| Apart from being one of the most
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| | earliest Macs and the newer iMacs. While
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| essential parts of your computer, hard
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| | some systems support SCSI controllers on
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| drive storage is constantly updating, in
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| | their motherboards, most feature a SCSI
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| terms of both capacity of disk space and
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| | controller add-in card. SCSI drives are
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| in physical size. When it comes time to
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| | usually faster and more reliable, and the
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| upgrade your disk storage, there are a
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| | SCSI interface supports the connection of
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| number of factors for you to take into
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| | many more drives than IDE. While SCSI
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| account. Once you've made basic decisions
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| | drives come in many different standards,
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| about size, connectivity, speed and data
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| | many of them are not compatible with one
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| transfer rate, and whether you want an
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| | another. So it's important be know that
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| internal drive or external, you can
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| | your computer supports the drive you plan
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| search through au to find the most
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| | to install. The different SCSI
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| suitable brand, and model, and compare
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| | connections are:SCSI-1. A basic
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| the prices of different vendors.How A
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| | connection using a 25-pin connector,
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| Hard Drive WorksYour hard drive has a
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| | supporting transfer rates up to 4 MB per
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| number of magnetized platters connected
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| | second.SCSI-2. Uses a 50-pin connector
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| to a spindle. The spindle spins the
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| | and supports multiple devices with a
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| platters at a very fast speed while a
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| | transfer rate of 4MB per second.Wide
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| series of read/write heads scan over them
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| | SCSI. These drives have a wider cable and
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| both looking for and writing information.
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| | a 68-pin connection that supports 16-bit
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| This information is transferred via a
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| | data transfers.Fast SCSI. Uses an 8-bit
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| cable system, or through a wireless
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| | bus but transfers data at 10 MB Per
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| connection to a hard disk controller,
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| | second.Fast Wide SCSI. Doubles both the
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| which in most systems is built into the
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| | bus (16-bit) and the data transfer rate
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| motherboard, or in some systems installed
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| | (20 MB per second).Ultra SCSI or Ultra
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| as an add-in card. The information that
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| | Wide SCSI. Uses an 8-bit bus and
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| comes from your hard drive through its
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| | transfers data at 20 MB per
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| controller is then made available to the
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| | second.SCSI-3. Features a 16-bit bus and
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| components of your computer. The
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| | transfers data at 40 MB per second.
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| effectiveness of your hard drive (its
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| | Ultra2 SCSI. Uses an 8-bit bus and
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| performance) depends on how much of its
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| | transfer data at a rate of 40 MB per
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| capacity remains unused, how well
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| | second.Wide Ultra2 SCSI. Uses a 16-bit
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| organised the data is (known as
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| | bus and supports data transfer rates of
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| fragmentation) and its data transfer
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| | 80 MB per second.FIREWIRE (IEEE 1394)The
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| rate, which in turn is dependent on its
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| | FireWire standard is becoming popular in
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| connection type and the drive's spin
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| | portable hard drives because it can be
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| rate.Internal Hard DrivesMost computers
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| | connected and removed without having to
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| from, the most basic home models up to
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| | reboot the computer. It supports data
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| the most powerful servers, have an
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| | transfer rates of 50 MB per second, which
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| internally installed hard drive.
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| | means it is ideal for video, audio and
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| Technology today ensures that they are
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| | multimedia applications. FireWire
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| all generally fast, reliable, and offer
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| | requires a dedicated add-in card and the
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| dependable storage ability. Most modern
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| | hard drives in use require an external
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| computers have installation slots and
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| | power source, but the interface can
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| cabling to enable you to install
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| | support up to 63 devices
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| additional hard drive. This allows you to
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| | simultaneously.USB 1.1 (UNIVERSAL SERIAL
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| increase your storage capacity without
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| | BUS)Pretty much all computers today
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| giving up your existing hard
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| | include USB ports on their motherboards.
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| drive.Internal Hard DrivesExternal Hard
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| | (On older model, you can install an
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| DrivesThese drives are essentially the
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| | add-in card.) USB controllers can be used
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| same drives as ones installed inside
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| | to connect external hard drives, and can
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| computers, but cased inside a protective,
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| | support as many as 127 devices
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| portable case. This is a good solution
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| | simultaneously either through USB port
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| for people who work remotely and need to
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| | hubs or linked in a daisy chain fashion.
