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Because the moving parts inside a hard drive require power. Bigger hard drives require more power, so a large hard drive may need more power. USB external harddrives get their power from the computer via the USB ports, that is why some USB hard drive have 2 USB cables; both provide power to the drive and one transfers the data. This many not be enough for large hard drives so they need extenal power. (Just think, they could probably work off 4 or 5 USB ports, but most people don't have that many free!)

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Does an external hard drive require constant power?

Commonly, external hard drives will acquire power from the computer it is connected to. It is possible, though, to connect external hard drives to an outlet and permanently to the computer, replacing the previous hard drive, though I highly do not recommend such.


SATA and External Hard Drives?

The first option is to replace the SATA hard drive that is inside a desktop PC or laptop. The second option is to use an external hard drive. No matter which choice is selected, the most important feature is the total memory capacity. Both type of hard drives usually have enough space for at least several hundred Gigabytes (GB.) Several Terabytes (TB) is typically the limit of most modern hard drives. Installing a SATA hard drive is more difficult than plugging in an external USB hard drive. The SATA type requires some manipulation of the power cables connected to the motherboard and computer's power supply.


Why is it a good idea to install a ribbon cable befor connecting power to drives?

Ribbon cables are difficult to work with and it is never a good idea to install cables on a device when it has power running to it. Components could short and be damaged or the technician could be damaged.


What is internal device?

That is a device that is inside the computer. An internal hard drive, for instance, is physically mounted inside the computer. It is not made to be used outside the computer, though there are kits to convert internal hard drives into external drives. There are external storage devices that are made to plug into a USB port. External devices either require their own power supply, or they get power from a USB socket. Internal devices get their power from the power supply which is already in the computer.


Do external hard drives replace ram?

NO, RAM is random access memory which is for processing power, it has absolutely nothing to do with memory storage.


What is a different between external and internal hardware computer component?

Internal components are devices that are either built-in to the motherboard of the computer, added on an expansion card or a device attached to the motherboard by way of ribbon cables. External devices are added to the computer system by plugging them into one of the ports on the back of the computer.


Why do electrical appliances need to be plugged into the wall?

Because the power needed to make them work is delivered by a national 'grid' of electrical cables. There is no way to actually transmit power to an appliance through the air. It must be deilvered by cables.


Can external hard drives be used as internal hard drives?

Most external hard drives can be used as internal ones. Provided that the IDE, SATA, or SCSI interface of the external hard drive is the same as the desktop's system board hard drive interface. Users can remove the USB casing and proceed to plug the data and power cables into it. The external drive, just has an additional component, that's used to hook up with the USB port.


What do the computer wires do?

They are either data cables that connects peripherals to each other for communication, cables to send a signal (power, LED light), or power cables to provide DC power to each parts of the computer. Cables come in many different various types depending on their purposes.


What are Definition of external parts of the system unit?

The external part is the part of system unit which can be seen, include the system case and the power button. And the internal part refers to the things inside the system unit example the motherboard, the expansion slot and disk driver


How is the LCD on the laptop powered?

Unlike the CRT monitor, LCD doesn't use as much power. So, the battery of the laptop is enough to power its LCD monitor. There is a power supply cables within the laptops. That cables carry the power from the battery to its LCD monitor and other power needed devices. It is the simplest answer of how is the LCD on the laptop powered?


Why is it a good idea to install a ribbon cable before connecting power to drives?

Ribbon cables are difficult to work with and it is never a good idea to install cables on a device when it has power running to it. Components could short and be damaged or the technician could be damaged.