How much memory and storage space do I need for my new PC? Should I opt for removable storage instead? What is a gigabyte anyway? If you find yourself asking these questions, don't get discouraged. Buying the right hard drive requires research, thought, and a lot of patience. There are a lot of hard drives out there - this article will help you narrow down your search and pick the hard drive that's right for you. First, you must determine whether you need an internal or external hard drive. If you're looking for the easiest way to add data storage capacity to your computer, then you should go with an external hard drive. They're great for backing up your PC, and they allow you to easily share photos, videos, and songs with others. Ideal for those who travel, external hard drives are physically very small so you can take them with you wherever you go. On the other hand, internal hard drives are designed for replacing or expanding the storage of a single PC. They offer massive storage capabilities, the highest performance, and the lowest cost per gigabyte. Most desktop PC cases have at least one internal drive bay (the place where you can mount extra hard drives). However, before you purchase an additional drive for your system, make sure your case has enough room. If you have a smaller, low-profile case, you won't be able to use the old and new drives simultaneously. You'll also have to choose between the two interfaces: PATA (Parallel Advanced Technology Attachment, also known as IDE drives) and SATA (Serial Advanced Technology Attachment). In most cases, SATA drives are a better choice for a few reasons-they're slightly faster, they're easier to connect, and they don't require you to configure jumpers as PATA drives do. Nonetheless, the performance tends to be similar. The next thing you need to do is determine the size of the hard drive, which simply refers to its data storage capacity. For the most part, the size of the hard drive depends on what you plan to do with your computer. If you're just browsing the web or doing a little word processing, you probably don't need more than 8-10 gigabytes. The lower capacity drives are typically less expensive and should only be used to handle basic computing needs. But if you plan on storing large amounts of data, music, or pictures, you'll want to go with a larger hard drive to avoid running out of space. Next, you must choose the speed of the hard drive, which is measured in revolutions per minute (RPM). Hard drives consist of a disc that rotates and a needle which reads/writes data to this disc. The faster the disc spins, the faster the data is read and written. For the average user, 5400 RPM is perfectly adequate. But if you want your system to be as fast as possible, then choose a hard drive with 7200 RPM. General Tips: Shop around. Hard drives come in different sizes to suit different storage needs, and they're priced very competitively. So spend a little time searching for a killer deal, and you'll certainly be glad you did. Look out for warranties. In general, you should get at least a 3-year warranty on your hard drive. Consider buying a hard-drive kit, which includes mounting hardware, cables, detailed instructions, and software that eases installation. A kit may also include an application for cloning the contents of your old hard drive onto the new one, which then becomes your new main drive. If you've outgrown your existing storage, it may be easier and cheaper to upgrade a drive instead of buying an entirely new one. And if you're an avid gamer, opt for a drive with approximately 10,000 RPM.
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