5 Types of Hard Drives You Can Buy

There are multiple ones on the market types of hard drives They are offered with different features, although many times we don't even know which one is best for us to buy. There are some differences between them that we should be aware of before choosing any solution.

For example, a hard drive can be of type HDD or SSD, Both have different physical formats and work in specific ways. That's why we want to tell you about all their functions and features so that you can select the most suitable one for your computer.

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What is a Hard Drive?

The hard drive is a unit of storage which allows you to store a large amount of data and files, depending on the space it has been packed with. These can range from a few GB to even TB or more memory.

In addition, hard drives stand out for protect the information even when the device is not connected to power or equipment, covered with ventilation panels in some cases to prevent overheating.

The 5 Most Recommended Types of Hard Drives

The most accurate way to classify the hard drive types It is through its operation, although other characteristics such as the assembly method or the connection system through cables are also taken into account.

1. HHD Hard Drives (Hard Drive Disk)

Also known as mechanical hard drives, these are storage devices that can save information permanently, even when the connected equipment is not on, a difference between this memory and RAM.

Furthermore, the HDD Hard Drives They stand out for being composed of several disks that rotate in an interconnected manner. The thinner these are, the greater the storage capacity, but if they rotate faster, they can also transport data at a higher speed.

A characteristic point of view to define HDD Hard Drives is that they are usually covered by a strong metal casing, which protects them from dust and any other type of harmful element.

However, these types of devices tend to be very fragile and are not eternal, so depending on the use we give them, their useful life can be extended or be considerably reduced over the years.

2. SSD Hard Drives (Solid State Drive)

The evolution of traditional hard drives comes with the Solid State Drive (SSD). This is a type of drive that doesn't use actual disks (its name is more of a selling point), but instead works through multiple chip-type memories, known as NAND.

All these memories are connected and have a certain storage space. Through internal controllers, these hard drives make the decision on how to use all the space, the distribution of clusters, etc.

In this way, we SSD Hard Drives They are more durable than HDDs. The lack of a motion-driven mechanism makes them less noisy and more attractive to users, apart from the fact that they come in a much more compact size.

In fact, it is the flattened size that it acquires, which allows it to be used on computers. portable or those of reduced dimensions. Another point in favor of these units is that include their own microprocessor to perform tasks more precisely.

3. SATA hard drives

Another way to classify hard drives is by their connection cable. These types of units are almost always HDD style with all the features we already described, but it requires the computer to have a SATA input to be able to function.

SATA hard drives are a bit more powerful, although they are equally dependent on a mechanical turning system so that data transmission and storage is faster or slower, which ends up affecting it over the years.

For desktop and personal computers, these types of drives are almost always preferred because they rely on power constantly, plus they They need to be static to avoid as many bumps or traumas as possible.

There are three types of SATA hard drives that you can purchase on the market:

• SATA-1: It has the ability to reach more than 150 Mb of speed to transfer files.
• SATA-2: speed increases up to 300Mb.
• SATA-3: It has higher performance and capacity is twice that of SATA2, as it can achieve a speed of 600Mb, with a compact, small and stable size.

4. SCSI or SAS Hard Drives

They are mostly used for servers or to connect multiple computers at once. These are high-performance storage units that can transport data at speeds higher than other hard drives.

The SCSI disks They require drivers, include a simple graphical interface to control and configure them, and run a bit slower. However, SAS drives are somewhat independent and don't require you to shut down your computer to replace another drive.

Essentially, these are hard drives used by companies that perform team or collaborative work. Due to the transmission speeds they achieve, they are also ideal for use as remote storage.

Despite all these changes, physically they are not very different from SATA or HDD, because they are devices that work with an internal mechanical system and require an electrical connection to start transmitting data.

5. External hard drives

The vast majority of hard drives are for internal use. That is, they need to be installed and stored inside the PC case to work. On the other hand, External hard drives or laptops are more flexible and vary in multiple things.

On the one hand, these are units that go connected to the equipment with a cable USB, although some may come with a SATA converter to transform an HDD drive into a portable one, which gives it another usability.

Likewise, external hard drives They are a little slower, even though they operate internally using a mechanical system and ventilation motors. They include a more elegant exterior design and lights that show the user how they operate.

But because they are transportable, They are usually very affected by constant use, falls or impacts. This is why its useful life is shorter and information can be lost due to an unexpected failure.

▷Read: 10 Best Programs to Format Hard Drive ▷

Conclusions

A hard drive is a vital device for any computer or PC. In them We safeguard and store all the equipment information, including the operating system and users' personal data.

These can be used to make backups, transport content or simply to allow a computer to boot with commands of the system, so it becomes essential to know the multiple types of hard drives on the market.