HARD DRIVES

Revealed – Hard Disk Types Explained

PATA (Parallel Advanced Technology Attachment)
These hard disks used to be the standard for all desktop computers. You might know them better as IDE or EIDE drives. IDE and EIDE refer to the type of interface that is used to connect the hard disk to your computer. To connect, they use a 40 or 80 wire ribbon cable that connects to the motherboard inside your PC. As the PATA technology improved, more speed was needed and therefore more data transferred. This is why some disks use 40 wires and some use 80. Although you can still buy these kinds of disks, most people now opt for the SATA kind. You will also find smaller 2.5 inch IDE or PATA disks inside laptop computers too.

SATA (Serial ATA)
Compared to a PATA disk, the connections on the SATA ones are totally difference. That goes for the data connection as well as the power connector. In the computer industry, speed is the factor that most people crave. SATA disks were created to supply high amounts of data at very quick rates. The later models of PATA disks have a similar fast transfer rate, but the newer, slimmer design of the SATA drives allows for better use of technology and therefore provides quicker hard disks. Also, they use less power too, which is a requirement for most modern computers and operating systems.

SCSI (Small Computer System Interface)
You could think that SCSI hard disks are similar to PATA one, but they differ in a few ways. The SCSI disks need a special controller to make them work. Where as a SATA or PATA drive will connect direct to the computer motherboard, this kind needs it’s own controller to make them work. They both offer fast data transfer, but the SCSI models spin at a faster rate and are therefore quicker at sending and receiving data. It would be more common to find a SCSI hard disk inside a server rather than a desktop PC though. Their higher data rates and error correction capabilities make them perfect for using as part of a disk array. Although the SCSI type are considered to be more reliable, they also tend to wear out quicker due to the high speed that the disks spin at.

SSD (Solid State Drives)
These drives are the future of computing storage – mainly because they have no moving parts. Conventional hard disks like the ones we have already discussed, consist of a spinning set of “platters” and a head that moves back and forth reading data as it spins past. The SSD drives are more akin to a USB memory stick and have no moving parts, therefore being more stable and less likely to break. The only downside with these disks at the moment is the price. As they are relatively new, the cost often outweighs the benefits.

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