How do you select a hard drive?

Answer 1

It depends what you mean by "select." If you mean select as in tell the computer which drive to use, then you would enter its drive letter if in command console mode, click it from My Computer, or type it in (or navigate to it) when loading or saving a file.

If you mean to determine which drive you desire to purchase, then it depends on your needs. Here are the considerations:

Physical dimensions: You'd want a 2.5" drive if you need to put in in a laptop or other devices that require that size. You'd want a 3.5" drive if you are installing it in a desktop, though you can use a conversion kit to use a 2.5" drive if you needed to.

Interface type: SATA is the most common drive type these days, but you might need a different type. You might need PATA (40-pin IDE), SCSI, SAS (SCSI Attached Storage), etc. A few people still use ancient, obsolete drive types such as ESDI, MFM, and RLL. A note to keep in mind about SATA and SAS is that while they use the same data plugs and cabling, they are only interchangeable in one direction. While a SATA drive will work with an SAS controller, an SAS drive will not work with a SATA controller. They are electrically compatible, so you won't damage anything if you interchange them, but SAS drives use a different command set and cannot communicate with a SATA controller. There are also SSD drives (SATA or SAS command set, unless they use something proprietary) which use the PCI-e interface.

Technology type: Hard drives can be electromechanical or SSD (solid state drive). SSD drives tend to be faster than mechanical drives. SSD drives use less current and make less noise. However, SSD drives cost more and don't come in as large of sizes.

Capacity: One important consideration is the size you want. More is generally better, but you can save a little money if you go with a smaller capacity. SSD drives increase in price as the capacity grows at a much steeper rate than with mechanical drives.

Brand: Some users are loyal to a brand. Seagate tends to be one of the better mechanical drives and perhaps a tad faster than Western Digital, though that depends on the exact models compared. Western Digital drives are not bad. However, some have been known for starting problems and resetting for no reason. With SSD drives, there are different brands, and their manufacturers tend to also make memory. In addition to IBM and Seagate, who also make mechanical drives, there are brands such as Corsair, Kingston, etc.

Price: If price is important to you, then you'd want a smaller mechanical drive, most likely by Seagate or Western Digital.