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Laptop Hard DriveHow fast & how big a laptop hard drive do you need?Size is important obviously because the bigger the hard drive is, the more you can store. Thankfully, hard drive space has become significantly cheaper over the last decade, so you can get a large drive as a standard component of many laptops. Also remember that depending on your needs and budget, you can add more space later. It might make sense to get a relatively inexpensive hard drive now and replace it or add an external model in the future. The external drive will also be significantly cheaper than the drive inside your laptop. For example, currently $100 will get you around 80GB of laptop storage or a 300GB drive that could be used externally. Such big drives aren't even currently an option for internal laptop drives. It will obviously be harder to travel with an external drive, but if plan ahead and store only large audio and video files on it, in many cases you may not need to bring it anyway. Hard Drive Speed A computer's hard drive is one of the slowest components of the system. You can often hear the drive being accessed, retrieving data, and until it finishes and quiets down, it's holding up the entire system. Thankfully, laptop hard drive speed has increased over the last few years, currently running at 4200 RPM, 5400 RPM, and even 7200 RPM speeds. Depending on your needs, it may or may not make sense to pay a huge premium now for the best 7200 RPM drive on the market. For just about everyone, the cost to upgrade from 4200 to 5400 RPM will not be tremendous, and the performance gains will be very noticeable. Recommendations Budget System Sticking to around a 30 or 40GB 4200 RPM drive is a good way to save money. That said, often spending just a little more, around $25-$50, can get you around a 60GB 5400 rpm drive. The extra speed is just as important as the additional size, and should very seriously be considered because of the performance gains from a faster drive. Windows XP uses a lot of space, and Vista even more, so your hard drive may ship with less free space than you are expecting. Value System Get a 5400 RPM or 7200 RPM drive and get whatever size seems works out to a good amount of money to spend. Avoid getting less than 40GB unless you plan to upgrade soon. If you work with a lot of video or have a huge music collection, consider moving up to something bigger. If the laptop specifications don't indicate the drive speed, it could be a 4200 RPM, and you should realize now how important hard drive speed is. Take the time, ask, and get a least a 5400 RPM drive. High End System It may be worthwhile to get a very large laptop drive, but remember you can always get an external drive. Getting a medium sized drive can save some money now, and if this laptop will generally stay in one place on your desk, an external drive shouldn't be too big an inconvenience if you ever need it. A 5400 RPM or 7200 RPM drive is a must. |
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