A few decades ago, the idea of machines doing the work for us was unthinkable, since all tasks depended on the intelligence and skills of the human being.
However, today, it is possible to perform astronomical calculations, thanks to the use of calculators. The universe can also be observed through large telescopes and a large number of tasks can be carried out just by using a computer or computer.
When computers first hit the market, few people could enjoy having one at home. The prices were exorbitant and not affordable for everyone. Only a small elite group enjoyed those privileges.
Today, most people have access to a computer; others have one in their own homes, either a desktop or laptop. There are also them in offices, shopping centers and even in cafe-bars.
However, when selecting which computer to buy, it is important to take into account not only its appearance, but also its characteristics and capabilities, since these are the ones that will be in charge of determining whether or not it will satisfy our needs.
Although it is true that not all of us have specialized knowledge on the subject, we can search for information related to aspects of general interest, such as storage capacity. This factor depends on the type of hard drive you have.
Have you ever wondered which the best hard drives on the market are? If you don’t have the slightest idea, don’t let the parrot go! You don’t have to make a blind decision. In this article you will be able to know what they are and what determines this fact.
So, if you are thinking of buying a computer, you can make the best decision, in terms of quality. Therefore, pay close attention and do not miss a detail.
Instructions
As we have mentioned before, a hard drive is a magnetic storage unit for computers, which can store several terabytes of data and programs in a small size drive.
They are usually integrated into a motherboard where more than one can be placed. However, there are also external ones that can be connected using a USB cable or connector. It is one of the most important hardware elements within the PC.
This disk is accompanied by the adjective Hard in order to be able to differentiate it from the flexible disk, also known as a floppy disk. It should be noted that they not only differ in appearance, but also in storage capacity and speed. In this regard, the hard drive is far superior.
For example, a hard drive can store up to 100 gigabytes of information, while most floppy disks have a maximum capacity of 1.4 megabytes. There is not even point of comparison.
His parts
A hard drive is made up of the following parts:
- Actuator: this is the motor that generates movement in the structure and that contains reading heads located in the center and the outer edge of the disks. It works by using the force of an electromagnet pushed against fixed magnets in order to move the heads through a disk. If it loses power, a spring is responsible for moving the head back to the center of the disk over an area that does not store data.
- IDE hard disk connector: the acronym IDE means « Integrated Device Electronic » and its translation into Spanish is integrated electronic component.
- Jumper: this is an element that allows two terminals to be connected to each other, temporarily, without having to use an additional tool, since this union of terminals is responsible for closing the electrical circuit of which it is a part.
- Power connector: in this case, the power supply is responsible for supplying power to the hard drive.
- Actuator Arm: This arm is intended to hold the read and write headers and can move them across different tracks at amazing speed. It is light, but has a lot of power and precision. It can glide across the surface of the hard drive many times a second, if need be.
- The heads: these are the components with the highest sensitivity. They work by changing their position within the hard drive to obtain the information that is needed. Its operating system is made up of a copper coil, which is enclosed in a magnet that varies its position in order to access the information that is required. At one end, it has pieces of ceramic sensitive to magnetic fields that contain the information. In turn, they have a signal amplifier housed in the chassis of the heads.
- The axis: this piece rotates on itself and is powered by impulse train generators that maintain an exact speed. The motor is made up of three sets of coils located in opposition, which exert movement on the central axis that supports the plates of the entire hard drive.
- Disk: This is the main and most important component of the hard drive. They can be made of glass, ceramic or polished aluminum and coated on both sides with a thin layer of a metal alloy.
They are usually made up of several plates of magnetic material that are positioned on a central axis. These discs have two sides that are joined for data storage, although one is used for control information storage.
Now that you know what a hard drive is and what its component parts are, if you want to buy one, you need to know which the best on the market are.
What do you need
You need to know that among the best hard drives are the following:
Western Digital
- These hard drives provide performance and capacity, plus they are very reliable. So it is an excellent option for users who use their computer on a daily basis.
