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Tag: computers

HDD: Hard Disk Drive, Disk Drive, Hard Drive

Tue, December 15, 2015 Published by

Everything you install and save on your computer is stored on your hard drive. Operating system, applications, emails, pictures, songs, documents, etc. all live on small metallic disks spinning inside the hard drive enclosure. As with all other computer components, there have been many advancements in hard drive technology. Because of this, we have several options available for consumer PC’s. It’s very easy to get overly technical so I will keep this simple. Luckily there’s only a few things to consider when deciding on which one you want.

SIZE or CAPACITY

No matter what the manufacturer, hard drives are typically referred to by their main characteristic, SIZE. The size is measured in units of Gigabytes (GB) and Terabytes (TB). For example 180 GB HDD, 500 GB HDD, or 1 TB HDD. Keep in mind that a Terabyte is 1000 Gigabytes and a Gigabyte is 1000 Megabytes. With some pictures taking up 3 to 5 Megabytes of space or more, you can see how important it can be to be sure you get enough storage space depending on your intended use. The good thing is that most hard drives sold today usually start out at 80 to 120 Gigabytes and are more commonly sold at 1 Terabyte. That’s way more storage than the average consumer will ever use.

SPEED

The internal disks I mentioned earlier are constantly spinning while your computer is turned on. There are only two speeds available in most consumer PC’s, 5400 RPM and 7200 RPM, while server drives spin at 10,000 and 15,000 RPM. Because your data is being stored and retrieved on these spinning disks, the speed affects the data transfer rate. So obviously the faster the drive, the faster the data transfer, the better the performance. But for the budget minded, typically the 5400 RPM will come with a lower price tag.

LATEST AND GREATEST

As hard drive technological advancements continue, the latest competing technology is “Flash Memory” in the form of “Solid State Drives” or SSD. In these new drives there are no moving parts. They use the same storage technology that’s found in small Thumb Drives or USB Drives. The data transfer is faster and they are more reliable. However, as with everything else, this new technology comes with a premium price tag. Where you might find a 7200 RPM, 1 TB HDD for just over $50.00, a 1 TB SSD will set you back $250.00 or more.

SUMING IT UP

The good thing is that 9 times out of 10 you will be looking at pre-built computers for purchase. As you compare prices notice that the size and speed of the hard drive does affect the overall price. So again, keep in mind your intended use, how much data you plan to store, and your budget and go for the best you can afford.

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This concludes the three part series on RAM, Processor and Hard Drive. While there are many other technical specs found in consumer PC’s, these three components are the most important when it comes to computer performance. I hope I’ve given you enough basic information to understand each one’s association to the other without a lot of confusion. If you’d like to understand more and really dig into the technical side of things, there are tons of articles and videos that go into much greater depth and detail on the Internet. Just Google It!

“RAM” – Noun or Verb? Animal or Action?

Tue, December 1, 2015 Published by

Neither! At least when you’re referring to computers. 🙂

RAM is actually an acronym which stands for “Random Access Memory”. Because of this, it’s reference is typically shortened to “Memory”. For example, How much memory does your computer have? It’s size or capacity is measured in powers of 2 and these days the increments are in Gigabytes or “GB”. For example, 4 GB, 8 GB, 16 GB, 32 GB etc. Without a doubt, RAM has the greatest effect on computer performance. If there’s not enough, it can choke and slow your computer to a crawl no matter how fast the processor is. The processor actually relies on RAM to do its job. Imagine RAM as being the top of your desk. The bigger your desk is, the more things you can work on at the same time. If you have a tiny little desk, chances are you can only work on one thing at a time. So still the question remains, HOW MUCH?? To be honest, there’s no exact science for determining this. It’s kind of up to you and your intended computer use. But here’s a road map to help.

All software programs and applications loaded on your computer will take a bite out of available RAM while in use. Including your operating system and antivirus which are always running many services in the background. So if you add to that by opening more programs and applications, you continue to subtract from available RAM. This means the biggest consideration when determining the amount of RAM you may need is how many applications do you intend to use “at the same time”. The most typical user will have email open while browsing the Internet or social sites like Facebook (4 to 8 GB). A more heavy user may do that but add to it heavy word processing, PowerPoint presentation or publication creation (8 to 16 GB). And an even heavier user may be a photographer or graphics artist engaging in heavy duty photo editing and movie creation (16 to 32 GB). So you see, while I’m sure any salesman can convince you that more is always better, in the end only you hold the answers to “How Much” RAM you really need. Be aware, It’s possible to reach overkill if you don’t truly need it and additional RAM seems to come with a pretty hefty price tag. The beauty is that it can be upgraded later if you find you really need it. So don’t stress. Think about what you might need and go for it.