMs and faster write performance require more power to spin the platter and move the read/write heads faster1. The extra power required can drive up energy costs for large storage arrays.
Faster HDDs also tend to generate more noise as a byproduct of their higher RPMs and increased mechanical action. The noise levels are still relatively quiet compared to older HDDs, but may be noticeable in quiet environments2.
Finally, higher performance HDDs carry a cost premium over slower models. Enterprise-class HDDs with 10,000+ RPM and fast cache can cost several times more than a typical 7200 RPM desktop drive. The higher price may make fast HDDs impractical for some use cases3.
Use Cases for High Write Speed HDDs
There are several key use cases where high write speed hard disk drives (HDDs) provide advantages over slower HDDs:
Video Editing
Video editing software needs to read and write large video files very quickly. Professional video editors require fast HDDs to: https://www.tomshardware.com/uk/reviews/best-ssds,3891.html
- Reduce time spent rendering edits
- Quickly read and write different video formats like 4K, 8K, RAW, etc.
- Smoothly handle multiple streams of high bitrate footage
Having an HDD with fast write speeds enables faster workflows and productivity.
High Performance Computing
Data analytics, scientific computing, and artificial intelligence all require processing large datasets quickly. Fast HDD write speeds allow systems to: https://www.seagate.com/products/enterprise-drives/performance-hdd/
- Reduce time spent writing computation results
- Improve overall application performance
- Scale to handle large volumes of data
Optimizing HDD write performance is key for these data-intensive use cases.
Gaming PCs
Gamers need responsive systems capable of quickly loading textures, maps, and other in-game assets. Fast write speeds allow HDDs to: https://www.howtogeek.com/354321/the-best-ways-to-test-your-hard-drives-performance/
- Reduce game load times
- Improve texture/map loading performance
- Enable quicker installs/updates for large games
For gaming PCs with HDD storage, optimizing write performance provides a snappier overall experience.
Future Outlook
While HDD technology continues to advance, there is potential for even faster hard disk drives in the future. Methods like microwave-assisted magnetic recording (MAMR) and heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) could enable HDDs to reach densities of 10 Tbpsi or higher by the end of the decade, significantly increasing maximum write speeds (https://www.securedatarecovery.com/blog/the-future-of-hard-drives). However, HDDs face stiff competition from solid state drives (SSDs), which offer superior random read/write performance thanks to their lack of moving parts. Although HDDs currently retain a cost advantage over SSDs in terms of dollars per gigabyte, SSD prices continue to fall. This means HDDs may become relegated primarily to cold storage use cases, while SSDs dominate in more performance-sensitive applications. Still, HDD vendors continue innovating to improve capacity, density, and sequential throughput. So while the long-term outlook may be declining market share, HDDs will likely remain relevant for bulk storage needs demanding high sequential write speeds at low costs.
Recommendations
When choosing a hard disk drive, it’s important to match the write speed to your intended usage. Faster write speeds enable quicker saving and transferring of data, but come at a higher cost and power consumption. Slower HDDs are more affordable and energy efficient, but can cause bottlenecks for write-intensive tasks.
For typical everyday computing like web browsing and office work, a mainstream 7200 RPM HDD like the WD Blue or Seagate BarraCuda offers a good balance of performance and value.
For workstations and high-performance PCs, a 10,000-15,000 RPM HDD like the Seagate Cheetah 15K provides faster access times for improved workflow efficiency. The higher cost is justified for professionals who value optimized performance.
Gamers and media creators dealing with large files will benefit from the blazing transfer speeds of cutting-edge options like the Seagate Mach.2 and WD Black SN850X. While expensive, their unmatched performance accelerates key tasks.
For network-attached storage and archival needs, NAS-optimized HDDs like the Seagate IronWolf offer reliability and higher MTBF ratings to maximize uptime. Their lower power draw also reduces operating costs.
By evaluating usage requirements and workload characteristics, you can select the HDD with the optimal blend of speed, affordability, and reliability for your needs.
Conclusion
In summary, the maximum writing speed of hard disk drives has increased dramatically over the years, going from just a few megabytes per second in the earliest HDDs to over 200 MB/s in cutting-edge models today. This rapid write performance is made possible by advances in platter density, spindle speed, caching algorithms, and parallelism in the controller. While SSDs are now faster for most consumer use cases, HDDs continue to excel in high capacity applications where large sequential writes are common, like servers and NAS devices. The key factors that determine maximum HDD write speed include the data encoding method, disk rotation speed, and number of heads/platters. Performance gains in writing data faster provide numerous benefits like quicker application response times, better throughput for file transfers and backups, and reduced downtime waiting for writes to complete. However, there are diminishing returns and tradeoffs like increased power consumption, heat, noise, and cost at the very high end. Overall, write speed improvements allow HDDs to continue serving critical data storage needs into the future.
This summarizes the key points on HDD write speeds, emphasizes why performance matters, and contextualizes the purpose and importance of the information presented in this piece. The goal is to leave readers more knowledgeable on this technical computer component topic.