- They have No Touch Ramp Load technology; this means that it places the recording head outside the surface of the hard drive in order to protect your data.
- They have been designed, tested and manufactured with the aim of offering maximum durability.
- It has the ability to store large media files such as 4k ultra HD videos or different types of games.
- It has authoring software that can be used to clone disks and to make backup copies of your operating system, applications, settings, and other data.
- Its capacity varies from 500 GB up to 6 TB.
- It has a speed of 5400 and 7200 RPM.
- It is available in 3.5 and 2.5 inches.
- It has a sustained data rate of 150 MB/s.
- Includes a 2 year warranty.
In addition to the above, it should be noted that the Western Digital is one of the most common on the market and can be found in almost any type of configuration. It is cheap and has quality components, which makes it have an effective durability.
Seagate
- It is a hybrid hard drive, which means that it has been suitable for gaming on PCs, but also on laptops. It has the facility to load maps and start levels faster.
- It has a wide variety of capabilities in order to provide an optimized team.
- It has a low power consumption, which means that its configuration is much more profitable.
- It has a protection plan that guarantees a long-term enjoyment of tranquility.
- They have SSHD technology, which means that, inside, they have a small NAND flash drive to help cache the hard drive, making their times better.
- Its capacity varies between 500 GB and 2 TB.
- It is available in 3.5 and 2.5 inches.
- It has up to 5 years warranty.
Toshiba
- It is classified as a reliable hard drive and therefore it is the best option to install them in high-performance computers. In addition, it is ideal for private users, for home offices and for small businesses.
- In network, it has a capacity of 4 TB. Thanks to this you can store a large amount of data and programs.
- It has an annual workload of up to 180TB, which shows the performance capacity of this NAS hard drive.
- It maintains its high performance level, even for continuous operation, as it has been developed for data center use and is protected against high temperatures as well as data loss.
- Its capacity ranges from 4 TB to 16 TB.
- It has about 512 MB of cache.
- Provides about 3 years warranty.
It should be noted that the Toshiba Company has been doing a good job in the production of hard drives and, for this reason, they are among the best and most recommended. That, without taking into account the fact that it offers a very competitive price.
But apart from these important facts, what other things do you need to know when it comes to selecting the best hard drive on the market? Let’s see it right now.
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Tips
You must bear in mind that hard drives are divided into several classes, there is desktop, server, and laptop and those that are external, that is, those that are used as an additional storage system and that are connected to the computer or the notebook with the help of a USB cable.
Also, you must take into account that hard drives vary in speed and this is determined by its capacity, as well as by other parameters. It is also important that you consider what the capacity of the hard drive is. This is one of the most noticeable aspects. The more capacity it has, the better it will perform.
Other aspects or characteristics that you have to take into account are the flash memory and SSD, the connectivity interfaces, its shock durability, its power consumption, its equipment and the manufacturer.
In relation to this last point in particular, this should be one of the selection criteria with the greatest weight, since it will provide reliability. As we have indicated in this article, among the best are Western Digital, Seagate and Toshiba.
These brands offer quality hard drives and only have a small percentage of drives with defects or failures. They have several models and you can buy them in large quantities. However, it is always recommended that you inform yourself first, perhaps reading a little criticism from its users.
Products from other manufacturers are relegated to the background and do not cause much interest. However, if you want to buy a model from a second-tier brand, you can consider ADATA, Dell, Kingston, HP, among others.
However, keep in mind that sometimes the cheapest ends up being the most expensive. This means that, by saving a few euros, you could end up buying a poor quality hard drive and, in the long run, lead to having to buy another one. Which means that you will have wasted your initial investment?
The most advisable thing is that you buy a good quality hard drive, one that is fast and has a lot of capacity and, thanks to this article, you already know which the best are. Therefore, bet to win and acquire hard drives from the Western Digital, Seagate or Toshiba brands. You will not find others like these.
Tanner Abraham
Data Scientist and Software Engineer with a focus on experimental projects in new budding technologies that incorporate machine learning and quantum computing into web applications.
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