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| transport large amounts of data. If an
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| | USB controllers do delivery power to
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| external hard drive is your choice, make
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| | devices connected to them, but many hard
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| sure your computer is compatible with the
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| | drives still use an external power
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| interface that the hard drive uses. An
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| | source. USB is limited by its data
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| add-in card, such as a FireWire card can
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| | transfer speed, the maximum rate being
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| help to increase your computer's
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| | about at 1.5 MB per second.USB 2.0
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| capabilities. You can compare different
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| | (HI-SPEED USB)A more recently introduced
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| brands of external hard drives simply at
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| | and far better connection standard that
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| au and search on the connection type, or
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| | offers backward compatibility and data
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| other specifications.External Hard
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| | transfer rates of up to 60 MB per second.
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| drivesLaptop Hard DrivesThere have been
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| | USB 1.1 system can use a USB 2.0 device;
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| many advances in miniaturization of
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| | it will need a USB 2.0 controller card to
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| hardware components for laptop computing,
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| | achieve the higher transfer rates.FIBRE
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| and hard drive technology is not left out
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| | CHANNELFibre Cabling is mainly used for
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| of this loop. Laptop hard drives function
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| | high-bandwidth network servers and
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| in exactly the same way as internal hard
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| | workstations, providing very fast data
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| drives on other computers, only they are
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| | transfer rates (up to 106MB per second),
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| designed to provide maximum storage and
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| | and connection at long cabled distances,
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| efficiency in the smallest possible
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| | although it is expensive and you need to
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| package. For added flexibility, some
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| | install a special interface card.Spin
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| laptop computers come with removable hard
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| | rateData transfer rate is crucial to how
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| drives that can be easily installed and
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| | well your computer performs for you.
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| removed. However, before you buy a hard
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| | Apart from the connection types above,
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| drive for your portable computer, check
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| | the performance of your hard drive
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| that the hard drive's specifications will
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| | depends on its spin rate, measured in
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| meet the standards of your computer, as
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| | RPM. Higher RPM generally means faster
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| many laptop hard drives are proprietary,
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| | data transfer rate. The lowest spin speed
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| and are not compatible with other brands
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| | that is acceptable in computing today is
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| and models.Laptop Hard DrivesSizeYour
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| | 5400 RPM. The common standard at present
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| hard drive stores your operating system,
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| | is 7200 RPM. But higher speeds are
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| its programs (games and applications),
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| | available in SCSI drives, and it is one
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| your working data, and your digital music
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| | area of computer system technology that
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| and movies. Most new computer purchases
| |
| | is constantly being developed.A larger
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| have a minimum of 80 GB of hard disk
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| | capacity hard drive will not necessarily
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| space; many have considerably more. Hard
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| | make your system function any faster
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| drive space is one of those things, once
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| | unless you are low on available disk
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| you have it, you'll find ways to fill it
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| | space with your existing drive. But a
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| soon enough. There is no real rule of
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| | drive with Ultra ATA/100 or ATA/133 and a
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| thumb, but consider the cost per gigabyte
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| | 7200 RPM spin rate will pretty much
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| of storage as a way to guide your
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| | guarantee an improved hard drive
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| purchase. If you work with large files,
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| | performance.Other
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| such as music, video and graphics, it
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| | considerationsCACHECache (pronounces
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| pays to have a big storage space for your
| |
| | 'cash') is additional temporary memory
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| work. It may pay you to have two hard
| |
| | that acts as a buffer between the system
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| drives, one that houses all your programs
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| | and the drive. Frequently accessed data
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| and applications, and another for storing
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| | is stored in the cache for quick access.
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| your work and projects.You may want to
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| | Cache sizes vary from 512 KB up to 16 MB
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| compare the price of say a 160GB drive
| |
| | on some SCSI drives. The larger cache you
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| against two separate 80 GB drives. If one
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| | have on your drive, the faster your drive
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| drive fails all is not lost. Today's hard
| |
| | will transfer data. If you are working
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| drives however, are fairly robust pieces
| |
| | with large files, such as video, images
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| of equipment and providing they are not
| |
| | and audio files, it pays to have the
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| abuse, will serve you well for a long
| |
| | largest cache you can get (8MB or
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| period of time.InterfaceOne key
| |
| | more).SEEK TIMEThe data on your disk is
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| distinguishing factor between hard drives
| |
| | stored in tracks and sectors and when you
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| is the way in which they connect to your
| |
| | instruct your hard drive controller to
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| computer. There are a number of basic
| |
| | retrieve some data, it goes looking. The
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| types of connection schemes used with
| |
| | seek time is a measure of how long it
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| hard drives. Each connection type has a
| |
| | takes the hard drive to find a specific
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| range of differences in performance.IDE
| |
| | track on a disk. Seek times can vary
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| (INTEGRATED DRIVE ELECTRONICS)This is by
| |
| | slightly from disk to disk and a drive
|
| the most common connection methods.
| |
| | with a faster seek time will always
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| Because the hard drive controller is on
| |
| | perform better.INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL
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| the drive itself rather than on the
| |
| | TRANSFER RATESThese two rates tell how
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| motherboard, it helps to keep costs down.
| |
| | fast a drive actually reads the data and
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| There different IDE standards available.
| |
| | passes it along to the system. Internal
|
| Mostly, you will want to purchase the
| |
| | Transfer Rate refers to the time it takes
|
| fastest possible standard that your
| |
| | for a drives heads to read data from the
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| computer can support. Most computers will
| |
| | platter and pass it to the drive's cache.
|
| support a standard that is faster than
| |
| | The External Transfer Rate (sometimes
|
| what the computer currently supports, so
| |
| | called the Transfer Rate or the Burst
|
| you can buy a faster drive, and update
| |
| | Transfer Rate) is a measure of the time
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| your computer at a later time. The
| |
| | it takes to send the data from the cache
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| different IDE standards, in order from
| |
| | all the way to the computer's memory.
|
| most basic to fastest, are:ATA (Basic).
| |
| | Naturally faster transfer rates provide
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| Supports up to two hard drives and
| |
| | better performance.S.M.A.R.T.
|
| features a 16-bit interface, handling
| |
| | (Self-Monitoring Analysis and Reporting
|
| transfer speeds up to 8.3 MB per
| |
| | Technology)This is a nice built-in
|
| second.ATA-2 or EIDE (Enhanced IDE).
| |
| | feature in some hard drives that can help
|
| Supports transfer speeds up to 13.3 MB
| |
| | alert you to a potential hardware
|
| per second.ATA-3. A minor upgrade to
| |
| | problem. Your computer's BIOS must
|
| ATA-2 and offers transfer speeds up to
| |
| | support this in order for the SMART
|
| 16.6 MB per second.Ultra-ATA (Ultra-DMA,
| |
| | function it to work, however the drive
|
| ATA-33 or DMA-33). Dramatic speed
| |
| | itself will still work in a system
|
| improvements, with transfer rates up to
| |
| | without it.Buying and installing a hard
|
| 33 MB per second.ATA-66. A version of ATA
| |
| | drive has some technical aspects that you
|
| that doubles transfer rates up to 66 MB
| |
| | need to take into account. Use au to
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| per second.ATA-100. An upgrade to the ATA
| |
| | compare different hard drive makes and
|
| standard supporting transfer rates up to
| |
| | specifications to find the drive that
|
| 100 MB per second.ATA-133. Found mostly
| |
| | will work best for your needs and
|
| in AMD-based systems (not supported by
| |
| | computer. You can compare prices and
|
| Intel), with transfer rates up to 133 MB
| |
| | service offers from different
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| per second.SCSI (SMALL COMPUTER SYSTEM
| |
| | vendors.Andrew Gates for comparison
|
| INTERFACE)This is the hard drive
| |
| | online shopping service au. au helps you
|
| interface standard used by many high-end
| |
| | compare the different hard drives from
|
| PCs, networks and servers, and Apple
| |
| | different brands in terms of
|
| Macintosh computers, except for the
| |
| | specifications and accessories.
|
